Further traffic changes are coming for the Bankview area, which will see the addition of four-way stop and also the closure of another intersection.

Director of infrastructure Armia Mikhaiel notified council at their meeting on August 27 about the changes, which include the closure of 10th Avenue SE east of the intersection on 1st Street SW. The two-way stop at 2nd Street SE and 10th Avenue SE will be turned into a four-way stop. Additionally, a speed hump will be constructed on Elgin Hill Road shortly east of 4th Street SW.

The changes were based on feedback in person at an Open House in late July and survey results submitted online. After changes to the intersection at 7th Avenue SE and 1st Street SW, which will be changed at the same time as these other projects, received mixed feedback from nearby residents, Mr. Mikhaiel says administration wanted to look at the community as a whole.

“We as administration received all this feedback and we conducted a study of the area to find the best solution,” he says.

At Monday’s council meeting, councillor Jay Garbutt voiced concern with the decision, saying the town was following popular opinion rather than the advice of experts. Councillor Lisa Hansen-Zacharuk also commented on the closure of 10 Avenue and 1 Street, saying it is a convenient route for drivers. Councillor Fred Makowecki said he lives in the area and has seen a large increase in traffic and dangerous driving habits.

Work is expected to be done in the first two weeks of September. Residents will be notified prior to what construction work will be done.

Kneehill County council issued a statement last week addressing concerns circulating online.

The 11-page letter, published in the Three Hills Capital on August 22 and available on the Kneehill County website, covers topics such as development at Horseshoe Canyon, the Churchill Water Service area upgrade, the county’s rural fire strategy, county peace officers, Carbon disaster relief, and the chief administrative officer’s salary.

County reeve Jerry Wittstock says the county prefers not “to do our business in the newspaper” but they felt they needed to dispel what they saw as rumours.

“There’s a group running around who are putting out information that is totally untrue. There are total untruths being floated out there and we wanted to educate our ratepayers and keep them up to speed on what’s happening.”

They addressed concerns from residents about county development at Horseshoe Canyon. A previous council had voted to outright purchase the tourist destination and the current administration “encourages” industrial and commercial development at the site, however, “the county has no information on, or indication of plans, being proposed by developers” but has “discussed the potential development of the Highway 9 corridor above the Town of Drumheller” and “there are no plans for industrial developments alongside Horseshoe Canyon,” the letter says.

The county received criticism for the perceived creation of a new county fire chief position. They say although it had been years since the county had a fire chief, the position existed previously and was unused by the previous council. The current council discussed filling the position again at council meetings and made the decision during their meeting on February 27, 2018.

There is an organized group of county residents who are currently petitioning for Alberta’s Municipal Affairs to conduct a municipal review of the affairs of the county. They are organized under the Facebook group ‘Urban and Rural Kneehill County’ and have booked a number of petition signing opportunities in community halls around the county beginning this week.

Organizer and former Torrington Fire Chief Mike Bauer tells the Mail the petition had over 700 signatures as of Tuesday and they need 1,000, or 20 per cent of the county population, to enable a municipal review. He says that’s “guaranteed.”

“There’s a lot of concern in the community. We want to make sure that the affairs are taken care of and to show that we’ve got their attention,” he said.

Look for further coverage on this website.