Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council
Regular Council Meeting
Monday, March 6, 2023

Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg opened the meeting, and council made some opening remarks and announcements.
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Rails to Trails fundraising taskforce Chair Jason Blanke and Secretary Lana Philips presented council with a request to extend the taskforce term until May 31 to allow them to continue fundraising and acting in an advisory capacity on the project.
The taskforce has successfully raised some $282,000 to help support amenities for the CN Rails to Trails pathway system, which will see the conversion of former CN Rail right-of-ways into an active transportation network. The taskforce has also secured sponsorship of three of five stations along the trail, the Main Station, and the Midland Bridge.
Council unanimously approved the extension of the Rails to Trails fundraising taskforce term.
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Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Darryl Drohomerski presented council with a revision to a road closure bylaw for East Coulee and recommended setting a public hearing for April 3.
Council repealed first reading of the initial road closure bylaw and gave first reading of the amended road closure bylaw.
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CAO Drohomerski presented council with a resolution for expropriation for lands on the south side of the Star Mine Suspension Bridge in Rosedale; these lands are privately owned and it was noted the landowner has, so far, only been willing to negotiate a lease agreement.
This item previously came before council in October 2022; however, the original resolution is now four months old and could take an additional four months once submitted to Land Titles. It was recommended council approve a new resolution approving expropriation to avoid further delays.
Council approved the new resolution for expropriation.
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Town of Drumheller Development Officer Antonia Knight presented council with third reading of the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB).
The amendments will align the documents to the current flood mitigation program, including reducing the top width of berms from six metres to 4.5 metres, freeboard from 0.75 metres to 0.5 metres, and increase the design rate of flow designated by the Alberta government from 1,640 cubic metres per second (cm/s) to 1,850 cm/s.
The LUB also addresses amendments regarding bylaw changes to the Tourism Corridor, Employment, and Downtown Area districts.
Council gave third reading to the amended both documents.
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Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Office (DRFMO) project director Deighen Blakely presented council with an update on the flood mitigation project.
One-on-one landowner consultations have been completed for all projects which were scheduled in 2022. The East Coulee berm is currently out for tender, and it is anticipated the Downtown berm will be posted for tender later this month.
Currently 22 of 27 properties in floodway areas which were targeted for buyouts in Nacmine, Rosedale and Lehigh have been acquired, with five properties remaining in Lehigh.
Tree clearing will begin later in the week to allow for construction of berms over the summer, and it is anticipated wood chips and firewood will be made available to the public once this work is completed. Construction work on East Coulee, North Drumheller, and Downtown Drumheller will resume once the ground thaws.
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Ms. Blakely also presented council with an overview of the alternate alignment for East Coulee, which was previously noted by CAO Drohomerski. Based on discussions with landowners, public consultation, and cost reviews it was recommended to amend the alignment, which will result in an estimated savings of $175,000.
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Capital Project manager Kelcie Wilson presented council with a briefing note on the CN Rail to pedestrian bridge conversion for the Midland Bridge.
Part of the work involved requires the bridge to be inspected and registered with the province; all bridges, including culverts over five feet, must be registered with the province and have a Bridge File number. However, railway bridges are exempt, and the conversion of the Midland Bridge and other former CN Rail bridges will need to undergo in-depth and rigorous inspection before work to convert them to pedestrian bridges can be carried out.
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Council adjourned to a closed session.

Complete minutes from council meetings can be found on www.drumheller.ca once they have been adopted.

Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council Regular Council Meeting
Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg opened the meeting.
Director of Infrastructure Services Dave Brett provided an update on the boil water advisory which was issued on February 21; following discussions with Alberta Health Services (AHS) the area affected by the boil water advisory was reduced. The boil water advisory was lifted for these areas on Thursday, February 23.
Councillor Tony Lacher was sworn in as Deputy Mayor for the months of March and April.
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Recreation, Arts, and Culture manager Darren Goldthorpe and Community Events coordinator Alicia Smith provided council with a briefing note on community events for the season up to June 2023.
The department is focusing on five key priorities, which include seasonal activities and events to attract locals and visitors to the community year-round, and enhancing opportunities for economic activity and downtown area revitalization.
There are monthly events planned, which includes events which will be held at the Downtown Plaza; these events are in partnership with Travel Drumheller, Community Business Association, or community volunteers.
Along with special events being planned by the Recreation, Arts, and Culture department, other organizations are also hosting some special events, such as the Badlands Amphitheatre Lightfest and Great Big Weekend concert, East Coulee School Museum Springfest, and the Dinosaur Downs Speedway Demolition Derby.
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Drumheller RCMP Staff Sergeant Rob Harms provided council with the quarterly RCMP report. Included in the report was an overview of the Next Generation 911, which will provide improved location accuracy for callers, and will give those with hearing difficulties or who are non-verbal a means to text-this is expected to be implemented by spring 2024.
S/Sgt Harms shared the detachment has set goals for each of the current community priorities-Crime Reduction, Community Engagement, and Accountability to Stakeholders-and are beating each of these goals. This includes targeted drug enforcement and education, traffic safety, and increased visibility.
Town Hall meetings were held in Drumheller, Carbon, and Delia, and local RCMP held a successful checkstop campaign in December. Operation Cold Start was also a success, with some 100 vehicles randomly checked during the campaign in the community; of those vehicles checked, a total of 16 were unlocked, and this gave officers an opportunity to speak with those residents about vehicle theft prevention.
Although there was a 55 per cent increase in property crimes-with the biggest contributor being Theft Under $5,000-S/Sgt Harms noted other criminal code offenses saw reductions, with an overall 47 per cent reduction in person based crimes such as assault and criminal harassment (see story Page 2).
Council accepted the report as information.
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Council adjourned the meeting to discuss third-party proposals and contract negotiations in a closed session.

Complete minutes from council meetings can be found on www.drumheller.ca once they have been adopted.