Kyle Fawcett…
Associate Minister for
Recovery and Reconstruction

While Drumheller is waiting for specific details into flood mitigation, Associate Minister for Recovery and Reconstruction of Southwest Alberta Kyle Fawcett says the 2014 budget has a great commitment to recovering from last June’s flood.
    Minister Fawcett told The Mail there is $1.1 billion in operational and capital spending over the next three years to address flood recovery and mitigation initiatives.
    “Almost half of that is in this year’s budget alone,” said Fawcett.
    He explains this includes items like local flood mitigation, local tax relief, the floodway relocation program, the erosion control program and grants to municipalities. There is additional money for flood hazard studies to protect public infrastructure such as schools, roads and bridges.
    “It is pretty comprehensive. We have been working hard to identify what the needs are and we want to make sure communities know we are committed to the rebuilding process over the long run,” said Fawcett. “We are still dealing with a lot of short term projects, but as the Premier said, this is a five year rebuilding effort, and I think the money in the budget shows we are committed to that.”
   He said there is one mitigation project already underway in the valley and that is at the Drumheller Health Centre.
    He said there should be an announcement over the next couple months in regards to Drumheller’s mitigation document it submitted to the province last fall.
    "We are going through everything that has been submitted and working with a number of consulting engineers and all the different watersheds and evaluating the proposals,” said Fawcett. "We are hoping we will have those plans out there some time in the next two months.”
    Beyond the brick and mortar he says they have all invested in more safeguards.
    “We have put money into doing more monitoring and more education, and we are very aware we need to communicate with people around the risks,” sad Fawcett. “I know people are worried about the snowpack, but generally across the province it’s pretty average… we are monitoring it, but at the end of the day most of our flooding in this province has been the result of intense concentrated rain.”
    “Mother Nature always has the last say and we want to make sure communities are prepared, if that is the case.”

Drumheller’s Aquaplex awaits the addition of a new waterslide. Drumheller Town Council has set aside half a million dollars in the Town’s 2014 Capital Budget for the project. Mayor Yemen said if there’s enough room within that budget, the project may include a pool for the little  ones and an anti-slip coating for the pool.        

With its approval of the 2014 Capital Budget Monday, March 10, Drumheller Town Council has budgeted to install a new waterslide at the Town’s Aquaplex.
    There is $500,000 earmarked in the Capital Budget for the installation of a new waterslide for the facility.
    Director of Infrastructure for the Town of Drumheller Al Kendrick has forwarded some preliminary designs onto Mayor and Council for review.
    “Two of the designs show the waterslide going outside and coming in again, so that may free up some area for a kid’s pool,” said Mayor Terry Yemen.
    Yemen said the big test will be when they (the Town) sends out for tender.
    He adds there may be hope there’s a bit more than a waterslide included in the $500,000 - the Town is also looking at adding an anti-slip coating to the pool.
    Yemen notes the tender would have to go out as soon as possible because the Town aims to install the waterslide by September 2014.
    The Town is looking to do the construction during the summer months so swimmers have the outdoor pool for use during the work inside.
    Town Council approved the removal of the old waterslide from the Aquaplex in the fall of 2012 after inspections from Palm Engineering, who concluded repairing the old waterslide would cost more than replacing it.