With municipal elections just around the corner, the Delia Village Council is left one councillor short.
    Earlier this month, Councillor Jeff Collins resigned from council after having officially made the move to Calgary. Collins was elected in October 2010 after moving to Delia.
    “I’ve already resigned from council. I’ve been trying to sell my house for three months, but I ended up renting it out to a young couple in September. Therefore, under the terms of the Municipal Government Act, I’m ineligible to stay on council,” said Collins.

Jeff Collins (left) gave his resignation from the Delia Village Council earlier this month after moving to Calgary, Mayor John Rogers and Dennis Thordarson will go for re-election.

    However, the remaining two members of the Delia Council intend to run for re-election.
    “I’m definitely running again. I’m in the middle of a project here and we’re scheduling what we’re going to do over the next three to four years, so I’d like to see them completed,” said Mayor John Rogers. “Because Jeff (Collins) is heading back to Calgary, I want to make sure there is some stability and things get done.”
    Dennis Thordarson, who was elected last fall in a by-election, also intends to run again.
    “I think there is a lot of work that needs doing, we have to get some financial responsibility happening, and get our town back together again,” said Thordarson.
    “I’d like to see us get our administration costs under control and there’s the sewer situation, which has to be rectified. I’d like to see us get back on the road again and progress and grow. I’ve put together a plan, sort of an incentive program, to get people to come and build here.”
    The hottest topic leading up to the election is how the town handled its sewer construction project over the summer, which saw lengthy delays.
    “There are a lot of unhappy voters in Delia, because our sewer project took so long to get done and caused so much inconvenience,” said Collins. “It’s going to be an interesting campaign in Delia.”
    The main causes of the delays were rain, soil contamination on Main Street, and the contractor, Shawne Excavating, was based out of High River.
    “They were all issues we couldn’t foresee. I take my hat off to our construction outfit. Even under the adverse conditions they were living under, they stuck with us and finished. They could’ve just went home. I sympathize with our businesses, because it went longer than we thought, but if we don’t have water and sewer, we don’t have a village,” said Rogers.
    For those running for election, Collins had some advice.
    “Sell your vision of the future, not your complaints about the past. Especially an optimistic vision of the future,” said Collins. “I made no promises when I ran, because I didn’t know the place well enough, so I said I would vote in, what I precieved, were the best interests of the majority. I went over my old binders and resolutions and I think I did that.”
    Perhaps most importantly, for anyone on council, is understanding the role of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
    “Develop a relationship wth your CAO that is mutually respectful. They are council’s only employee, but that doesn’t mean council has the authority to direct how they do their job. It’s all laid out in the Municipal Government Act,” said Collins.

    Many area residents are speaking up expressing their hopes that substantial changes can be made to dangerous intersections in the area.
    The Mail reported in the September 11 edition that Alberta Transportation has published a survey asking if a four-way stop could improve the safety at area intersections. Many responded to the story, telling The Mail, more than a four-way stop is needed.
    Bob Boyd lives just east of the intersection of Highway 9 and 21. He says there are accidents daily.  While improvements to the intersection were put in place when the road was replaced, he still feels it is dangerous.
    “It has fixed it a bit, there isn’t quite as many accidents, but it still needs an overpass,” said Boyd. “A four-way stop isn’t going to do it because people are still going to blow through a four-way stop.”

Area residents are asking the province to consider creating overpasses over two of the Drumheller area's most dangerous intersections; Highways 9/27/56 and Highways 9/21. Last week The Mail reported Alberta Transportation is conducting a survey to see if residents are in favour of making the intersections four-way stops.

    The improvements to the intersection included fixing sight lines so the intersection and the intersecting traffic lanes can be seen from further away. Despite this, it is still tricky to navigate.
    “We tell people when they are coming from the west they have the right away, but slow down any way because one time out of ten, drivers are going to go right through the stop sign, or stop, look right at you and pull out,” said Boyd.
    Joan Roe commented on The Drumheller Mail’s story last week. She lost her son at the intersection of Highway 9 and 21 in July.
    “I feel strongly that something needs to be done at these intersections. I am just not sure that four-way stop signs are the answer. The local area residents are used to Highway 9 being a straight through road, I can see the line up of traffic in the summer on Highway 9 and someone being in a serious rear end accident,” she commented. “I still feel they need an overpass at Highways 9 and 21.”
    Some comments did support trying a four-way stop. Cindy Thomas feels it is worth trying.
    “If these intersections were four-ways stops, the odds of at least one of the drivers stopping are that much greater. I say do it! How much can a few signs cost, compared to the cost of a life?”
    Steve Wannstrom is Munson’s Fire Chief and also feels it is worth a try. “If you go further north in Alberta you see these four-way stops all the time,” said Wannstrom. “It must work up there, we might as well try it down here.”
 The department often responds to collisions at Morrin Corner.
    “One is too many and all that happens is we end up packing dead bodies out, and that is hard on our members and their families," said Wannstrom.