The Town of Drumheller is working to unclog their utility system of those who are receiving water illegally.
    At the last meeting of the Drumheller Town Council on December 17, Councillor Jay Garbutt inquired if and how many households are currently receiving Drumheller water without paying.
    “I’ve heard stories about different, creative, and yet illegal ways people have tried to cheat the water system. I don’t know if it’s true, but I haven’t heard those stories just once,” said Garbutt. “I don’t believe this is a large number of people. Every system should check itself to make sure loop holes are closed and it’s fair to everyone.”
    Town staff are currently reviewing their utility records and will be taking steps to find those cheating the system.
    “We’re matching the utilities to the taxes. If there is nothing on a piece of property we know there shouldn’t be any utility usage. We’re going to be more proactive going into homes with sealing meters, recording the date and time, serial number, and reading,” said Allan Kendrick, Director of Infrastructure Services for the Town of Drumheller.
    Over the years, Kendrick has seen quite a few ways some residents try to steal water.
    “There are a number of ways some people try to cheat their utilities and it’s all utilities. This is nothing new. We had a guy who was out reading a meter and the head of the meter was sitting on the windowsill. We asked the guy why it was off and he said he took it off every time he washed his truck,” said Kendrick.
    Other ways include crimping the water line, installing an illegal connection in front of the meter, turning the meter around, or placing magnets on them (which doesn’t work in the vast majority of water meters).
    With newer water meters, staff can easily find any anomalies in water usage, especially with the newest meters the Town will be installing over the next few years.
    “As we do the meter [replacement] program, we catch a whole bunch of these. The new meters have the ability to save logs, so we know if someone has tampered with their meter. We should catch a lot more of these as we go on,” said Kendrick.
    Bylaw 12-08, the Water and Sewer System Bylaw, prohibits any tampering with water meters. The penalty is for the water to be shut off and not turned on again until the tampering has been corrected and any outstanding bills paid.
    The Town will be pursuing the issue.
    “If we have the technology that can pinpoint any residences or business receiving the utility, but don’t have a utility account, why wouldn’t we use it?” said Garbutt. “It’s about making sure people can feel confident the system is being fair to everybody. If there is someone circumventing the system, it erodes that confidence.”

    Another year has gone by and 2012 has proven to be another busy news year in Drumheller. The community has seen great growth and tremendous progress. It has also seen great change and its impact may not be
 fully seen for some time.
    In The Drumheller Mail's tradition, as a year in review we will highlight the top 10 stories of the year. While the ranking is unscientific, we base it on importance and impact to the community as well as feedback from readers.  Please feel free to weigh in on what you feel are the top stories of 2012.

• Badlands Community Facility open at last. It was a long, arduous process to get the Badlands Community Facility open, but earlier this year residents of Drumheller and the surrounding area were finally able to step inside and enjoy what the building has to offer.
    Earlier this year on March 7, residents got their first look at the building at the Sports, Art, and Recreation Expo. The building was then opened for residents soon after. Several months later, on July 4, the facility was given a first-class grand opening. Members of the current and past Town Council were joined by MP Crowfoot Kevin Sorensen and Drumheller-Stettler MLA Rick Strankman to cut the ribbon and open the facility.
    Since opening, the usage of the facility has gone beyond expectations. To date, over 1,000 residents have signed up for memberships at the facilty, which is nearly double the initial projection for the building. Depending on the time of day, the fitness centre will be full, the field house filled with people playing various sports, and the banquet halls bustling with activity.
    The new facility also helped revitalize the Drumheller Public Library. The library made the move from the Civic Centre to the Facility and since they moved, library memberships have climbed. Residents can be found enjoying the comfortable, bright atmosphere while reading a book or newspaper.
    For now, the Town of Drumheller and the fundraising cabinet for the BCF are concentrating on reaching their fundraising target of $6 million. Currently, they have amassed just over $3.3 million.

• Political change. For the first time since Gordon Taylor won as a Social Credit candidate and before himself crossed the floor, a candidate that was not a Progressive Conservative won  Drumheller in a provincial election. Rick Strankman, a farmer from Altario garnered 7,452 votes to Incumbent Jack Hayden’s 6,587 votes to win the seat.  He was named Tourism Parks and Recreation Critic.
    It appears to be an exciting year for Strankman as he learns the ropes as an MLA. In a raucous fall legislature, Strankman spoke for 44 minutes during the session.
    On August 1 of this year Strankman was finally vindicated for the position he had taken against the monopoly of the Canadian Wheat Board. On August 1, the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act came into force. On that same day Strankman received pardon for the actions he took in the 1990s protesting the Canadian Wheat Board.
    While the impact of having an opposition MLA is yet to be fully seen Mayor Terry Yemen said the Town has changed its tactics in lobbying the provincial government by approaching government ministers directly in this new political reality.

• Whose House? The Drumheller Senior Titans had some swagger going in to this year’s football season. After all, they beat the best in the province to become the 2011 champions, they were confident, even after losing a number of their seniors. The team was humbled early on as the coaches did their best to match the team up against bigger and better competition than ever. While their record going into the post season was blemished, they had faced top competition, skilled and varied offences, defenses, and adversity. 
    There is no debate as to whether this helped them. In the Big Sky Conference Championship, they pulled no punches and easily defeated Bow Valley School 55-7.
    The also held home field advantage as provincials playoffs began and disposed of Pincher Creek 21-7 and Willow Creek of Claresholm 47-7.
    This set up a repeat of the 2011 championship game. Ardrossan was back on top in the north and were bent on redemption. It didn’t take long however for the Titans to prove their dominance. A convincing 42-21 win propelled the Titans to win their second straight Alberta Bowl.

• DinoFest roars. Drumheller and dinosaurs go hand in hand. Bones of the beasts can be found in the hills surrounding town, the streets are dotted with dinosaur statues, and the town prides itself as the Dinosaur Capital of The World.
    Dinosaurs are so essential to Drumheller, a local group of people got together to create a festival to celebrate all things dinosaur. The result was DinoFest held during the first weekend of June.
    The Rotary Spray Park was filled with locals and tourists alike enjoying live music, games, the first ever Taste of Drumheller, and an outdoor showing of Jurassic Park with the World’s Largest Dinosaur towering over the screen. The second day of the festival was punctuated by stormy weather, but that didn’t deter many people from enjoying what there was to offer.
    Plans are already in the works for a second DinoFest. The goal is to make it an annual event and continually make it bigger and better.

• St. Anthony's School opens. A new world opened up to students at St. Anthony’s School as they entered their new school last winter.   Years of planning and construction, as well as problems with contractors ended in February as students came back from an extended break to the new modern school. Quite simply, the school is a hit.  The facility is bright, spacious, modern and built with a purpose.  Beyond being new, it has expanded making space for programming. There is everything from building construction to home economics space. The gymnasium and workout room is second to none and the music and theatre program benefit from expanded purpose-built space.  Bishop Fred Henry came in June to bless and officially open the school. Ron Casey MLA for Banff Cochrane attended bringing greetings from Education Minister Jeff Johnson. MLA Rick Strankman also was there.
    While there are a few kinks to be worked out, and concerns about parking and traffic, the facility is well suited to carry Drumheller students into the future.  Come the new year there will be new leadership at the school. Principal Tim Gregorash announced he would be retiring from teaching.

• Wild weather. It was a tempestuous year weather-wise for the area.
    Early in the year, residents enjoyed a winter that wasn’t. Little snow fell and the temperature barely forayed below freezing.
    Spring approached and it seemed the good weather would last.
    However, the warm temperatures and lack of moisture created a tinderbox in the area. Fire crews were called out regularly to douse multiple brush fires, including a massive one that lit up the hills overlooking the Badlands Community Facility.
    The situation worsened to the point where a fire ban was put into effect, but nature is not without a sense of humour, because almost immediately the weather turned soggy.
    The Red Deer River began to rise, conjuring fears it might flood once again. Storms swept through, flooding the streets of town. Hanna and Three Hills were declared disaster areas as trees and buildings were damage from the storms. Hussar’s sewage system backed up, because there was too much water.
    If winter went easy last year, it’s overcompensating this year in the other direction. In late October, residents were shocked when they woke up to a winter wonderland. Like true Canadians, Halloween costumes had to be worked around snowsuits.

• Water, Water everywhere. In a year where residents didn’t have to turn on their hose very often to irrigate, water hung around the headlines.
     Drumheller Town Council felt they scored a victory by renegotiating its utility contract with the Drumheller Institution. Today the Drumheller Institution pays the same as residents for its water.
    This year also saw members of Rocky View Council pondering pulling out of Aqua 7. Rocky View has been a member dating back to the formation of Kneehill Regional Water Services Commission, now Aqua 7. The original agreement has geographical restrictions allowing water from Drumheller, delivered through the system, to be used in a portion of the county. While Drumheller agreed to amend these restrictions once, Rocky View again approached the Town of Drumheller asking to use water throughout the entire county. Members of Aqua 7 felt these changes may help to bolster the usage of the system, and possibly bring down the cost of water to member municipalities. Aqua 7 had been struggling for years and in January 2012, it was given a $1.7 million grant from the province to refinance the original project. Drumheller relented to the request of Rocky View.
    The year ended with water back in the headlines as council debated changes to the water and wastewater bylaw.  Water and wastewater in Drumheller needs to be a self sustaining, meaning the cost incurred by the system needs to be paid for completely through utility bills. Drumheller Town Council gave first reading to a new bylaw that would see a 3 per cent increase in the water rate and no increase in wastewater. It also added a $1 per month surcharge to be put in reserves to maintain the system.

• Residents honoured in Jubilee year. This year, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 60 years on the throne and what a year she had. From jumping out of a helicopter with James Bond to finding out she is going to be a great-grandmother. Of course, there was the usual goings on of the royals as well, including the Prince Harry Las Vegas rules of billiards. The Queen has remained a force for all of these years and in tribute of her service, a number of residents were also honoured for their service.
 The tally continues to grow for the number of local recipients of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Mayor Terry Yemen recommended the medal be presented to Heather Colberg, Fred Makowecki and Bob Hannah. MP Kevin Sorenson presented the medal to area  residents Stan Schumacher, Ed LaPlante, Onruf Luke and LaVerne Erickson. Other recipients include Anne Michielin, Lyle Blumhagen, Martin McSween and Darwin Durnie.  The Mail apologizes if this short list is not complete and fully expects more will awarded in the new year.
 These awards show the impact  Drumheller residents make everyday in their community and beyond.

• Miners honoured with new memorial. Despite Drumheller's fascination with dinosaurs, it wasn’t the prehistoric animals that made Drumheller. Drumheller, and the communities it contains, sprung up during the coal mining boom in the early 20th century. If it wasn’t for the coal and those that mined it, it’s fair to say Drumheller may not exist.
    To honour those who died in the mines, the Atlas Coal Mine and Olga Skrlik spearheaded a three year research project to determine how many and who died working in the mines. Those names now adorn a monument in their honour; the Miner’s Memorial found at the park next to the Civic Centre.
    The memorial was unveiled on Saturday, November 10, by MP Crowfoot Kevin Sorensen, Mayor Terry Yemen, Bob Moffat, and Randall Myers, while the families of those who died watched and remembered their loved ones.
    In total, 207 names were carved onto the memorial, representing a tragic, half-century legacy that spans from 1913 in some of the earliest mines to the end of coal mining in the valley.
    Over the course of the next few months the park will be fully developed and officially dedicated on May 4, 2013.

• Centennials galore. It seems like everything in the area has, is, or will be soon turning 100 years olds. Two communities in the area celebrated their centennials with a bang this year.
    Hanna celebrated its 100th anniversary with a huge, weekend long party from August 3 to 5. The hope was to have as many families and former residents return and they did. Hanna was bustling, with nary a space to be found. Dignitaries came as well to congratulate Hanna, including the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Donald Ethell, Crowfoot MP Kevin Sorensen, MLA for Drumheller-Stettler Rick Strankman, and the Mayor of Wake, Japan, Hanna’s sister town, Tadanori Omori.
    Carbon celebrated its centennial this year from August 10 to 12. Every centimetre of the village was filled with events, from a traditional Stampede breakfast to a special presentation of a real Carbon murder mystery.
    Craigmyle also turned 100 this year.
    However, the centennials aren’t over yet. Drumheller is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Events are being planned to occur throughout the year, with the largest slated to be in May and on Canada Day.
    Delia has already begun planning its centennial for 2014.