Town of Devon Third Quarter Report

Third Quarter July 1st to September 30th

2012Quarterly Report

Town of Devon 2012 Quarterly Report2 3Third Quarter July 1st - September 30th

Message from Mayor Fisher - Community Spirit

On a hot summer day, just after school began, I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of the Riverview Bike Park. What a great day it was. The new mountain bike skills park was packed. Adults and youths were catching air on the jumps, and one

BMX rider was doing flips. Smaller children were zooming around the pump track or riding the smaller jumps. I could feel the energy!

As many of you know, one of my passions is work-ing with youth, and it is phenomenal to see young people gravitating toward the bike park, led by role model Jay Hoots. Jay is such a personable, patient and tolerant guy. Watching him lead by example, ride at the bike park and take the time to chat one-on-one with riders of all ages was incredibly inspiring.

Watching the community pull together has been gratifying. We’ve seen companies make in kind donations for the bike park construction, includ-ing CDR rentals, Big Al’s Trucking and Finning. The Devon Bicycle Association, Riverview students, parents and volunteers hand built switch backs on a steep section of trail above the Lion’s Park. The International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) offered a trail building workshop on September 28 and 29. The Mormon Church and many other community volunteers pitched in to install the Riverview playground. We haven’t seen this type of community spirit since the 90’s, when the community hall was built.

The energy is spreading. A few new businesses have popped up around town and the customer base of existing businesses is growing. There’s a new face on several local businesses, including the downtown mall, Servus Credit Union and

Devon Town CouncilFrom left to right, Front: Councillor Michael Laveck, Mayor Anita Fisher, Councillor Grant GeldartBack: Councillor Ray Ralph, Councillor Gordon Groat, Councillor Sheila Aitken, Councillor Dan Woodcock

Contents

2 Council

3 Message from Mayor Fisher

4 Growth

5 Downtown Vitalization

7 Communications

8 Community Engagement

9 Facility Development

Council

Dion Electric, to name a few. In addition, the new business marketing partnership program was announced to support initiatives that both promote and/or beautify local businesses and the Town of Devon.

The coming year is the perfect time to get involved. The Town of Devon is accepting applications for all boards and committees, with opportunities for input into parks and recreation, economic development, library board or family and social services. We will also be reviewing community grant applications; see out website for details.

“Watching the community pull together has been gratifying.”

Prior to November budget deliberations, council has planned a retreat at the Devonian Botanic Garden to reaffirm our mission and vision statements and to establish goals for 2012-13. In keeping with council’s vision of commitment to the needs and desires of the community, I encourage everyone to contact the town with their ideas, comments and concerns through the website, email, social media or by phone. Finally, on behalf of council, I’d like to take this oppor-tunity to thank the numerous people who have contributed in countless ways to make Devon a vibrant, lively community and a great place to live, work and play.

Sincerely,

Mayor Anita Fisher


GrowthHighway 19 Engineering ReviewFocus Corporation has been engaged to review the roadway connections to the eventual twinned Highway 19. Their report is expected this fall, in time for council to review dur-ing the 2013 Capital Budget deliberations.

Proposed roadway connections to twinned Highway 19.

L-R Members of Port Alberta and dignitaries, L-R: Director Carl Clayton, Mayor Anita Fisher, Minister Fast, President and CEO Wendy Cooper, Board Chair Daryl Procinsky

and MP James Rajotte.

Downtown VitalizationA Long-Term Home: Devon Public LibraryThe Town has signed a 10 year lease to ensure that the Devon Public Library has a downtown home for the next decade. The library attracts diverse patrons on a regular basis, adding vitality to the downtown core.

Business Marketing Partnership GrantWe are offering a new grant program for local businesses wishing to improve the façade of their buildings. Matching grants of up to $500 will be provided for business beautification efforts. More details are available at www.devon.ca.

River StudyA river study was conducted to gauge the impact of the waste water treatment plant on the North Saskatchewan River, as required by Alberta Environment’s license renewal process. Palmer Environmental completed the study, and the results are being reviewed by Alberta Environment. Updates will be coming further along in the process.

Capital Region ConnectivityMayor Fisher and Port Alberta Board Members met with Minister Fast, the Federal Minister for International Trade and the Asia Pacific Gateway, on July 19 to discuss Port Alberta’s future work in promoting the Capital Region’s connectivity and inland hub potential.


CommunicationsJuly Thunderstorm A severe thunderstorm hit Devon on July 17 and dumped over 50 mm of precipitation locally in approximately half an hour. Regional media picked up the story, including the Devon Dispatch, Global television and the Edmonton Sun. The Town of Devon subse-quently submitted an application to the Alberta Government for Disaster Recovery Assistance and is awaiting approval, anticipated October, 2012.

Devon Featured on River Valley Alliance WebsiteThe RVA website featured Devon with a story on municipal attractions and events. Devon is one of seven municipal partners (Devon, Leduc County, Parkland County, Edmonton, Sturgeon County, Strathcona County and Fort Saskatchewan) that are working together with the Province of Alberta and Government of Canada to build the world’s largest urban river valley park system along the North Saskatchewan River.

2012 ALTO Ambassador Award – Randy BertrandThe Alberta Tourism Awards Committee has named Randy Bertrand as recipient of the 2012 ALTO Ambassador award for his outstanding contributions to Alberta’s tourism industry. Randy recently retired after over three decades as manager of economic development for the Town of Devon.

Randy promoted his vision “tourism is economic devel-opment” long before people recognized the financial impact that tourism has on a community. He is a team leader and a true ambas-sador of tourism in Alberta. His vision and dedication has contributed to tourism becoming a large economic driver in Devon, a town that now attracts more than 750,000 visitors annually. Randy is a shining example of someone working in a small town, creating big things.

Alldrit Downtown Shopping Centre Mock-ups

ALTO Ambassador Award recipient Randy Bertrand (centre) at the Riverview Bike Park.

Downtown Vitalization con’t

Downtown Mall ImprovementsShamrock Developments has undertaken a major upgrade of the downtown strip mall. Renovations to the roof and façade are among the redevelopment initiatives.

New Businesses in the Downtown CoreShift Happens and Perfect Pizza Plus opened within the Downtown Revitalization Area.

Solar Powered Crosswalks and Transportation Assessment Select Engineering is reviewing costs and lighting alternatives for asphalt pathways, including solar powered, LED and conventional options. A report will be provided in late September for council’s consideration as part of 2013 budget deliberations.

Prime locations for solar powered crosswalks will be reviewed to analyze pedestrian and vehicle traffic volumes, sight lines, traffic reports, speeding tickets and accident data. The consultant will consider all modes of transportation and recommend improvements to benefit the entire community. Future vehicle traffic needs, downtown parking, traffic speed zone reductions as well as bike and pedestrian routes will be reviewed.


Despite the date change, positive feedback was received from the 46 organizations that participated. Recreation organizations appreciated finalizing registrations before their fall season began and enjoyed net-working with other organizations. Parents enjoyed planning fall activities earlier and not having their children out late on a school night. All feedback will be taken into consideration when planning the 2013 Community Awareness Night.

Students for HireThe Students for Hire program focused on helping 12 to 16-year-olds find summer employment and connecting employers with prospective employees. Students build their job search skills, work

Facility DevelopmentNew Facility Development Plan and Business Plan Released The new Facility Development Plan was accepted by council at the July 9, 2012 meeting. These documents contain consultant recommendations made after community assess-ment, public open house and stakeholder consultations.

The Facility Development Plan (FDP) determines priorities for current and future facility development based on needs and preferences in Devon. The FDP - Business Plan determines the risks of developing the multiplex, as well as the building and operating costs over the next 10 years. Proposed individual projects will be reviewed by council as part of 2013 budget deliberations, November 23 and 24, 2012.

Arena Bleacher Board ReplacementThe Dale Fisher Arena bleachers and rink board system were constructed off site and installations began in August. Ice was in place September 10 for hockey school, followed by bleacher installation.

Community Engagement Popcorn in the ParkOn Sunday, August 12, over 530 people packed up their families, blankets and insect repellant and ventured down to Voyageur Park to watch an outdoor screening of Dr. Seuss’s ‘The Lorax.’ The River Valley Alliance set up an information kiosk to support this river valley event because the film’s message focused on environmental awareness and conserva-tion. In addition to the terrific movie, the outdoor movie-goers were treated to a meteor shower!

Community Awareness NightCommunity Awareness Night took place a little earlier this year, on Thursday, August 30.

experience and accountability. This year 30 students registered with Students for Hire and approximately 21 were hired for various jobs.

Canada Day Old Time FairDespite poor weather, approximately 300 people attended the Canada Day Old Time Fair in Centennial Park. The event fea-tured a fiddle trio playing live music, free hotdogs and cake, old-fashioned carnival games, a watermelon eating contest and more.

Organics Pilot Program Approximately 60 households were involved in an organics collection pilot program this summer. Each household received a green organic collection cart that was picked up with weekly waste and recycling. Feedback will be used as a baseline for starting an organics program in 2013. Swimming Pool Upgrades

After receiving community and user group input, improvements were made to the outdoor swimming pool. Renovations included new, safer bleachers, benches, indoor and outdoor paint, front retaining wall renovations, tile repair and brick work repair. The work was completed by both contractors and town staff.

Organics Collection Guide


Riverview Bike Skills Park With the completion of the skills area, dirt jumps and the pump track, the bike park is a hit with cyclists! Bike parks are the welcome mat to mountain biking and offer opportunity for riders of all ages on all types of bikes. Riders learn and practice bike handling in a safe, planned, natural environment that allows skills succession through progression. The park was completed with donations from equipment suppliers as well as volunteer help. Design and construction by Jay Hoots a well-known bike park builder and avid rider. Plans for the final phase are now underway, for more information visit: www.ridedevon.ca

Trailhead SignsPlanning and design work are nearly complete for trailhead signs. These signs will be installed this fall and will be located at seven major river valley trail access points. Design work is underway for secondary signs, to be located at trail junctions throughout the trail system.

Community Centre Gas Stove & Refrigerator A new gas stove and a new refrigerator unit were installed at the Community Centre.

Primary School UpgradesContracted work at the primary school was completed in August. The work included new lighting, painting for walls and ceilings within the common areas, exterior doors, electrical upgrades and improvements to the washrooms.

Devon Primary School BuildingJay Hoots at the Riverview Bike Skils Park

In The NewsCBC News Edmonton recently fea-tured a segment on the bike park. http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/Edmonton/ID/2265270711/

1 Columbia Ave WestDevon, AB T9G 1A1

P: 780.987.8300F: 780.987.4778

www.devon.ca

Documents

Town of Devon Third Quarter Report