The year 2011 brought many changes and improvements to Rocky View county, which promise to continue into the new year.
Rocky Viewís new councillors became accustomed to their roles and began to affect change within region. Council, along with County staff, worked tirelessly during the year, with several large projects being approved.
Rocky View County staff was taxed by the heavy snowfall and late spring. Flooding was widespread in many parts of the region in the early summer, with several homes in Cochrane Lakes and Bearspaw being threatened.
Quick action saved the homes and repairs were made to county roads and infrastructure.
The Parks and Open Spaces Master Plan was approved in May.
The document outlines how the County will plan their open spaces for the next 25 years and separates the county into five unique regions. The document also supports the Trans-Canada Trail, a coast-to-coast trail system that will possibly cut through Bragg Creek in a northeasterly direction across crown land then west to Kananaskis Country.
The Airdrie annexation agreement was finalized in May, with more than 12,000 acres being placed under the Cityís jurisdiction.
In June, the Bragg Creek Seniorís Society received approval for its 1,000-square-foot housing complex, which will include 16 one-bedroom units located on a donated 2.68-acre site.
The society is hoping to break ground on the project in the spring.
A group of Bragg Creek residents launched a non-profit group to bring primary health care to Bragg Creek.
In partnership with the Calgary Rural Primary Care Network, Mountain Woods Health Services is hoping to open the new clinicís doors by the end of April.
In July, the Town of Crossfield got started on its new $6.8 million water reservoir, which is expected to be completed by June 2012.
In September, the County secured 3.1 million cubic metres of raw water from the Western Irrigation District to provide future potable water service to the Conrich region.
The allocation addressed a significant need for a secure water supply in the area for future growth, since the Bow River basin was closed in 2006, with much of the existing unused capacity held by the City of Calgary.
The County broke ground on the $200-million, 680-acre Canadian National Logistics Park in Conrich, which promises to diversify the Countyís tax base and bring in much-needed dollars of tax revenue into its coffers, in September.
Crossfieldís Raise the Roof for the Rink fundraiser, during which the Flames Alumni played a hockey game against dignitaries, raised more than $50,000 for renovations to the townís aging ice rink in October.
In November, council gave final approval to the Rocky View Agriculture Master Plan.
The document identifies Rocky Viewís long-term vision for supporting traditional and innovative agriculture in the county and was created with the help of farmers and other stakeholders.
The Rocky View/Calgary Intermunicipal Development Plan, a document three years in the making, was stalled in November after Chestermere raised concerns about governance of land abutting its borders at hearings in both Rocky View and Calgary.
In 2011, Rocky View was able to make headway on the decades-old Bragg Creek water problems by constructing the areaís water treatment system, to be completed in spring.
Phase one of the project is estimated to cost $25.2 million and will include a number of construction projects, such as a new potable transmission main and a local reservoir and pump station, as well as upgrades to existing infrastructure.
Although 2011 didnít bring closure to the issue of regionalization and the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP), Rocky View made strides in creating home-grown solutions to the issues of water and growth.
The Town of Crossfield chose to leave the CRP, citing regionalization and the potential for a fourth layer of government as reasons to step away.
The move gave even more credibility to the County, which left the CRP in 2009.
The new year promises to be equally exciting for the Rocky View region.
