BONNYVILLE – Big changes could be in store for Emerald Estates, a subdivision within the MD of Bonnyville.
During a delegation on April 27, Emerald Estates residents Gayle and Don Bulbeck, spoke to MD council members about the possibility of connecting their subdivision to the adjacent regional waterline that runs between Cold Lake and Bonnyville.
“I'm requesting the MD council give administration direction on how to proceed with a feasibility study to include preliminary cost estimates, any funding models, any routing and any other additional connection possibilities that might be there,” said Gayle Bulbeck.
“I know everybody was overwhelming in favour of it. They are tired of hauling water, tired of having to haul salt for their softeners, tired of not being able to get whites, white.”
All the houses in the Emerald Estates subdivision are currently using wells or must haul their water for personal use.
“About a year ago, while seeing the construction of the Cold Lake water to the Bonnyville line – which is adjacent to our subdivision on Highway 28 – I started asking about the possibility of getting Cold Lake water into our subdivision,” Gayle explained.
The Bulbecks then began the process of gathering formal support after garnering an overwhelmingly positive response to an informal group message that went out to the neighbourhood asking if residents were interested in tying into the main waterline.
Gayle contacted the municipality’s Manager of Infrastructure Services, Bryan Bespalko, to figure out the next steps.
From there, she canvased the subdivision, west and east Emerald Estates, collecting signatures and messages of support that indicated residents would like to see the estimated costs of bringing municipal water to their homes.
Out of 59 property plots, roughly 55 per cent of landowners were in favour of a feasibility study, according to a document the Bulbecks provided to the MD.
However, Gayle indicated to council that when she canvased the neighbourhood, many residents were not home. Letters explaining the purpose of a study were left at 22 houses.
“They're all in favor of getting the study done and then the cost is going to be the determining factor for whether or not they're on board with completing this project or not,” she explained.
“A lot of them are in favour of having that local improvement levy, where you do it over 20 years or 25 years... The benefits outweigh the costs in the long run. But everybody has to be on board once we actually get a price point. And right now, we are just at the study part.”
Coun. Dana Swigart inquired if subdivision members had also considered tying into municipal sewage at the same time.
“Because to me if you're going to dig in water lines, sewer line runs parallel to it into your house,” he noted.
Gayle acknowledged that sewage had not been a topic widely discussed in the community. Ultimately, that decision would likely come down to costs.
“We never really thought about the sewer. The septic isn't so much of an issue as the water,” she said, adding with a laugh, “The only other thing they're asking for is TELUS fiberoptic and I can't control that.”
Local improvement tax
Under the Municipal Government Act, for a local improvement tax to be administered, it would require a two-thirds petition, explained CAO Al Hoggan. In addition, those in favour would also have to represent at least one half of the value of the assessments for the area.
"So, the bar isn't 50 or 55 per cent – the bar is actually 66.68 per cent,” he explained. “That's enough of a majority to allow the MD to come in and say everybody is getting it... I don't think it would be an issue with Emerald Estates.”
Swigart encouraged the Bulbecks to look for any potential grants that could offset the total cost of the project if construction were to move forward.
“If you can get government grants to do the bulk of it, and then put it on your taxes and you pay monthly or over time, it could be almost nothing,” he added.
Council approved a motion directing administration “to bring back additional information about the possibility of providing water and sewer services to Emerald Estates.”
The Cherry Grove subdivision was the most recent MD community to be tied into the regional waterlines.
Walking trail to Emerald Estates
During the regular meeting on April 27, council also passed a motion to proceed with an engineering plan for a new trail that would start at Emerald Estates and would join a Town of Bonnyville trail that is planned to start at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre (C2).
The Town’s proposed trail would go east, ending just before the MD’s municipal boundary.
The Emerald Estates walking trail, which could be considered for construction as early as 2023, barring any potential environmental regulation approval delays, would create an intermunicipal trail connection from the subdivision through the town to Vezeau Beach Park and the trails systems at Moose Lake.
