Editor’s Inbox

Below are some recent emails sent to by rdnewsNOW.com readers. The views expressed below do not necessarily reflect those of rdnewsNOW or our staff. You can share your thoughts anytime by emailing news@rdnewsNOW.com.

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Re: Everyone’s fed up [read here]

I believe skills need to be taught…..farming…..wilderness….AWAY from the downtown…..I truly believe that if they connected with nature, the land they would feel they had a purpose.  Now they get released and walk across the street to where they left off….

Just a thought.

project will take one year

Construction activity to start on hospital parkade expansion

3h ago

Red Deer man charged after police locate stolen vehicle

3h ago

City and County to collaborate on regional economic development with NRED grant

5h ago

At least this is what was pointed out to me in Weston-Super-Mare, England.  In 2005 when I visited I was told that 10% of the meth clinics in the UK were there.  They got treated, released.  While they were being treated they brought in all the riff raff, i.e. family/friends to visit.  Upon release walked across the street from the clinic to start their addictions all over again.

I don’t think we need a degree to figure this out? Just a thought. Good article.

– Lorelei Kell, July 21

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Re: What If [read here]

I am 100 % behind your article.  I feel we don’t do enough for our people who are suffering in silence, lost and alone.   Their only friend comes out of a bottle, or can or in the form of pills or a needle.  We tend to go about our business and look the other way.  We forget that these people could be our sons, our daughters or our grandchildren. They are the future of Canada/Alberta or if given a chance, could be.  We need to band together and find a solution.  It won’t be easy but there is strength in numbers.

– June Deefholts, July 19

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Re: 40 Avenue road/trail construction

I came home [recently] to find 40th Ave all ripped up.  I wrote this to The City:

Hello – What is being done to 40th Avenue / Allan St. and why? I don’t think it needed repaving, and what’s really needed at that intersection is better signage (hard to see where to turn when coming from the south) and a light.  A turning lane from Allan St. onto 40th would also be a good thing.

It also looks like the existing trail is being widened by about a foot – again, I don’t think this is needed.  I’ve used the trail walking and with bikes with no issues.

Please clarify

Denise

Answer from The City of Red Deer:

Your email regarding 40th Avenue was forwarded to me a couple of days ago to address the current construction taking place.

40 Avenue from Spencer Street (Anders Street) to Selkirk Boulevard was identified as requiring reconstruction under the “Roads In Need Program” administered by Public Works.

The roadway has exceeded its useful service life and requires rebuilding (as opposed to re-surfacing).  As part of this work, the centre median will be removed and reconstructed at a higher elevation so that the road cross-falls from the center to the outside lanes.

This will make the road cross-section similar to the segment to the north (Spencer/Anders Street to 32 Street) and to the south (Selkirk Boulevard south).  This is similar to the work that was completed last year on 32 Street between Alford Avenue and Allan Street.

With regards to the 2.5m concrete sidewalk that was there, it will now be a 3.0m asphalt trail.  Council approved the Multimodal Transportation Plan in July 2017, with the overall goal of improving the safety, quality, comfort and connection of all modes of transportation. With this direction in mind, when roadway improvements are planned we also look at what improvements should be made with respect to the other modes, such as sidewalk/trail improvements for active modes users. For multi-use trails (whether concrete or asphalt), such as those along our arterial roadway network, the current guidelines for minimum width is 3.0m to allow for enough space for different users to safely and comfortably pass one another (e.g. space for cyclists to pass pedestrians). This work also builds on the improvements to the trail along the east side of 40 Avenue that were previously completed from 32 Street to Anders Street as part of a previous construction project.

Regards,

Dena Davies, P.Eng.

Public Works Engineer

MY ANSWER:  Thank you for the information.

A turning lane from Allen to 40th and a light to turn left from Allen to 40th would have been a much, much better use of the tax dollars funding this gigantic project.

Ask anyone who drives Allan Street daily. I honestly don’t think that enough thought goes into looking at cost vs. benefit.

An extra .5 meter on the trail won’t make a big difference — but is likely costing millions.

I never noticed the roadway needed repaving let alone complete rebuilding, and I drive it daily.

The City of Red Deer feels it is a right to raise taxes every year — instead of looking at ways to reduce them.

Eliminating unnecessary road projects would be a great way to save some tax dollars.

Denise

HONESTLY – I can’t believe they are spending dollars to rebuild a road that was fine, and to widen a sidewalk by .5 of a metre so they can call it a trail.

I could go over the list of useless projects over the past few years – the intersection of Ross and Taylor drive that’s now a stupid 3-way instead of a 4-way, the circle on 67th, with two lights on either side.  (They could have done that subdivision with three entrances – one from the Riverbend road, and one light either side) and it goes on and on. 

I think we need a tax revolt in Red Deer – stop assuming you can increase taxes every year and look for ways to reduce them!  (Perhaps starting with salaries at City Hall that are double that of the private sector)

– Denise Gagne, July 11