By Kevin J. Sabo
For the Advance
The County of Paintearth has offered a contract to Shelby Engineering of Edmonton to conduct an environmental assessment on eight “new” lots in the hamlet of Fleet.
Paintearth County will be subdividing the old railway right-of-way on the south side of the hamlet, creating up to eight new properties that will become available to purchase, however before the lots are offered for sale, the County is performing due diligence in making sure the soil is not contaminated.
“We’re not aware of any potential contaminants in the site,” said County of Paintearth Development Officer Todd Pawsey.
“We just want to make sure that no leaching occurred in the soil from the old elevators that were there. This is our due diligence.”
Edmonton-based Shelby Engineering and Sherwood Park-based Basin Engineering both submitted bids for the project.
With both companies using the same methodology and Shelby Engineering coming in around $2,000 cheaper, the decision was made to go with Shelby.
The environmental assessment will see the company dig a pair of holes on each of the lots that will be offered for sale, in order to check for contaminants that may have leached into the ground during the days when Fleet had a gas station, or operated its grain elevator.
The cost for the assessment will be around $3,000 per lot, and if the ‘all clear’ is given the lots, which have already seen some interest, they will go up for sale in the spring or summer of 2020.
Other highlights of the Nov. 20th meeting of council:
• Dan Bunbury and Dale Pilsworth have been appointed to the Agricultural Services Board for a one-year term.
• Gordon Wakefield has been appointed Subdivision Appeal Board for a one-year term.
• Walter Pickles, Lorne Rodvang, and Gordon Wakefield have been appointed to the Weed & Pesticide Appeal Board for a one-year term. The unsuccessful applicant to the Agricultural Services Board will be contacted to query if they would like to sit on the remaining opening in the Weed & Pesticide Appeal Board.
• County Council has authorized a county mechanic to repair a piece of heavy equipment at the Alliance ski-hill, as an in-kind donation, provided he can be spared.
• Some tweaks made to policies and bylaws to bring them into compliance, as per the Municipal Accountability Review.