Mountain View County Community Grant Programs are now available and applications for funding are being sought from MVC community groups and organizations.

There are five grant programs available for groups to access including:

• Rural Community Grant
• Rural Community Hall Grant
• Public Transportation & Operating Assistance Grant
• Playground Contribution Grant
• Health Funding Assistance Grant

The total grant funding available for each grant program is: Rural Community Grant ($45,000); Rural Community Hall Grant ($70,000); Public Transportation and Operating Assistance Grant ($45,000); Playground Contribution Grant ($20,000); Health Funding Assistance Grant ($62,500).

Applications are available at the County officer or can be accessed on our grants page: MVC Community Grants

The deadline for applications for all the above grant programs is Friday, February 27, 2015.

For more information on these programs contact Pam Thomas, Community Services Coordinator, at 403-335-3311 ext. 125, or via email to pthomas@mvcounty.com.

The draft for the Bergen Area Structure Plan (View Draft Here) is currently in circulation to referral agencies and adjacent municipalities for comments.

These comments will be provided to the Steering Committee for consideration to either proceed with First Reading or to schedule another meeting.

Once first reading of this plan is given by Council, all landowners residing within the boundaries of this ASP will be notified to participate in the public hearing process.

Updates will be posted here as they become available.

The draft for the Bearberry - Red Deer River Corridor Area Structure Plan (View Draft Here) is currently in circulation to referral agencies and adjacent municipalities for comments.

These comments will be provided to the Steering Committee for consideration to either proceed with First Reading of to schedule another meeting.

Once first reading of this plan is given by Council, all landowners residing within the boundaries of this ASP will be notified to participate in the public hearing process.

Updates will be posted here as they become available.

Mountain View County Council gave first reading to a new proposed bylaw that would extend the development, redesignation and subdivision moratorium in the area of McDougal Flats that is currently under such a moratorium.

First reading was given by council and a public hearing set for February 11 at 1 p.m. The new bylaw is being proposed because the current moratorium bylaw is set to expire on February 28 and the province's McDougal Flats Flood Hazard Study has not been finalized and adopted.

Once that study is finalized by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, the county will review and revise its statutory plans and the Land Use Bylaw to conform to newly identified floodway and flood fringe.

During deliberation, councillors defeated a motion to set the moratorium extension to September 30, 2015 and opted to support Planning and Development Services original proposal of extending the moratorium until July 31, 2015.

Reeve Bruce Beattie said the rationale for the new bylaw is the same as when council adopted the previous one that will expire at the end of next month. Once the province completes and adopts the study on the area, there will be more certainty regarding the rules and regulation for development in these types of situations, he said.

Information on the public hearing, the proposed bylaw and the area in question are available at the below links.

• Advertisement for Public Hearing
• Proposed Bylaw No. 07/15
• Moratorium Area Map

Mountain View County Agricultural Services always has plenty going on in terms of program, services, great events and learning opportunities.

Check out the links in our list for information on each of these exciting opportunities:

• Living in the Natural Environment 2015 - Feb. 6 Event
• Farm Succession Planning Workshops - Feb. 6 Deadline
• Ranching Opportunities Conference - Feb. 18 Deadline

In Mountain View County that means potential for large snowfall events that cover our roadways and present a challenge for our road clearing crews for days well beyond the end of the snowfall.

Mountain View County's primary collector roads are the lifeline that keeps commercial, emergency and school traffic on the go. In recognition of this, Operational Services crews focuses on keeping the major collector routes open during a storm event; moving on to industrial roads, minor collectors/school bus routes, and all other County roads and subdivisions (in that order of priority).

• Snow and Ice Control Procedure
• Priority Snow Removal Routes Map

In an effort to better utilize County resources Mountain View County responds in two stages:

• Event: Snow plowing using County plow trucks and graders following the above noted order of priority. The County will address severe drifting as required.
• Post-Event: Cleanup after the event includes subdivision plowing by County forces after the event, subdivision plowing and winging and clean-up of road shoulders.

Please remember that Mountain View County's road network consists of more than 2,800 km of gravel, chip-seal and paved roadways. After a large snow event - often coupled with strong winds that cause significant drifting - all roads require clearing and Operational Services attempts to do this in an expedient, thorough and fair manner for all residents and businesses in the county.

It is unlikely that any specific information on when individual roadways will be cleared will be available by calling or messaging the County on social media during a storm event. We ask residents and businesses to be patient with snow clearing efforts during a prolonged event. The County also rotates its road clearing schedule to ensure no one area is last every time.

It is also important to remember that part of living in a rural environment is to be prepared for these types of snow events which have become a regular feature of Mountain View County winters. That includes planning ahead for any ongoing medical needs, having food, fuel and other supplies in the event of impassable roads in your area which could keep you isolated for several days. Also ensure you have a vehicle (winter tires, 4x4, high clearance, chains) that is appropriate for extreme road conditions if travel becomes absolutely necessary.

Know the forecast and also know the route to the closest collector road to help with your planning for getting to your work and appointments.

If you encounter an emergency situation, please call 911. Emergency responders are the best authority for determining the response needed for the situation, which may include contacting the county for assistance.

Please check the County website, Facebook and Twitter pages for updates on road clearing activities.

At its November 12 regular meeting, Mountain View County Council gave second and third reading to a bylaw for a redesignation, subdivision and development moratorium in the McDougal Flats area southwest of Sundre.

The approved bylaw was amended from the original proposed bylaw and set the moratorium area as the portion of the draft McDougal Flats Flood Hazard Study area designated as Floodway (see map in the bylaw link below). The moratorium on this area will remain in place until February 28, 2015 unless otherwise extended or rescinded by council.

Council's decision to amend the original bylaw was based on the flood hazard mapping contained within Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development's draft flood hazard study. The draft study was released to the public last month. ESRD is accepting written comments on the draft study until December 5, 2014.

Please follow the below ESRD link and click on the McDougal Flats study link. Within that is the form and process for submitting comments to the province.

Council held two public hearings (October 9 and November 12) on the bylaw to gather input from the affected community.

• Bylaw No. LU 39/14 (McDougal Flats Moratorium Bylaw)
• ESRD McDougal Flats Flood Hazard Study