CYPRESS  COUNTY

The year started out very quiet with very little snowfall in January.  The following month was even milder and drier with temperatures well above normal. 

 

On February 28^th we awarded the contract for the construction of the Seven Persons waterline.  This regional line will carry water from Medicine Hat to Seven Persons.  Regional waterlines, where practical, are more economical to operate in the long term than constructing new water plants in the Hamlets.

 

We started our graveling program on June 1^st.  It started raining on June 2^nd, and kept on raining for most of the month.  By the end of June we had so much rain that many of the hay crops were damaged.  It was pretty frustrating for the grader operators; they had to wait for the rain to stop.  Then wait for the roads to dry out enough to blade.  Unfortunately all the roads dry at the same time and everyone wants their road done right after a rain.  Obviously this is impossible.  We do our best.  We finished graveling on Oct. 12th.  We graveled 920 kilometres of roads using 144,600 tonnes of gravel at a cost of $ 1,137,700.00.  The cost to maintain a gravel road in 2005 was approximately $ 1,500.00 per kilometer.  There are about 2,150 kilometres of gravel roads in this County.

 

We also maintain about 200 kilometres of dust controlled roads.  This is done by mixing gravel and oil as a dust suppressant.  It works very well for what it is designed to do, but it does not stand up very well to heavy traffic.  It costs about $ 40,000.00 per kilometer to put down and, depending on traffic, can cost up to $ 17,000.00 per kilometer for upkeep.  This cost is high but paving costs about $ 400,000.00 per kilometre.

 

Cypress County is continuing to provide safe and reliable sources of potable water to the residents.  Walsh has been waiting for a few years and this year the contract to install a new water treatment plant in the Hamlet was awarded.  This system should be in operation in May of 2006.

 

We took advantage of the funding available from the Province to provide better drainage systems in the Hamlets of Suffield, Schuler and Irvine.  In Irvine and Schuler, we also spent additional funds to upgrade some of the roads and sidewalks.

 

The oil & gas industry continues to be busy.  We issued more than 1000 permits for them to carry on operations within the County.  The revenue they generate is appreciated, but they do put a strain on the road system.

 

In conclusion, I would like to thank the residents for their patience and support during the past year.  The Public Works Department will continue to try to deliver a high standard of service to all County residents.

 

Rick Bleau

Public Works Supervisor