Our annual Year-in-Review series concludes today with a look back at November and December 2013. We have been publishing two months of review each day during the remainder of our holiday closure here at the Morinville News. The entire Year-in-Review will be published in our Jan. 8 print edition.
Late night fire destroys resident’s garage
A detached garage and all its contents were destroyed in a late night fire Nov. 5.
Morinville Fire Department and the Morinville RCMP received a call around 11:58 p.m. alerting them to the structure fire at 718 Grandin Drive. The garage fire was well on its way when crews arrived. One truck and one car were in the garage at the time as well as other contents. A neighbouring fence also received damage from the fire.
Urban Agriculture students learn variety of skills
More than 20 Morinville Community High School students were divided in groups and rotated between making sausage, curing bacon, making ham, and wrapping and packaging meat Nov. 14. The work was part of the students’ Urban Agriculture cirriculum and a follow up to the previous day’s work of butchering three pigs.
Charity auction sets new fundraising record
Despite the poor weather Nov. 16, Coach’s Corner on 100 Street was packed for the
16th Annual Santa Store Charity Auction. The Midstream Support Society fundraising event, once again presided over by auctioneer Brad Ward, raised more than $22,765, beating out the 2012 record of $22,038.
The evening’s total included $4,925 in cash donations received prior to the auction, of which $4,000 came from the Morinville & District Agricultural Society. Some of the top auction items drew plenty of bids. Green Bean Chef Doug Adsit’s Your Own Personal Chef dinner for eight went for $800. A 30-minute helicopter tour for four and a Wayne Gretzky shadow box both drew bids topping out at $575.
Cardiff corner to receive traffic lights in spring
Alberta’s then Transportation Minister Ric McIver announced Nov. 19 that installation of new traffic lighting will take place at the intersection of Highway 2 and Cardiff Road beginning in the spring.
McIver also announced the intersection would also see a speed limit decrease from the current 100 kilometres per hour to 80 kph and more lighting to make the stretch of road safer, including flashing amber warning lights that activate when the traffic signals are red or about to turn red.
Morinville Mayor Lisa Holmes said at the time she believed the $2 million project is an interim solution that will only fend off growing traffic congestion and safety concerns for so long. She subsequently put forward a motion to have Town Administration return with terms of reference for a group of regional partners to assist in applying lobbying pressure for a broader solution at Cardiff Road.
Construction and installation of the new intersection lighting was set to commence as early as late March 2014 and anticipated to be completed before the end of summer 2014.
Two days of collection turn fill-a-bus into full-a-bus
A much heavier Morinville Community Bus groaned over the weigh scales Nov. 28 and 29 after two consecutive days of collecting food throughout the community. Organizers of the 2013 Fill-A-Bus campaign were hoping to out-do last year’s total of 7,032 pounds of food and $2,610 in cash donations collected for the Morinville Food Bank Society. Those expectations and goals were not disappointed as Morinvillians of all ages rose to the occasion to support the cause. This year’s initiative collected 7,255 pounds of food and $3,131 in cash donations, as well as 2,939 pounds of pet food, the latter donated by Champion Petfoods.
