Business View Civil & Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 8

127 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 8 CYPRESS COUNTY , ALBERTA Dunmore, Desert Blume, Seven Persons and Veinerville all have potable water delivered. What’s unique is our partnership with Suffield. It’s just to the south of Canadian Forces Base Suffield. The base supplies us with potable water.” “Another essential service in the region is HALO Air Ambulance. As the county is so vast, we’re grateful this service exists in our region. The county provides funding for this vital service to help ensure it is available to residents and visitors in emergency situations” adds Hamilton. The county also has a heavy investment interest in renewable energy projects. Currently, there are three commercial solar facilities in progress. These include Aura Power’s 23 medium voltage (MV) Empress Solar Park, P&T Global Renewable Energy’s 216 MW Dunmore Solar Project, 23 MW Suffield Solar Project. Also under construction is the 248.8 MW Cypress Wind Power Project featuring 48 wind towers. There is even a helium a reputation for its prosperous resources and modern business mindset. That’s why Verge also helps foster new businesses as well as maintain existing ones. Some of the relevant industries within the region include renewable energy, technology, and manufacturing. With such an active economy, it’s essential that Cypress County’s transportation infrastructure is well-maintained. There are over 1,243 miles of roads in the area including Alberta Provincial Highway 1, a major east-west highway, and Alberta Provincial Highway 41 (Buffalo Trail), a north-south highway which eventually crosses the U.S. border at Wild Horse. “We’re fortunate to have a lot of gravel in this neck of the woods to help maintain our roads and keep them in excellent condition,” explains Aaserud. “We’re also fortunate that the province has given us partial funding under the Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program (STIP) for the overlay on Township Road 120. It’s a very busy right of way. Then there’s the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI). We have a couple projects like Range Road 11, which supports the two natural gas plants in the northeast. The plants contribute significantly to our tax base. Range Road 11, the road between the plants, wore out, so we’re giving it a much-needed full makeover.” The county is also responsible for over 300 bridges and culverts. According to Hamilton, “Bridge repairs are a never-ending project. Over the years the county has taken very good care of those assets.” Water management is also an important service requiring constant maintenance. Being so close to the South Saskatchewan and Milk rivers, Cypress County uses its own gates to receive 90 percent of its water from the city of Medicine Hat, which also treats it for the county. Aaserud clarifies, “The hamlets get potable water. To the North, Schuler and Hilda get water that we treat there. The remainder, Walsh, Irvine,