The Westerner for March 13, 2011

Announcements:

• The Club Board of Directors will meet on Wednesday at 5:30 pm at the Clean Scene office.
• More Donations to Athlone School:  Grace Young has made a $100 donation to Athlone school so they can assist those students who can't afford certain amenities that students at many other schools take for granted.  She joins other donors Bert Andrews who bought T-shirts and Chris Gowers who bought running shorts for the Journal Games, and Bill Macdonald ($315) who bought commemorative T-shirts for the students to keep after the games.
• Hockey Pool Recent Winners: Bert Andrews and Charlie Weir
• 50/50 Draw: Duane and a guest failed to match cards.
• Finemaster - Al Holmes had questions for each table about the just completed Canadian Men's Curling Championships in London, Ontario.
• Fort Edmonton Park Rotary Legacy Project - John Blimke handed out copies of a February 16th meeting on this topic, plus a sheet for members to use to provide input to the Edmonton West Committee consisting of Zen Moisey, Al Sanderson and John Blimke.  Please take some time to give the committee your thoughts and ideas on what might be possible for this important regional project.  You can send them via e-mail to jblimke@drivingforce.ca  The next meeting of the multi-club Committee is on March 18th at the District Office.

Program - Capital Region River Valley Park

Doug Sollows introduced Sol Rolingher, Chair of the River Valley Alliance, and long-time leader and proponent of a most exciting vision for what could be in the greater Edmonton area.

The River Valley Alliance is a not-for-profit corporation involving seven Capital Region municipalities including the Town of Devon, Parkland County, Leduc County, the City of Edmonton, Sturgeon County, Strathcona County and the City of Fort Saskatchewan.  The corporation has raised $110 million in the last three years and is about to start building physical facilities which have been identified in it's Plan of Action document.  The Alliance is also seeking an additional $500 million in funding to carry on with development of the park.

At approximately 18,000 acres, this will be the largest urban park in the world - it dwarfs New York's Central Park, London's Hyde Park and Boston Common to name a few famous urban parks.  Even in it's current relatively undeveloped state it gets used by over 10 million people per year (it is the second most visited site in the province, second only to West Edmonton Mall).

Proposed facilities to enhance what currently exist include:

• 13 additional pedestrian / cycle bridges across the river
• Double or triple the length of primary and secondary trails
• Addition of major attractions (Rossdale Centre of Excellence, Brewery Site, River Science Centre & Aquarium, Our Lady Queen of Peace Ranch, Horsehill Ponds, The Farmstead)
• Creation of destination parks
• Creation of natural conservation areas
• Historical interpretation areas and signage
• New Nature Centres
• New Campgrounds
• 16 new boat docks
• New boat launches & hand launches
• A new golf course
• A new marina & service centre

Sol used slides and maps and hand-outs to illustrate the vision for this park.  But it is his obvious enthusiasm for the legacy which could be created that is so inspirational for the audience.  For more information, go to www.rivervalley.ab.ca

Sol was thanked for his presentation by Doug Sollows.