Airdrie, AB

On July 21, 2009, FortisAlberta installed and will test more energy efficient street lighting as part of an environmental pilot program. 
 “We want to provide more environmentally-friendly options for cities to choose from when selecting their street lights,” says Merlin MacNaughton, FortisAlberta’s Stakeholder Relations Manager. “We are piloting a few options in various cities to help us determine which ones provide the most energy reduction and best level of lighting.”Media are invited to attend as four light fixtures become greener.

A Power Line Technician replaced the four fixtures at the top of the streetlights in Waterstone Crescent.

Mayor Linda Bruce is pleased the pilot program is heading to Airdrie. “The City of Airdrie is proud to partner with FortisAlberta to help find more energy efficient options for our communities.”

FortisAlberta will collect data on energy usage and lighting levels from the four Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights. Community members are encouraged to provide their feedback by calling FortisAlberta’s 24-hour Contact Centre at 310-WIRE (310-9473).

FortisAlberta is the electricity distributor for Airdrie as well as 175 communities across southern and central Alberta. The company’s local poles and wires provide safe, reliable electricity to homes and businesses, as well as City of Airdrie facilities including street lights. FortisAlberta has 300 employees in Airdrie, based in a building featuring energy efficient lighting, low-flow water fixtures and a rain water cistern. Last year, FortisAlberta switched 6,400 lights at the Airdrie Festival of Lights to LED.

FortisAlberta won the 2008 Airdrie Eco Edge Award for environmental leadership. For home energy efficiency tips, visit our website at www.fortisalberta.com.

Airdrie Regional Air Show went BOOM SWOOSH as the Snow Birds opened the show , from a spectators point of view it was awesome. The Airdrie Regional Air Show Society reported they regret that there were issues with traffic and apologize for any inconvenience. They pre-sold only 5000 tickets, so they were overwhelmed with the last-minute gate admissions. Regardless, the show was a great success and the benefactors, STARS Air Ambulance and the Airdrie Cadets are grateful for the financial support they have received through the air show.  The great turn out shows there is a high demand for an air show in the area, so if there is another event in 2011, we will certainly be planning for ways to alleviate the traffic congestion. 

The show was wrapped up by the filght and stunts of a CF-18 Jet WOW!

Bill

HOMES by JONES

Website:  http://bit.ly/C9eRa

Email:   homesbyjones@telus.net

Airdrie is now ranked as one of the top 10 communities in which to do business in the June 2009 edition of Venture Magaine. The top 10 cities were chosen based on criteria including costs, business traffic, existing strengths and upside potential. 2314 new business licenses were issued in 2008 and underlines the increase in Airdries population increase and new home starts.
Number one was Alberta's International Region which includes thew City of Leduc and the towns of Calmar, Beaumont, and Devon. Visist www.albertaventure.com to review all the winners.

Airdrie's Recreation Centre now named Genesis Place,that features a Water Park , Basketball courts, Gymnasiums, Wellness Centre, Weight and Exercise facilities has now opened phase two. This opening was attended by a select few who were lucky enough to get a look at the site where 115,00 Square feet of multi-purpose athletic space will entertain our residents starting this fall.

Some of the features of this new space are:

A World Class 25,000 Sq Ft Gymnastic Space

An Indoor Soccer Field (this can double as a Grand Hall for Banquets and Ceremonies)

A New Work-out Area

A 200 Meter Running Track

Change Rooms for football players using East Lake Park

This additional space is a welcome addition to the already fantastic Genesis Place facilities. Drop by my Office next time your in Airdrie and I'll be Happy to take you over to Genesis Place for a mini-tour.

The City of Airdrie, just north of Calgary, is experiencing unprecedented growth with near doubling of real-estate prices. City Council, staff and citizens are increasingly interested in sustainable growth and development which has led the City to work with The Natural Step in creating a municipal sustainability plan, as part of its Sustainable Communities Program.

Airdrie will be using the Alberta Urban Municipal Association (AUMA) Municipal Sustainability Planning Guidebook which is based on The Natural Step Framework. The Natural Step will continue to provide training and coaching to the City of Airdrie as their municipal sustainability plan is developed. Airdrie has committed to engaging its citizens, participating in peer to peer networks and sharing the outcomes of their process.