ASK THE TOWN

Q. Are bicycles allowed on the Beaver Boardwalk? If a pedestrian and a bike meet who yields to whom?

A. Bicycles (non-motorized only) are permitted on the boardwalk. Bicycles should be equipped with a sounding device to warn pedestrians if approaching from behind. The pedestrian always has the right of way. When passing pedestrians, bikers must reduce their speed significantly. If the biker and the pedestrian are travelling in the same direction, then the biker should pass on the left and the pedestrian should move to the right. If the biker and the pedestrian are travelling in opposite directions, then both parties should move to their right. A cooperative and courteous approach where both the pedestrians and bikers work together and respect one another is the best and safest way to proceed.

Q.  Why did the Town spread loose gravel on some of the paved roads in Hinton after concluding their major spring street sweeping program?

A.  For the safety of our citizens, the Town of Hinton conducts street sweeping as early in the spring as possible. Loose sand is dangerous for both operators of motor vehicles and bikers. There is approximately 3000 tonnes of material placed on Town streets each winter that needs to be swept in the spring.

The arrival of spring shows the pot holes and cracks in our roads. To maintain and extend the road life, we conduct a “Spray Patching Program” (crack sealing). For an effective process, the roads need to be cleaned from debris prior to spray patching or the contractor will clean for a fee. The crack sealing needs 24 hours to dry and seal. Generally, the process is completed over a few days and the areas in question are quickly swept and most residents do not even notice.

This is a necessary procedure to maintain and extend the road life expectancy. The Town apologizes for any inconvenience.

Q.  Where are the property lines of Innovista adjacent to the Highway?

A.  The Innovista Eco-Industrial Park was designed as a light and medium use industrial development which is to be environmentally friendly. The lots adjacent to the highway are to allow highway visibility for the business owners. Most people have interpreted the property line of the Innovista lots to be where the trees exist to date, however, this is not the case. Some of the trees can be removed off of the lots allowing the property owners to design and plan their lots for their use, though they do have to keep in mind the concept of the eco-industrial park that will demonstrate innovative and high levels of environmental and economic performance.

The property lines for the Innovista lots adjacent to the highway are actually on the south side of where the power lines are located, closer to the highway. The power right-of-way is part of those lots adjacent to the highway. All buildings have to meet setback requirements from the Town and Alberta Transportation and cannot encroach into the power line right-of-way.

Summer landscaping will occur between the Innovista lot properties and the highway. Plans for berm mounds and cluster plantings of shrubs and trees will take place to create a buffer, however, because of the power line, the landscaping will not be as dense as a strip of mature trees. Once the landscaping is installed, there will be a better visual of where the property lines are for the Innovista Eco-Industrial Park.

Happy Creek Estates will be harvesting heat stored within the ground using a geothermal heating system. This type of system will use a heat pump that will transfer heat from one place to another as oppose to creating heat by burning some type of fuel. By simply transferring heat from one place to another, heating becomes much more efficient as it requires much less energy to move heat than to create it.

In order to extract heat from the ground, a series of ground loop heat transfer hoses are installed. Six inch wide holes are dug 200 feet below ground surface, where a ¾ inch black plastic pipe is then installed. Once the hole is refilled with grout, there are two hoses sticking out of the ground from the completed loop. Through one loop, cold liquid is pumped underground to a point where it is heated by the earth. Once heated, the liquid comes up the other hose. The heated liquid is fed into the heat pump, where the heat is harvested. Once the heat is removed from the liquid, the liquid is returned to the ground loop to go through the heating process again.

Many factors determine the number of ground loops required to heat a building, including, building insulation, type of underground material and the efficiency rate of the heat transfer. Due to the size of the Happy Creek Estates building, 44 ground loops will be installed in order to supply heat to a total of 47 apartments.

Q. With winter fast approaching, I would like to know the regulations on sidewalk clearing?

As per the Town of Hinton Nuisance Bylaw all property owners are responsible for the clearing or cleaning of sidewalks fronting or flanking their property.

The Town of Hinton Public Works Department would also request that when clearing snow from sidewalks that it is not deposited or placed on public roads.

For inquiries regarding this or any other bylaw matter, you may contact Bylaw Services at 780-865-6009 or  bbentley@hinton.ca.