Much work has been done, but there is still more ahead for the R.M of Stanley as it continues to repair dozens of sites damaged by overland flooding this past Spring. There were a total of 287 sites, and 242 have been completely repaired.
Officials are very happy with how quickly the Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) process has moved ahead, noting having provincial inspections completed early hastened that process, as well as the repair work. In a news release to PembinaValleyOnlnine, it was noted the DFA programs require a lot of documentation and detail work, and the municipality stressed how its staff rose to the occasion while still managing their usual workload. To assist in the process, the municipality's GIS, public works and finance departments worked together to develop an electronic system of keeping track of all the sites and repair costs.
"In situations where we couldn’t wait for inspectors, we completed the temporary repairs to make the road passable, and documented everything to ensure we would be compensated for those repairs," indicated the release. "It was important to get the roads open and passable."
Fourteen culvert and bridge projects are not yet repaired, but should be completed this fall, with the R.M. waiting on some until after harvest to avoid farm traffic disruption as much as possible. Twenty-seven erosion projects are not yet repaired, but also on the agenda to be completed this fall. There are four sites currently undergoing engineer review this fall/winter that will be repaired in 2023.
According to officials, at this point, the scope of repair costs isn't finalized, because the engineered projects will be expensive and increase the numbers substantially.
"Beyond just repairing the flood sites, there are a number of areas where we would like to make some improvements and alterations to avoid some of the issues we faced this spring," explained the release.
Officials again thanked the community for the help it provided during the flooding event, mentioning how well everyone worked together.
"When we called for help with equipment, the answers we received were ‘You bet, where do you need us?’. Can’t say enough about the community support. It was very encouraging to see."