After reviewing the Green Homes Plan, Dr. Karen Grimsrud, the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH), has once again returned the plan to the municipality and provided additional feedback to the Wood Buffalo Recovery Task Force.
This means the Task Force will have to make further changes before the CMOH will approve the plan which above all puts the safety of the residents of Abasand and Beacon Hill first.
The RMWB said in its weekly update Thursday, “Both the Task Force and the CMOH continue to work together to establish conditions that could allow for the re-occupation of some standing homes in Beacon Hill and Abasand.”
When the Plan is approved, the Task Force will announce the phasing of re-entry for standing homes in those areas.
Housing supports
On Thursday the Municipality announced it has extended the temporary RV parking site at Abram’s Landing until October 31, 2016, in order to allow for alternative transitional housing options to be developed.
Potable Water in ABW
On August 17, Alberta Health Services lifted the Boil Water Advisory for all areas serviced by the Fort McMurray water treatment plant.
AHS has published maps of the restricted areas, showing that a significant portion of standing homes in Abasand, Beacon Hill, and Waterways now have clean, potable water.
Water mains and service connections to heavily damaged sections of these areas have yet to be flushed and municipal staff will be working to rehabilitate and flush those remaining lines.
Demolition work
While the municipality works toward re-occupation, they have made some further changes in an attempt to streamline demolition.
On Friday, August 12, a new vehicle identification placard system was implemented for demolition and restoration-related vehicles. The purpose of this system is to prevent back-ups of heavy equipment on public roadways and allow security staff to improve the flow of residential traffic.
Vehicles that qualify for the placard system include dump trucks, flatbed trailers, tow trucks, vehicle-mounted dumpsters, panel or pick-up trucks, heavy equipment and other company-operated vehicles for the purpose of hauling, restoration work, towing or insurance appraisal.
Also, on Monday, August 15, 2016, a second Waterways checkpoint was opened specifically for demolition heavy-equipment. The new checkpoint is located at McCormick Drive and Saline Creek Drive. All other residential and passenger traffic is to continue using the main checkpoint at the Tolen Drive rotary.
The RMWB has received 1,116 demolition permit applications and issued 1,083 permits.
They’ve also completed 142 post-demolition inspections.
Another update will be issued next Thursday. In the interim the latest Wildfire Recovery information is available online here.
