MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - Mountain View County's municipal planning commission has approved a development permit application for a new heavy equipment training area at Olds College.
The approval came during the commission’s regularly scheduled Jan. 16 meeting, held in person and online.
The property involved is located on the east side of Highway 27, within the Olds College campus area, southeast of the Ecole Olds High School complex, at SW 33-32-1-5.
Olds College requested consideration for a heavy equipment training facility with accessory buildings (up to three module units) within the campus, which is zoned industrial, educational and cultural district.
“The subject land will be utilized to offer hands-on practical experience to train and instruct students in surveying, staking, safety, preventative maintenance, fieldwork, job site fundamentals, and earthmoving operational techniques of various pieces of equipment,” administration said in a briefing note to the commission.
“Work activities would include instruction on trenching, slot dozing, digging of basement piles.”
The college and its industry partners will be supplying all the equipment used, and will include graders, packers, excavators, skid steers, dozers and loaders.
The applicant has indicated that there are existing berms on the westerly, southerly, and easterly sides of the borrow pit that will be sloped and maintained for noise buffering purposes.
“All backup beepers will be turned down to the lowest level while abiding by the OHS safety standards. Monitoring of the noise levels will be completed by instructional staff.”
The permit approval comes with a number of conditions, including the following:
• Operating hours of the training facility will be Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. No operations of the training facility shall occur on Saturdays, Sundays or statutory holidays.
• The applicant and/or operator shall restrict the use of engine retarder brakes within the subject land.
• The applicant and/or operator shall dispose of any chemicals collected and contained on site at an approved waste facility in a timely manner to prevent possible soil contamination.
• The emergency response plan supplied with the application shall be provided to the Olds Fire Department and be available for all students and instructors utilizing the training facility.
Made up of county councillors and appointed public members, the municipal planning commission is the county’s development approving authority.
