(County of Grande Prairie, Alberta photo – www.https://www.countygp.ab.ca)

A pilot project that allows Corman Park landowners to receive dust control on gravel roads near their residences at a reduced price is being set up by the RM administration.

A motion to  approve the one-year pilot project was adopted by Corman Park Council at a meeting on Monday, March 21.

The project, whereby private landowners can register for dust control through the RM of Corman Park, instead of contracting directly with the supplier, will see the first application of dust control begin in late May and early June. To be included in the first application of dust control, landowners must register with the RM between March 31 and April 22.

A second application of dust control will take place in August. There will be a registration form submission deadline of June 30 for the August  dust control application.

Full details of the pilot project and landowner registration forms can be found on the RM of Corman Park website at www.rmcormanpark.ca .

Under the proposed program, landowners would pay the same price as the RM pays to the supplier, provided they register through the RM program.

According to Corman Park Manager of Public Works Administration Cynthia Sotnikow, the pilot project is being set up as a result of requests from ratepayers.

“It will be reviewed in the fall by the RM council to see what works and what doesn’t work,” said Sotnikow.

Under the pilot project, landowners would be able to purchase, through the RM, an application of dust control on their roadway for 150 meters on either side of their driveway for 51 cents per litre of dust control product, a savings of four cents per litre over what they would pay if they contracted privately with the same supplier. Landowners would also save the $580 loading fee if they opted to register with the RM under the pilot project..

Sotnikow said the average cost for a private landowner to contract directly with the supplier to have a single application of dust control on their roadway is currently about $2,200 plus taxes.

“It’s a significant cost,” said Sotnikow. “Under the proposed program, if we’re able to give our residents a bit of a break by coordinating and mapping out dust control applications on a group basis over a defined time period, that’s good for both the residents and the supplier.”

She said the pilot project will involve scheduling the application of dust control for private landowners during two specific weeks this summer, possibly in June and August.

Sotnikow said full details of the pilot project are posted on the RM of Corman Park website in late March. She added that the RM administration will be sending individual letters to landowners who have requested dust control applications in the past to advise them of the pilot project and encourage them to register.

“Other rural municipalities have similar types of programs for their ratepayers,” she pointed out. “It’s a matter of logistics and coordination. The registration process dates provide lead time for organizing the effort.”