Municipal District of Lesser Slave River councillors didn’t reject a request from a resident on Fawcett Lake. But neither did they give Jim Albach a lease on the roadway he hoped to garner.
The Fawcett Lakeside Developments president told council at its Sept. 12 meeting the M.D.’s boat launch is a popular place for weekend partiers – some of whom party all night then sleep in their vehicles, effectively turning the launch into a campground.
But the launch is beside a compound, he added, “and I’ve had all sorts of trailers and (fire) wood by the truck-load stolen.
“The other night the fence was cut and a load of wood was stolen.
“There was a bunch of 20-25-year-old, all ‘drunked up’ (at the launch) so we just had to leave them alone.”
The antics also include quad traffic roaring up and down trails in and around the resort.
“There’ll be a major incident – a disaster – out there some day,” he warned.
The party crowds have also ripped doors off washrooms that resort owners have built for their own campers nearby, he added, “And smeared excrement on the seats and up the walls.
“My staff won’t even go in there to clean after long weekends.”
To reduce the losses he’s suffered chronically as a result of the partying at the boat launch, Albach told councillors he plans to move his compound to the opposite end of his property.
“Out of sight, out of mind,” he told council. And to ensure that the problems don’t follow, he asked council to lease him a portion of undeveloped road allowance adjacent to the east side of the Fawcett Lake Resort.
The land in question allows quad traffic access to the lake, he admitted, “but there are miles and miles of quad trails out there,” many of them leading to the lake.
But if council does lease the land and the resort owner ultimately fences it, “people who used to use (the access to the lake) will question the need,” Chief Administrative Officer Allan Winarski told councillors in a later discussion. He suggested that council should see all the information first.
“Could we seek public opinion before we decide?” asked Flatbush area councillor Tim Walmsley.
Policy states that council must host a public hearing when it’s contemplating leasing Crown lands, the CAO replied, “but policy doesn’t trump council” decisions.
Councillors unanimously supported Councillor Murray Kerik’s motion to table any decision until they’ve seen all the associated documents.
“Could we also look at that (alleged) camping” problem? asked Councillor Brenda DeGrace, suggesting administrators could also ask Community Constable Jim McConnell to check on the problem.
There’s currently no bylaw forbidding camping at M.D. boat launches, said the operations director George Snider. He said council could institute such a policy, but councillors said that could create problems elsewhere.
Instead, they asked administrators to invite McConnell to an upcoming meeting.
“Welcome to the world of random camping,” chuckled Winarski.
No sale on cul-de-sac
The 10-page report offered all the information they needed. But it wasn’t enough to convince councillors for the M.D. of Lesser Slave River to sell a piece of a cul-de-sac in Broken Paddle subdivision on Fawcett Lake.
Daryl Krieger met with municipal district councillors at their regular meeting last week. He said the property is adjacent to land he and his wife built their cabin on in recent years. They even made the vacant chunk of land look better by planting grass and lilac bushes — with M.D. permission, but to the chagrin of neighbours.
“It looks like a natural extension to our property,” he said, adding that he was ready to absorb all the costs of making that happen.
“You could also put a caveat (on the property) saying if you want to build a turn-around later,” that the land could be used for that.
“I’m prepared to pay all the costs and it won’t cost you anything.”
But with lots for sale and new expansion proposed in the subdivision, the municipality will need to expand the cul-de-sac to meet its own road standards in the future, said development officer Cedric Gerard. That’s why he recommended that council refuse Krieger’s request.
Councillors unanimously endorsed his idea, adding however, that they’ll instruct graders to make sure to clear the snow from the turn-around.

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