Park Service Mod (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} parkservice) wrote,@ 2008-12-25 00:59:00 |
 |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOWN INFO
Name: Village of Ice River Governed by: - Municipality of Ice River - Parks Canada Province: Alberta Country: Canada Reeve: Gary Outram MP: Rob Merrifield MLA: Janis Tarchuk Founded: 1825 Area: - Total: 7.13 km2 - Town site: 4.65km2 Elevation: 996 metres Population (2008): - Total: 852 - Density: 183.23/km2 Time zone: Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) Highways: Icefield Parkway (Highway 93) Waterways: Ice River Major Industries: Ecotourism Median Household Income: $47,893 Average Price of a Private Dwelling: $238,947 Media: - Ice River Times (published weekly on Tuesdays) - FM 99.5 The Rockies (classic/alternative rock) Nearby Settlements: - 120 km N of Banff, Alberta (1h26m) - 169 km S of Jasper, Alberta (1h57m) - 244 km NW of Calgary, Alberta (2h41m) Ice River is a unique village because of its location within a national park. As such, there is a strong focus on ecology and sustainable development. The architecture within the town (and in most of the residences in the town) is largely stone or log, built in the typical chalet style. Because of the density of the village, most people do not live in single family dwellings; in fact, most occupy duplexes, or apartments. The village is split in two by the Ice River. The area north of Ice River is predominantly residential, with the most expensive single family dwellings being found on Mt. Thompson Drive. The area south of Ice River is the business/commercial downtown. One could easily walk from one end of the downtown to the other in around half an hour. Ice River Valley gets a lot of precipitation, regardless of season. They experience milder summers, but their winters get cold and very snowy. Because the Ice River Valley receives a great deal of interesting weather, the Park Supervisor set up a satellite internet service for the members of the community. It is meant to act as a virtual community space, but also as a safety measure: in the event that there is an avalanche, blizzard, trees down on telephone lines, etc., it provides the members of the community with a way to check in with each other, and remain up to date on any situation. It is paid for by municipal taxes for home owners, and as a portion of monthly rent for renters. The businesses in Ice River are situated around Main Street. The town council has remained committed to maintaining a strong local economy. As such, there are no chain/franchised stores or restaurants in Ice River. Instead, all businesses are locally owned and operated. All new commercial ventures must be approved by both the Parks Canada and the town council, particularly if they involve construction or development. There is a ski resort on Mt. Thompson Drive called Sunset Ridge Inn. Skiing and snowboarding is very popular, and is a big winter vacation draw. It is owned by Gary Outram. Due to the tourism economy in the village, a large proportion of businesses cater to tourists: outdoors stores, restaurants, B&Bs, and souvenir shops. Please see here for a list of businesses located in the downtown, and for available park/civil service jobs. Located north of the Ice River, the residential area is largely made up of chalet-style apartments/condos, and duplexes, with a limited number of single-family homes. Please see here for residences in the village of Ice River. The Municipality of Ice River is governed by a Reeve and four councillors in coordination with Parks Canada. Municipal elections are every two years, with the next one coming up in February. Local businessman, Gary Outram has been the reeve for the last fourteen years, though no one seems to know how he keeps getting elected, as no one really seems to like him. The local government is located in Town Hall, where they meet every second Tuesday. Current issues on their agenda include mandating the removal of sandwich board signs from the downtown sidewalks, increasing parking ticket fines, and dealing with the horrendous parking problem. It is truly life and death stuff. The village is known for its history of civic duty. There are a number of community groups and clubs. Click here to see those you can join. If you do not see something you like, certainly feel free to start your own! The national park itself has over 450 km of trails for hiking, skiing, and limited snowmobiling and ATVing. There are five mountains within the park: Mt. Thompson at the town site, Mt. Ellington to the north-west, Mt. Locke to the west, Mt. McMarten to the south, Mt. Kinsey, just to the east of the town site, on the other side of Lake Rutherford. There is a wide variety of flora and fauna to be found in the park. Large predators include grizzly and black bears, lynx, cougars, wolves, and wolverines. Deer and elk are commonly found in the Ice River valley, often in and around the town site. Other animals include bighorn sheep, mountain goats, moose, beavers, otters, porcupines, squirrels and chipmunks. There is a substantial bird population, with eagles, falcons, osprey, grey jays, woodpeckers, a variety of ducks, loons, and herons all making their homes (at least seasonally) in the park. There are a number of people who are employed either by the park service, or through guiding camping, canoeing, or hiking trips. |
 (view full map - opens new window) Map will be updated as locations are added. |
Yellow lines are municipally maintained streets. The black line is a provincial highway. Brown lines are park roads and are maintained by the Park Service Evergreen area is park. Light green is town limits. Dark green is Mount Thompson. Black boxes with '?' are park entrances with ranger stations. 1. Ice River Elementary and High School campus is at the intersection of Maple and Chickadee; the schools are housed in a large building with a large, green space for a school yard. Current enrollment sits at 315 students for the schools combined. 2. Ice River Medical Center is at Pine and Elk. The small hospital has three in-patient beds, and an emergency/urgent care clinic. 3. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police station. The station has short-term holding cells for 10 people. 4. Ice River Post Office. 5. Centennial Heritage Park. A large garden with a fountain that sits across the street from Town Hall. It is the first thing that greets cars coming in from the highway. In the winter, an ice rink is created in the park. 6. Ice River Town Hall is where the reeve and town council meet twice monthly. As well, the office of town planning, bylaw enforcement, and the town treasury are located in this building. 7. The Parks Canada office for Ice River National Park is located here; a large building, it houses the Park Supervisor's office, the tourist office for guided tours, as well as the Park Warden office. 8. The United Church of Ice River (United Church of Canada). 9. Ice River Community Center: One of the largest buildings in the village, it takes up much of the block it is on. It contains an arena (home to the Ice River Wolverines hockey team), a curling rink, as well as a large conference/meeting space that can be rented or used for community group meetings. 10. Ice River Veterinary Office is a newly constructed building that houses a veterinary office, as well as a small animal shelter. The veterinarian also does work with the Park Service to treat/rehabilitate wild animals in the park. 11. St. Mary's Catholic Church. The town priest is Father Gregory Peckham, who at the age of 84, has tended to his flock in Ice River for nearly forty years. 12. Ice River Valley Gift Shop, across from the tourist information office, is full of entirely too expensive crap with 'Ice River Valley National Park' written on it. 13. Ice River Public Library: a lovely, modern space that has a modest collection. It is a very popular study spot for students thanks to its comfortable couches and chairs and multitude of natural light. 14. Ice River Emergency Response Center combines the ambulance bay and fire hall for the town and park as a whole. |
 Gary Outram, Ice River Reeve and owner of Sunset Ridge Inn, the village's popular ski resort. Gary is a pompous old windbag who no one really likes. He mostly uses council to get whatever he wants for his resort, and he walks around the village like he owns it. He's pure evil. Father Gregory Peckham is the village priest, and the head of St. Mary's Church, where he has been for 40 years. He is a kind and generous old man, and is constantly organizing community initiatives or volunteering his time. He is, however, a bit of a gossip, but we won't hold that against him, will we? Park Supervisor James Weiss is the long-suffering senior park warden in Ice River Valley. Saddled with downright stupid wardens, a public that often hates his decisions, and a town council always pushing for more development, he is the voice of the park in the town. He's gruff, but he gets things done. He is also Gary's mortal enemy, so he must be doing something right. |