CALGARY, Alberta – City council has announced it has decided to keep the McCall municipal golf course after all. The course has been slated for divestiture for quite sometime, and was recently all but sold to a developer. Information brought to a few key city councillors has now put the sale off indefinitely unless a new deal can be struck with a trusted developer.
The previous developer, Underyoo Investments, was set to take over the property this summer, with development plans slated to start this fall. An anonymous tip made to several members of Calgary City Council has revealed that Underyoo Investments is a wholly owned subsidiary of Calgary-based Bendovus Energy, and the plans to develop the area were a farce.
The real project plans show a 20 well reservoir development plan and gas compression facility, all to be completed before Q4 2015. Somehow, unbeknownst to City Council, the 20 wells have already been approved and licensed by the Alberta Energy Regulator.
Drew Phabbel hates the idea
This is a real shock to the councillors, but we have to make a decision that is best for the city. Once we learned that there would be 3 drilling rigs and fracking crews on the site for the span of 18 months, we had to back out. No way are we going to let this go ahead in one of our neighbourhoods. – Drew Phabbel, Ward 12 3/4
Bendovus Energy has not yet responded to requests for confirmation of its relationship with Underyoo, but 2P News field correspondent, Rodecker Smith, managed to talk to one junior geologist over lunch hour at Local. The young geologist wishes to remain anonymous, but did comment on her recent project work.
Anonymous geologist, McCall Heavy Oil Project
I was just doing maps of an area, no one really said where. No control. No previous wells – just some redacted seismic data I got from Timmy Pendlnuttz. I did the best I could, and I always wondered why the rivers on my map looked like streets. It’s a good project though, and there is likely oil there based on some good structure. I think we should still drill it, then we wouldn’t have to import oil from Airdrie, right?
With the battle over housing development already raging in talks and town hall meetings with areas residents, any type of drilling project would be mired in controversy forever. The idea of drilling rigs and fracture stimulation crews would undoubtedly alienate most area residents.
The thought of loud machines, big trucks, and the typical conspiracy theories about frac fluids and processes would be an argument the City cannot afford to deal with. But, the idea doesn’t sound that bad to one area woman.
Nancy likes to pose, apparently
So, instead of a bunch of rich guys in suits walking around with maps of condos for students, I get to watch ripped, muscular, trash talking, real men drill oil wells, and think about how the fracture stimulation is going to affect my wetlands? I’m in. Sign me up, my husband can stay over with his girlfriend for a couple years. – Nancy Doomeekwik
Mayor Nenshi and his City Council plan to visit Edmonton later today to discuss this matter with Premier Handcock. Although Handcock’s aide told the Mayor that he is on vacation, she said that there’s a good chance that they’ll find him at his part-time job as a used car salesman at a Skoda dealership in Leduc.
