BARRHEAD - A County of Barrhead honey producer will be allowed to keep two apiaries on municipal property.
Councillors unanimously authorized the municipality to sign an agreement with Miedema Honey Farms, accepting administration's recommendation during their April 1 meeting.
County manager Debbie Oyarzun said she learned the honey farm had apiaries on a municipal reserve when the municipality completed the upgrades to the Neerlandia wastewater lagoons.
At about the same time, in the summer of 2023, the Neerlandia Sports Committee requested that the municipality help them transform a parcel of municipal land next to the lagoons into a baseball/softball diamond.
"I was like, how are we going to accommodate the lagoons, a ball diamond and bees all in the same area," Oyarzun said, adding she also asked the owner of the farm, Curtis Miedema, a formal request asking permission to keep the hives on county property.
The committee requested on behalf of Neerlandia County Softball, which noted the lack of diamonds in the community. The construction of the new Neerlandia Public Christian School meant the loss of the largest ball diamond in the hamlet, leaving only two small diamonds that were inadequate for any players above the youngest age levels.
Oyarzun also said during her discussion with Miedema that he identified an additional county property (near the old service station property in the hamlet) for which he wished to put an apiary.
As part of his request, Miedema provided a standard agreement that the Alberta Beekeepers Commission members use.
However, Oyarzun said the reason why she is bringing the agreement, which would see Miedema Honey Farms pay the county $100 per site annually, is that she was waiting on the Neerlandia Sports Committee to sign the agreement administration drafted that would allow the not-for-profit organization to construct and operate a 300-by-300-foot community baseball/softball diamond on the county's land adjacent to the lagoons.
"The sports committee thought they had signed the agreement, and they still plan to go ahead with the project, but they are still in the planning stage, so at this point, the beehives located on the property, as the timing will be adequate to allow for the original placement to be sufficient or relocation if required," Oyarzun said.
She noted the agreement with Miedema Honey Farms would automatically be renewed annually, adding either party could cancel the contract at any time with three months' notice.
As part of the agreement, Oyarzun said the municipality would need to sign off on the exact location of the beehives.
Coun. Jared Stoik, although he favoured the honey farm's request, said the municipality needed consistency.
"Because there are a lot of other hives people have put on county property without its knowledge or permission," he said.
Oyarzun agreed, saying when the municipality learns about the locations of other hives, the county would need to have similar conversations and agreements with their owners.
"I'm not going to start looking for them, but if they come to my attention, we will start the process," she said.
Coun. Paul Properzi asked if the adjacent landowners had been notified, saying in past years, the hives near the old service station had caused issues for nearby residents.
"I know he has had them there before, and last year, when there wasn't a lot of growth happening, every time someone on a nearby acreage opened their door, bees would come in their house," he said.
Oyarazun and executive assistant Pam Dodds noted the requirement to contact adjacent landowners was in the agreement, saying Miedema is aware of the need as the municipality has had similar discussions with him regarding the county's land-use bylaw.
"This particular operator should know," Oyarzun said, adding that it would be Miedema's responsibility to contact nearby landowners, not the municipality's. "If he or other operators in the future don't follow their agreements, then they would be in default and have to remove their hives."
Deputy reeve Marvin Schatz asked if it was a good idea for the municipality to OK the location of an apiary near a baseball diamond.
"Why don't we say there is going to be a ball diamond built here? Let's just let him put [an apairy] on the [two-acre parcel near the old service station]," Schatz said.
Oyarzun said that while the agreement is set to renew automatically, the county can cancel it when the sports committee is ready to move forward with construction.
Dodds added Miedema is aware he will likely have to relocate the hives when the ball diamond is constructed.
"The question is, does the council want to allow apiaries on county land," Oyarzun said.
Coun. Ron Kleinfeldt, if council truly supported business, if the hives did not disrupt the municipality's plans for the property, they needed to approve this and similar agreements.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
