23

Town of Bentley lagoons
2005
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

24

Crossing the Railroad Tacks
As we continue our stroll westward, cross the tracks and turn left (south) we come to Lacombe Fertilizer.

Lacombe Fertilizer and Farm Supply Ltd.
4801 - 52nd Street
As the demand for fertilizer was increasing Lacombe Fertilizer‘s owners Ed Herrick, Richard Bellerive and Arnold Haakonson decided a branch was needed in Bentley. In 1976 they built a maintenance shop, office, a blending plant and installed weigh scales on the site. An anhydrous station, fuel depot and storage yard was set up west of the business site. In a few years Brian Herrick came into the business and his father Ed Herrick retired some time later.
The operation was managed by Ed. Herrick. Henry Tharau was employed by Alberta Wheat Pool. As a result of the elevators burning down in 1977, Henry joined Ed Herrick at Lacombe Fertilizer and later became the manager. They not only sold fertilizer and agricultural chemicals, but Ed and Henry formed Tharick Holdings, ordering "producer cars" for farmers. These cars would be filled by augers directly from the farmer’s truck. The rail cars were dropped off at various places along the rail line, at locations preferred by the farmer. They also started on farm grain pick up by truck in conjunction with Palliser Grain.
Henry Tharou managed Lacombe Fertilizer until his retirement in 1990. Bill Brown commenced employment with the company in 1989 and took over the management position from Henry Tharou. Terri Brown (nee Tharou) started the secretarial position in 1979, a position she still has today in 2010. Terri makes this business tick and keeps it all together.
As a business, they not only sold fertilizers and agricultural chemicals, but did custom blending and application of fertilizers. For several years a premergent herbicide (Avedex) was mixed with the granular fertilizer and custom applied. This practice has been discontinued due to improved spray chemicals. Another service of Lacombe Fertilizer was soil sampling and analyzing.
In 1995 an anhydrous ammonia site was constructed near Rimbey to accommodate the customers in the Rimbey area and customers further north.
Due to increased business and environmental regulations a warehouse was built on land purchased across the street from the office and plant in 1996. Many herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are sold from this environmentally safe warehouse. During the off season equipment is stored in this new building.
In 2003 the plant was upgraded, three 200 ton hopper bottom bins were installed and a new blending system with a capacity of 8 ton batches was installed.
At present Lacombe Fertilizer rents out anhydrous ammonia tanks to farmers. These tanks are pulled behind the farmers equipment putting the liquid-gas right into the soil. Air-flow applicators with seventy foot booms, custom apply granulated fertilizers, seed grass seed, canola and all grains. These massive machines are equipped with wide floater tires which don’t pack the ground.
The anhydrous ammonia site in Bentley was closed as it was too close to the town. The land was later sold to the Department of Highways to accommodate the planned highway #12 realignment.
Not only do the employees work long hours but they have fun times as well, usually with an annual employee barbecue and a company Christmas party. Of course there were always those days when a few pranks were played. They also had times when unexpected mishaps occurred- a potato truck falling through the scales.
Presentley 2010 Lacombe Fertilizer is constructing a new blending plant across the street to the west.

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Traveling to the south we pass the last elevator in Bentley. This elevator stores grain for farmers and the owner is Ed Paull. An old shop is directly south of this elevator. Lately this building has been rented out to various people. Moving along we come to Bentley Bottle Depot.

Bentley Bottle Depot
4624 - 50th St.
The first bottle recycling depot was thought to be operated by Andy White at 5014 49th Ave, (Bentley Library location presently). He also operated a steam bath and pool hall.
Neil Rietema started a bottle recycling depot in 1975 while operating The Bentley Farm Supply. Neil sold the business to Albert and Lynn Smith in 1984. The Smith’s purchased the 3 metal bins from the Reitems’s and started the Recycling business at the Bentley Seed Cleaning Plant. Lynn ran the bottle depot with her sons helping after school and on Saturdays. The Smith’s later purchased a trailer to store the empty beer bottles.
Albert recalls the following prices for empties; pop cans and beer cans two cents, 1litre bottles twenty cents, two litre bottles thirty cents, pop bottles ten cents and beer bottles one dollar and twenty cents a dozen.
Albert and Lynn sold the business to Mrs Agnes Stoness in 1992. Agnes moved the trailer and operated the depot out of the Shell Warehouse at 4624 50th Street.
A few years later Agnes Stoness sold the business to Maureen Bomak of Bentley. Maureen in turn sold Bentley Bottle Depot to Marilyn Lutwick in 1994. During the last couple of years Marilyn and sold the business to people from Calgary. Marilyn Lutwick continues to manage the bottle depot. Right next door to the north, the Town of Bentley have their recycling trailers parked. Bentley folks are able to recycle paper, cardboard, glass and tins,
. Many changes have taken place in the last few years. All containers must be either refilled or recycled. All containers include paper, aluminum, glass, bi-metal, aseptic and other composites. This past year milk containers have become recyclable. Depot permits are awarded for five years and include a comprehensive set of operating standards, which include minimum operating hours, lighting, customer service space and parking.
Traveling further south we come to the empty lot which housed Gull Lake Natural Gas. This property (one acre) was previously owned by Neil Rietema who ran Bentley Farm Supply (1960 -1988).Part of this property was the location of Gull Lake Gas Co-op and the store part is now Henry D. Gunmakers Ltd. (4527- 50 St.)
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G.L.D.C. Gas Co-op Ltd.
In the Bentley area, the first natural gas system was installed in 1968. The original service area provided gas to sixty-five customers.
In 1972, Anchor Pipelines, who owned the distributing system, was in receivership. In 1973 Anchor Pipelines was bought out for $12,798.00, financed by each member’s contribution of $250.00. Canadian Utilities Engineering was hired to operate the system. In 1974 there was a motion to expand the Gull Lake Gas Co-op’s boundaries to the east and south of Bentley. In 1975 the Co-op applied for gas service from Gas Alberta.
In the area north of Gull Lake, which had not been serviced by the Gull Lake Gas Co-op, there was a meeting held in early 1973 to form the Deer Creek Gas Co-op. The franchise area would be: south to one mile beyond Highway #53, east to Battle River, north to Township 46 and west to the west side of Range 6. In the fall of 1974 the first customer started burning gas in this area.
In May of 1978 a meeting was held in Eckville regarding the proposed amalgamation of the two Co-ops, solely for management purposes. This proposal was rejected by the Co-op’s members. In April of 1982, however, it was decided that the two Co-ops should be jointly operated by one manager.
By 1989 the benefits of joint operation were obvious and in March of 1991 the formation of Gull Lake Deer Creek Gas Co-op Ltd. (G.L.D.C. Gas Co-op) became official. Also in 1989, two full time service staff were hired and an existing shop was purchased at 4634 - 50 Street, Bentley. Over the years as the co-op continued to grow, the staff increased to eight full and part time employees.
In 2007, Alberta Transportation purchased the Bentley property to secure the right of way for the proposed Bentley bypass road. G.L.D.C. Gas Co-op continued to operate in the Bentley office until a new building could be erected. Land was secured at 4402 - 54 Avenue, Rimbey. Plans for a new office and shop were developed and construction began in the spring of 2008. The building was completed and G.L.D.C. Gas Co-op moved to Rimbey in mid December, 2008, where it continues to thrive.
The Co-op’s franchise area now consists of approximately seven hundred and fifty square miles and has approximately two thousand and seventy eight primary risers as of 2009.
The Board of Directors is elected on a rotating basis for three year terms and consists of nine members. The Board of Directors and Management together formulate policy and administer the Co-op’s operations and finances as seen fit and in the best interest of its membership.

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The next building is Henry D. Gunmakers Ltd. (4527 -50 St.). Dave Henry operates a very successful gun maintenance shop. Behind Dave Henry’s shop and to the left is the storage site for the Wolf Creek School Buses. Further south of the gun shop is the old seed cleaning plant which is now a feed mill. This elevator is owned and operated by Pat Morrison(2001). Pat sells livestock feed, rolled grain and he presses canola into canola oil to sell in the feed industry. Next we come to the old site of Bergen Trucking. Hydrodig Canada erected a new building and a fenced compound.
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Bentley’s Recent Industrial Area
This area is included in the Town of Bentley, sewage system. Each of the property owners in this area are responsible for their own water, as a result most of the land businesses have their own water well. The Town of Bentley water lines don’t cross the tracks to the west.
Heading west on Highway # 20, and after crossing the railway tracks, we make a left and a quick right on to 49 A Avenue. The first business on the corner was built by Freenorth Company (Rodger Freeman and Brent Northcott).The building is presently owned by Mr.VandenBroek. Previous owners were Ed Paull, Jerry Dickau, and Dane Skinner.
Moving west on the corner of 52 St and 49A Avenue we have Canadian Compression Systems Ltd owned by Terry Shaw. The next building (5209 -49A Avenue) is Land Solutions Inc., an oil and gas brokerage company managed by Mrs Kusch and in the west side of the building, Grand Diamond Enterprises Inc., owner is Paul Kusch, a general contractor who builds custom homes, garages, decks, pole barns and renovations. The Kuschs built this building in 2008.
Turning the corner to the south, is cabinet maker Ray McLaughlin, owner and operator of The Shaper Shop Custom Woodwork Ltd., (5213 - 49A Avenue). Down at the end of the block we have the Transfer Station.
Going south on 52 St, we have Bentley Garage, (4806 - 52 Street) an automotive repair shop owned and operated by Ray Williams. Right next door to the south is Bentley Storage (4802- 52 Street., indoor, outdoor cold mini storage built by the McPhee’s who sold to the present owner Shirley Sander. Across the street to the east is the vacant building that was previously Talsma’s Welding Ltd (5143- 48th Avenue).