By Lynn Sabo
Town Council held their regular meeting Monday Dec 11.
Mayor Elhard shared with council a letter received from the Alberta Order of Excellence asking for nominations of a remarkable Albertan should the council know someone eligible and worthy of nomination. The Alberta Order of Excellence is presented yearly by the Province of Alberta to an Alberta citizen who has gone above and beyond to serve Albertans. Nominees must be Canadian citizens, live in Alberta, and have made a significant contribution provincially, nationally, or internationally. Council was encouraged to come back to CAO Jackson if they had anyone they wished to nominate, as the deadline for nomination is Feb. 15, 2018.
The coal task force, which includes a total of seven communities in the area, submitted their grant application. They are awaiting a response and are expecting a counter-offer.
The minutes of the Castor Minor Sports Council Meeting from Dec. 4 were presented to council. Highlights of the meeting were the arena’s 50th Anniversary that is being celebrated during Minor Hockey Weekend in January. Councilor Nelner moved to purchase the cake for this event.
A new skate sharpener is being purchased for the arena, which Men’s Night Out will be helping out with the cost of. Councilor Nichols moved that the old sharpener be put up for tender once the new sharpener was purchased.
Leanne Lougheed, who runs the fitness classes, is taking a new approach to the classes come the New Year, as attendance has been low. Attendees will have to pre-register for classes, with classes being cancelled if not enough people are pre-registered.
There are still tickets available for The New Year’s Eve Arena Fundraiser with the Dueling Pianos. Tickets are $50 and available at the recreation office.
Brownlee LLP Barristers & Solicitors sent a letter offering their services to amend Town’s current Policy Handbook in order to comply with all the new workplace legislation coming into effect Jan 1, 2018 under the Fair and Family-friendly Workplaces Act. Councilor Ryan moved to hire them to update the policy handbook to ensure it complies with the Employee Standard Code.
There was much discussion again over the road construction and sidewalks on 51 St. Council received word that the road and sidewalk were laid just as the original plan shows, so any changes that council wants to make would be at the Town’s expense. Council questioned the numbers being used, as there is now an 8-12-inch difference in where the sidewalks are to where they were previously along 51 St, with huge drops and rises in the sidewalk to accommodate the slope. It was noted that any changes to the road or sidewalk would change the flow of water and runoff. Council questioned and discussed why the whole road wasn’t raised so that the sidewalks would tie into existing structure and accesses. Alley entrances in this area are now steep, causing even trucks to bottom out. The recommendation is to reduce the angle of the alley, however Foreman Van Hienen will need to assess where pipelines under the alley are located before this could be discussed further. Council asked to meet again with ISL Engineering regarding this whole situation, in hopes that they could get some answers and come to an agreeable plan.
Foreman Van Hienen reported to council that with the nice weather the crew has been able to flush the sewer main, which unblocked some previously blocked valves. Crews are trying their best to keep up with the ice, sanding and scraping where they can. They have also been busy getting the trucks ready for the annual inspection.
Mayor Elhard reported to council that the Castor and District Ag Society was able to sell 60 more quad tickets at the Castor Farmers Market on Thursday Dec. 7, and they drew winners at that time. The quad was won by Matthew Robinson of Consort, $2,000 cash prize was won by Laura Wiltse of Consort, and $1,000 cash prize won by Travis Spady of Alliance.