The town council of Outlook met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday night, April 25. Present were councillors Kyle McLeod, Maureen Applin, Floyd Childerhose and David Simonson, as well as Mayor Ross Derdall, Administrator Dean Pickering, Assistant Administrator Laurie Lemon, Recreation Director Jordy Jones, Superintendent of Municipal Operations Randy Antoniuk, and new Assistant Manager & Finance Officer Steven Brown.
Absent was councillor Donna Smith.
A number of topics and items were discussed, including the following highlights:
- Steven Brown was welcomed to council in his role as Assistant Manager and Finance Officer for the town and the RM of Rudy. He will be responsible for accounting, finance, insurance, benefits, payroll, HR, taxes, utilities, and computer systems.
- Administrator Pickering noted that there are three people who put their names in to run for the vacant councillor seat; Troy Simonson (financial advisor), Kevin Grotheim (electrician), and Larry Pederson (self-employed).
- A public open house will be held on Thursday, May 17 between 6-8:30 pm at the Outlook Civic Centre related to establishing an economic development and strategic plan for the community.
- Everything seems to be shaping up and getting cleaned out at the town landfill; the project seems headed in a direction that pleases council.
- Pickering plans on putting together a color-coded ‘action report’ related to any bylaw offences and problem areas experienced by the Bylaw Enforcement Officer. The report would establish the severity of problems using the colors of red, yellow and green, and it would be brought to council on a regular basis moving forward in order for the town to stay up to date and informed.
- Rec director Jones noted that $2500 was raised for the Humboldt Broncos hockey team and organization from an April 14 event at the Rec Plex that encouraged people to come out and watch NHL hockey and support the worthy cause.
- New signs are being ordered for the walking trails.
- The owner of Riverside Fitness came to Jones and asked about the possibility of using space at the Rec Plex to house gym amenities, as he wants out of his current building. The money that would be involved “sounds like a no-brainer” and could mean thousands in revenue for the Rec Plex. Jones is set to talk to all parties involved before moving forward, including clubs that currently use space at the Rec Plex.
- A motion was passed for the new senior men’s ball team to hang sponsorship signs at the diamond and keep proceeds from the sales of sponsorship.
- Council passed a motion to rent two traffic counters in order to capture traffic data on Highway 15 coming in and going out of town. The goal is to have the numbers to possibly take to the Ministry of Highways to show that they may bear some responsibility for any paving/reconstruction down the road.
- Fire hydrants in town are set to be painted soon.
- Someone dumping light fixtures at the landfill where they shouldn’t have been dumping will be receiving a letter. To that point, Councillor Simonson believes the landfill has to start getting tough as it relates to what’s being dumped, to which everyone agreed. Council believes that measures need to be taken to keep things under control and maintain what the town is trying to accomplish with the landfill project, and it may mean educating the public in order to get the point across.
- The multicultural group in Outlook is planning on having a picnic event on Canada Day and is looking to the town for support in the form of a Canada Day cake, ice cream and trinkets such as pins and tattoos.
- The Town of Rosetown is interested in having access to the landfill and was hoping to reach some form of agreement with the Town of Outlook, but council believes that they’re not at a stage with the landfill project to accept any such deal right now.
- Council passed a motion to appoint Earl Green as a pest control person, should he be interested in such a role. Council accepted the resignation of Calvin Clark from the role.
- The town will be looking into getting quotes for new Town of Outlook promotional items such as pens, shirts, etc.
- Letters will be sent out to the provincial government and a number of agencies regarding seniors housing and housing in general in town about developing a new plan.
- A request for quotes was passed for a plumbing and heating contract for a number of town facilities.
- A budget estimate for construction completion of the swimming pool was reviewed and carried by council. The construction of the mechanical building, change rooms, bathrooms, manager’s office, and lifeguard office is estimated at $266,978.00, while the pool deck, fencing, sidewalk, sprinklers, and landscaping is estimated at $119,000.00. As the project continues to move forward, it should be noted that these numbers could increase or decrease.
- Mayor Derdall touched on the meeting held in Elbow on April 21 regarding invasive species such as zebra mussels, believing that “it’s just a matter of time” before they arrive in Lake Diefenbaker. Councillor Applin noted that the WaterWolf organization is recommending that the provincial government adopt the same legislation that Alberta has in relation to fines and penalties for boats and watercrafts that carry the species.
- Items discussed in-camera included a letter to doctors by the joint health committee, the bylaw enforcement ticketing process, a review of account receivables, an invoice for a water meter installation at Rudy Landing Developments, housing issues, and recognizing the long service of Laurie Lemon, who is retiring.
