The town council of Outlook held a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday night, February 26. Present were councillors Kevin Grotheim, Kyle McLeod, Maureen Applin, Floyd Childerhose, and David Simonson, as well as Mayor Ross Derdall and Administrator Huguette Lutz.
Absent were Councillor Donna Smith, Assistant Administrator Rachel Sillers, Superintendent of Municipal Operations Luke Lockhart, and Public Works Manager Bonnie Pshyk.
A number of topics and items were discussed, including the following highlights.
Old Business/Business Arising from the Minutes
Bylaw 01(2020) – A Bylaw to Regulate the Proceedings of Municipal Council and Council’s Committees was carried after its third reading.
Bylaw 05(2020) – A Bylaw to Provide for the Appointment of Pest Control Officers and the Control of Pests was carried after its third reading.
Two readings were held for Bylaw 22(2019) – A Bylaw to Regulate the Installation of a Sump Pit and Surface Discharge System.
Tabled to the next meeting in order to gather more information was Bylaw 13(2019) – A Bylaw to Regulate the Commercial Use of Single Use Plastic Bags.
Recreation
The Town is putting out a Request for Proposals related to fixing the leaking problem on the roof of the Civic Centre, with a motion made and carried to give one month for proposals. It was said that there’s no “real way of knowing” right now where the leaks are originating from, but the Town knows they have no choice and the matter needs to be dealt with accordingly.
The heating system at the swimming pool was discussed as it turns out the boiler in the pool has “crapped out”. The question arose over whether the Town should buy a new system or perhaps use the boilers from the old pool location down in the regional park. That, or does the Town use the boilers from the old pool for the Rec Plex? Council elected to speak with Rafoss Plumbing & Heating on the matter and table the discussion until the next meeting.
Council decided to register this year with the Communities in Bloom program.
The Town was unaware that a yoga group had intentions of using the Civic Centre, as it turns out that a related exercise group has a key to the building. The Town expressed that it had hoped to have the courtesy of knowing which group was using a town-owned facility.
Council carried to move forward on plans to have grounds mapping done at the Jim Kook Rec Plex. A quote to have the grounds mapped was between $800 to $1,000. This process would involve measuring the entire grounds and plotting the buildings and landscape. The purpose of this mapping is so that the Town can determine the best location for the new outdoor rink.
Public Works/Transportation
Cameras have been installed at the water treatment plant and they can even be monitored on mobile devices.
A meeting with the Ministry of Highways isn’t happening as soon as the Town would like as it turns out a number of people within the ministry are on holidays. Several in the room commented on the poor state of Outlook streets, particularly Saskatchewan Avenue.
The Town is looking into having a water meter installed at the Outlook Heritage Museum.
Costs are being explored related to moving the terminal building at the airport out to the landfill. The Town wants to determine what it would cost to move it versus the cost of a new building altogether.
New Business
A tax refund request brought to the Town was denied.
Quotes were being explored related to having an organizational review of the Town of Outlook completed. One quote obtained was deemed to be more cost-efficient with a range of $7,250 to $9,000 from People First HR Services, while another from McQueen Creative was quite expensive at $42,750 (Phase I & II). Administrator Lutz feels that such a review is something that is needed in Outlook.
“I feel like we need something done,” she said. “I believe this is necessary. There are too many things falling by the wayside.”
While the more expensive quote caused some eyebrows in the room to go up, the question was asked whether the Town would get everything they needed out of the more cost-efficient company, or would they need to go back to the proverbial well in the future if it doesn’t completely pan out, thereby only increasing the overall costs in the long run.
Mayor Derdall agreed with Lutz that a review needs to be done, as did several in the room. More information will be obtained and brought back to another council meeting.
General
A grant has been applied for in relation to the Veterans Memorial Park project. Councillor Grotheim asked about the possibility of including the late Constable Brock Myrol among the fallen as part of the project, but it was said there may be space limitation concerns, and also that the project is technically geared towards war veterans. Cst. Myrol was born in Outlook and was only 29 years old when he was killed in the line of duty along with several other police officers near Mayerthorpe, Alberta on March 3, 2005. Myrol’s name is included in the Canadian Virtual War Memorial on the website of Veterans Affairs Canada.
The second council meeting in March has been rescheduled to March 26 due to administration staff attending an all-day function in Swift Current on March 25.
Council moved to in-camera discussions after accepting the correspondence. The in-camera agenda included the following items:
- Land (Proposal, NW 15-29-8 & SW 27-29-8 Lease Agreement, Outlook & District Regional Park Request, Machibroda Engineering)
- Legal (Health, Fire Protection Agreements)
- Personnel (Seasonal Staff)
