The town council of Outlook met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday night, February 28. Present were all of council; Donna Smith, Kyle McLeod, Maureen Applin, Floyd Childerhose and David Simonson; as well as Mayor Ross Derdall, Administrator Dean Pickering, and Assistant Administrator Laurie Lemon. Absent were Superintendent of Municipal Operations Randy Antoniuk and Recreation Director Jordy Jones.
A number of topics and items were discussed, including the following highlights:
- Rick Pederson, project manager of the new swimming pool, went over details from the quotes that have been gathered by local contractors for the building and foundation construction of the pool facility’s change rooms. Pederson was commended by council for his work on the project, with Mayor Derdall noting that Rick has managed to save it a lot of money.
- Dean Pickering was officially appointed the town’s new administrator.
- Pickering went on a tour of the landfill and all of the town facilities to become familiar with them and to get a vivid picture of how things look overall in Outlook, as Dean just recently started at his new position and he wants to gain a clearer knowledge of the community as time goes on. As administrator, he intends to hold twice-weekly staff meetings to stay on top of things both in the office and in the town, as he believes in being a team builder.
- Dean believes Outlook should establish some type of strategic economic development plan as the town needs to grow in a number of facets in order to help pay for future projects.
- Brent Larwood and Dawn Erickson were appointed to the Swimming Pool Committee, particularly for their vital contributions to providing a number of lifeguard staff through the high school, as well as bringing a knowledge of lifeguard duties and responsibilities.
- Work contracts for the new pool’s change room building were awarded to DLN Construction Ltd. (foundation) and River Grove Homes (construction).
- Outlook resident Destiny Lockhart submitted a letter to council about the possibility of establishing a potential dog park. Council touched on the area behind the Rec Plex near the ball diamonds that acts as something of a dog area, but it isn’t fenced off. One issue council is concerned about in general is how a number of town residents don’t pick up waste after their pets. Council acknowledged Lockhart’s letter, but noted that a fenced-off dog park project isn’t something that is on the town’s list of priorities right now.
- Council passed a motion to donate to a fundraiser in April for Outlook Minor Sports.
- Council changed the date of their next meeting to Monday, March 12.
- Council discussed attending an RCMP consultation meeting on March 15.
- Motion carried for power work to be done in the sound booth at the Rec Plex.
- Council touched on plastic bag recycling, noting how plastic is on its way out in larger cities. A bylaw is set to be developed and will be discussed at the next council meeting.
- The town will host a WCMGC meeting on August 23. (West Central Municipal Government Committee)
- Council is exploring outdoor lighting for the town offices building, and they’re deferring the matter to Superintendent Antoniuk to explore details before going any further.
