The council of the Town of Outlook held a regularly-scheduled meeting on Wednesday night, September 27. Present were councillors Maureen Weiterman, Kyle McLeod, Maureen Applin and David Simonson, as well as Mayor Ross Derdall, Administrator Trent Michelman, Assistant Administrator Laurie Lemon, and Superintendent of Municipal Operations Luke Lockhart. Absent were councillors Donna Smith and Floyd Childerhose, and Recreation Director Jordy Jones.
A number of topics and issues were discussed, including the following highlights:
- The water situation in the back alley behind the home of Outlook resident Henry Schwanbeck, a delegate at the previous meeting, was remedied by the Town, and Schwanbeck was said to be very happy and pleased with the result.
- The Town is exploring a pay-on-site option such as debit for the landfill fees as there has been a big public interest brought forward, as opposed to people being billed later.
- The Town is getting quotes on solar lighting options for the two community entrance signs, and Administrator Michelman was expected to know more on the subject in the days following the council meeting.
- Rec director Jones said in his report that he’d like to order jackets for Rec Plex staff in order for them to stand out in the public in the event that anyone needs to ask questions of staff members. The Town agreed, and they’re also looking into purchasing some shirts for staff.
- Council passed approval to purchase a boiler for the new swimming pool.
- Some concern arose over the Facebook page of the new pool relating to some misinformation being posted about the project’s budget and opening date. Councillor Weiterman believed that one person should be in charge of relaying the correct information, and things should be checked/rechecked in order to provide any confirmed facts.
- The new doctor, Dr. Samer Alandary, was being picked up at the airport the morning after the meeting, with his accommodations and vehicle ready for him upon arrival. Councillor Applin was credited for her work in preparing things for the doctor’s arrival.
- Council is looking at ways to reduce the capacity numbers in the Civic Centre in order to accommodate the new washroom needs, and a fire inspection is set to be done on October 13 to assess what can be done in the facility.
- Some calendar re-tooling was done in relation to November council meetings, with new dates of the 14th and 29th, respectively.
- A letter sent in from an engineer to the Town suggested that the RM of Rudy possessed ownership of the orange bridge, and Trent told council that he had corrected him by stating that the Town had bought the bridge in late 2010. In relation to the orange bridge, Mayor Derdall said he would like to see anything town-related on the west side of the structure removed, as the Town would prefer to remove itself from the situation on that side of the bridge.
- Council approved sponsorship of a dinner meeting to be held by the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is exploring the notion of holding evening meetings to help increase attendance, and is also looking to have businesses sponsor them.
