A large turnout at last week’s public meeting in Outlook showed the mayor and town council that residents have a vested interest in everything that takes place within their community.
Held on Thursday night, November 30 at the Outlook Civic Centre, close to 400 people were in attendance for the meeting, which was hosted by council in an effort to show transparency and keep the public up to date on a number of ongoing projects, as well as open the floor to any questions, comments and concerns from tax-paying residents.
Present for the meeting and seated on the stage were Mayor Ross Derdall and councillors David Simonson, Maureen Applin, Floyd Childerhose, Donna Smith and Maureen Weiterman, and also in attendance were Superintendent of Municipal Operations Randy Antoniuk, Acting Administrator Laurie Lemon, and Recreation Director Jordy Jones. Absent was councillor Kyle McLeod, tending to a private family matter.
The meeting was moderated by Gerry Gross, who helped the 90-minute event move along at a fair pace and informed the audience of the committees that each councillor sits on, and also introduced four key topics that council wanted to touch on; the Mann Street subdivision project, the regional landfill proposal, the plans for a new town fire hall, and Outlook’s new swimming pool facility.
On the Mann Street project, Councillor Simonson labeled it as being a “disaster” at one time, but noted that it has reached a stage of being functionable now. The project, which is located on the east side of Outlook, has taken more time than the town originally planned, partially owing to the exceptionally wet conditions of last year that saw water draining into the area, as well as contractor issues that came up. Simonson reassured the crowd that the work will be finished in 2018. It’s expected that once completed, the subdivision area will open up for at least ten lots. When a question about the lots on Mann Street came up later, Simonson said they were looking at 2019 for their availability.
On the topic of the proposed regional landfill, Councillor Applin touched on some of the backstory connected to the project. After the town had the landfill assessed, it was discovered that there was enough land area in the southern direction to develop a regional landfill, which would serve as an income source for the town. It was said that Phase 1 of the project would be finished within one or two weeks and the town has also applied for an interim permit to operate, which would allow them to take on other communities, but as of yet, no communities had officially signed on to utilize the regional landfill. The estimated cost of the project is $2.5 million, and Applin said the capacity of it would serve the town and surrounding area with a lifespan of 40 years.
On the plans for a new fire hall, Mayor Derdall stressed that the town was “desperately in need” of a new facility. Right now, fire equipment is being stored in a few different locations, and with the demand of Outlook’s fire crew – particularly in 2017 alone – they want to be able to improve response time. Derdall credited the fire department and said they deserve the best that can be offered.
“We can be tremendously proud; we have the best fire department around, and they deserve the best equipment possible,” said Ross.
Council is optimistic and recognizes the dire need for a new hall. It was said that the plans have been drawn up for the project, with an estimated cost of $1.3 million, and the hope is that the town can financially move on it by the time the budget comes around.
On the topic of the new swimming pool, Councillor Weiterman touched on the hard work done by the fundraising committee and said the project is on schedule. The facility, which will be over 6000 square feet once completed, has an estimated cost of $1.8 million and a targeted opening date of no later than Canada Day on July 1. Weiterman said the pool will need a number of dedicated staff positions to help it run smoothly, and the town’s pool committee is moving forward on seeking a manager and lifeguards. An idea was also presented that perhaps for the first month of operations, the pool would be strictly public swimming before implementing lessons and designated group swimming.
When it came time for questions from those in attendance, some of the topics were connected to the four discussed by council, while others carried a broader range.
Jan Eliason asked about the proposed regional landfill allowing for recyclable construction material, and Applin said they would indeed look at the issue of construction waste, as well as job creation, as they’re looking to structure the facility on “standards based on Alberta or better.”
Justin Turton asked about donations to the fire hall that were allegedly being turned around and given out to needful organizations around town, but council was unaware of such a practice. It should be pointed out, however, that following the meeting, Turton emailed The Outlook and touched on a conversation he had that night. He shared that he was informed by the fire department that the members have what’s called a “social fund” that includes money from their annual hockey draft that covers donations that are made to groups within the community.
Susan Jebson asked about dust control on local roads, as she lives on Hall Street and is fed up with the amount of dust that is kicked up by traffic. She noted that she actually has difficulty breathing at times due to the air, and implored the town to do something about it.
Bonnie Pshyk asked about the town’s notification system in the event of an emergency or any special advisories, touching on how social media shouldn’t be the only option. Council has been looking at a number of systems, and those options should be explored in the near future.
Marilyn Gustafson asked about the proposed anti-bullying bylaw that she had taken to council before, sharing her concerns about the growing issue. Weiterman recognized her concern as it “takes a whole village to raise a child”, but asked how exactly such a bylaw could technically be enforced. She encouraged Marilyn to revisit council to further address it, as the people sitting on town council have since changed since the last time Gustafson brought the issue forward.
Dale Hicks echoed a similar sentiment about roads out by LCBI being inadequate and also asked about former administrator Trent Michelman’s termination, as well as the number of town staff changes in general. Mayor Derdall didn’t go into specifics regarding Michelman’s exit, attributing it to “a change in direction”, and noted that the appointment of Randy Antoniuk to town superintendent was a part of that change. Derdall said the town would make “any changes that are necessary” to help the town run efficiently.
Stephen Warwaruk asked about the number of physicians in town, and Applin noted that Outlook now has four doctors. She said things seem to be going well at the clinic, and the goal is to keep the doctors in the community.
Keeping on the topic of health care, Laura David asked about physician recruitment and what the town does to attract new doctors. Councillor Applin touched on the SIPPA program that physicians have to go through (Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment), and said that the town has to provide a number of perks when a doctor signs to work in Outlook, including free accommodations and vehicle usage for six months, after which the physician has to pay rent. The physician also signs a three-year contract to the community.
“It is costly, but every other community is in the same boat,” said Applin.
Tony Peter commented on the state of the recycling program in town, saying that a lot of material is going to the landfill that could be recycled. Applin said they’re looking at storage mechanisms, possibly through a private enterprise. Peter also brought up the SkyTrail, encouraging people to pull together support. Simonson noted that engineers have been out to look at the once-famous structure, but the costs to deal with it are “monstrous”.
Other topics that were touched on and asked about included the state of the Outlook airport, disruption of services in the ER, and the possibility of new sidewalks in town.
Wrapping up the meeting, Mayor Derdall said he was glad to see such a large crowd and it was good to see that the people of Outlook wanted to stay informed, sharing how proud he is of town council, to which the audience applauded.
Those in attendance were encouraged to stay afterward for coffee and refreshments and speak further with their mayor and councillors about the issues important to them. The strong turnout served as a positive indicator that similar public meetings could take place again in the future.
