The town council of Outlook met for a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday night, October 27. Present was all of Council: Kyle McLeod, Sharon Bruce, Ryan Husband, Justin Turton, Bob Stephenson, and Kevin Grotheim, as well as Mayor Maureen Weiterman, Chief Administrator Kevin Trew, and office clerk Crystal Fisher.
The meeting was broadcast live on the Town of Outlook's Facebook page.
A number of topics and items were discussed, including the following highlights.
Bylaws
Bylaw 13 (2021) Traffic Bylaw - The first reading of the bylaw was passed at a previous meeting. Council elected to hold the second reading at this meeting, at which point it was held.
Unfinished Business
In discussing the Eastside Water Pipeline Utility Agreement, which sees the east side hook onto Outlook's municipal water supply, it was said that more discussion between the Town of Outlook and the RM of Rudy may be needed in the immediate future.
Council discussed a lease agreement from RME Ventures Ltd., who stores equipment in town-owned property near Railway Avenue. An agreement has been drafted for RME's consideration, and the land in question is not being considered right now for any new use by the Town. A motion was made to accept the resolution.
Interesting discussion came from the next item on the agenda, which dealt with how to address correspondence from a local citizen for an incident that is alleged to have occurred way back in 1984. It was said that in that year, a man named Steve Pawlus had corresponded with the then-sitting town council, voicing his displeasure with work that was being done at an address on Cross Street. He attended a council meeting, in which he was allegedly told, 'If you're unhappy, why don't you move to Broderick?' by a councillor at the time. Since that time, Pawlus has corresponded with Outlook's town council many times over the years. It was said that since 1997, the Town has kept no record of any form of response to Pawlus's letters.
It was said by Administrator Trew that responding to complaints is something that he himself takes seriously. It was stated that very clearly, Pawlus would like the following - that Council acknowledge that the statement made in 1984 was wrong, and that it isn't in the best interest for town councillors to have such attitudes. Council sincerely apologized to Pawlus, and promised to remain being accountable and held to a high standard of which taxpayers expect.
Councillor Stephenson took umbrage with the present Council having to apologize for something that happened 37 years ago, saying that there's a reason why council members change over the years in the hopes that newer and perhaps better attitudes come forward to represent the town. Trew responded by saying that apologizing goes a long way to soothe troubled waters. Councillor Bruce found what the then-councillor said at the time to be wrong, but said that as people from the same community, she knows that some things will be said that ruffle feathers. She said it's impossible to know what was said 37 years ago, and said it's "sad" that Pawlus has held on to this for all this time.
Councillor Grotheim said that the current council can acknowledge the mistakes that were made, but felt it isn't right for Council to apologize for someone else's actions. Trew countered that Council would be speaking for the Town of Outlook as a whole and not necessarily as individual people in their roles as councillors, both present and past. Councillor Husband said he had no particular issues, but that his only concern was unofficially setting some form of precedent for anyone else to come forward asking for apologies for wrongs from the past. Councillor McLeod had no issues with presenting an apology, but did share that they only have one side of the story.
A motion was made for Council to acknowledge that a statement was made in 1984 to Pawlus, and that Council gives its sincerest apologies to Steve Pawlus. The motion was carried.
New Business
Councillor McLeod excused himself from the room before Council carried a non-arm's length payment voucher for KTM Exteriors for just under $800 for work done at the Jim Kook Rec Plex.
Chief Administrator Report
By Kevin Trew
Human Resources:
Most recreation positions have been filled, there are a couple casual and part time kitchen staff still being interviewed.
My 6 month performance review was completed and my probationary period has ended, I am glad to say that this is a hurdle that we have accomplished together, I can not say enough about how welcomed I have felt in Outlook by staff, Council and the community as a whole. I am very proud to include Outlook as my community and I am confident that this offends no one; my initial contract is for 3 years, I see no reason why this is not “the beginning of a beautiful friendship”.
Along with my review, Zach Peterson has now been with the Town of Outlook for 3 months and Luke Lockhart’s anniversary date came and passed in September. Performance Reviews have been completed for both of them.
Ray Ames continues to serve as our building maintenance technician for the Town Hall Complex, he recently oversaw the installation of blinds throughout the building which includes the rental spaces, there are a few other budgeted improvements that we are embarking on for both OH and S and esthetic reasons. Ray is a pleasure to work with and he has been a great addition to our staff as he not only oversees the Town Hall Complex but the cottages, the former depot and the Quadra Building as well (for the time being).
Policy and Procedural Items:
Strategic Planning – We had a very successful in-service with Doug Griffiths, author of 13 Ways to Kill Your Community, on October 21. The day capped off with an evening presentation brought to the community by the Outlook and District Chamber of Commerce. In the afternoon our staff and Council brainstormed over 100 great ideas for the Town of Outlook to consider for the next 5 years. Council will review and prioritize these goals at the first November meeting of Council, once the priority plans are set then we will put meat to them, so to speak and present them one final time for the public to review and give comment.
Effective governance – Paving work wrapped up this past week, and we are excited that we will be able to do even more in 2022, following the paving plan set up two years ago with in depth analysis of both the below ground and above ground assets.
Competent Team – As we look forward to a busy time these next couple months, we count on our entire team to kick it up a notch – the recreation staff are putting in the curling rink ice shortly, with the 2020-21 curling season never kicking off, and a shortened skating ice season, our staff is itching to provide quality facilities with many changes and improvements as well as more to come – the facilities continue to follow all protocols set forth by the Public Health Order – our staff will have to enforce many rules at our facilities with your safety in mind, we appreciate your cooperation.
Successes:
The Railyards Subdivision is progressing rapidly with so much of the dirt we have been hauling leveled and moved into place – Acadia Construction sure hasn’t wasted any time getting things complete. There have been very few hiccups, our utility staff have been kept busy making several improvements that will serve us in good stead for future development in the Railyard area as well as mitigate the need to shut off valves affecting residential customers in the future.
The Thanksgiving event was a resounding success, with so much community spirit and sense of camaraderie evident, we couldn’t help but smile all weekend. Congratulations on getting together safely and without incident, this will only bode well for more events like this. Thank you again to all of the sponsors who made this a success in the Irrigation Capital of Saskatchewan. Plans are already underway for similar outdoor events in 2022 weather and pandemic permitting.
Learning Opportunities/Capacity Development:
The Civic Center renovation has been at a virtual standstill for the last month, I have been reaching out to both the engineer/project manager and the lead contractor and have yet to have details about the delays and the expected completion of the renovations, however we have approved significant improvements and can not wait to show them off to the public.
Cottages – with the busy-ness of the pandemic upon Saskatchewan Health Authority, they have not been able to respond regarding their requirement for cottage rental units, we do have one furnished unit with renovations complete and the other one is moving along very well, with employee Loren Blosky putting his carpentry skills to good use.
One way that we improve is with suggestions that come into the office, we are open to listen to concerns and complaints as well as improvements that you can see with levels of service, facilities or programming, do not hesitate to reach out by phone, email or stop in the office to let us know your thoughts – remember that the masking protocol for indoors is still in effect regardless of your vaccination status. The Town of Outlook’s facilities do not require proof of vaccination or negative test results at this time, however we do wish for you to maintain your distance, wash your hands, stay home if you feel unwell and wear masks when required. When users host events or activities that require proof of vaccination or negative test results we will be sure to let you know.
Current Unfinished Projects:
The Storm Water Outfalls project has slowed due to delays in engineering, Council will see a quote for the engineering of the remaining 3 outfalls project so that all 4 can be complete in 2022. We will have received the majority of the grant funding from the Canada Community Building Fund(formerly known as the Gas Tax Fund).
Landfill Decommissioning of Old Cell – Associated Engineering has been contracted to complete this project as the engineer and project managers – we are expecting them to have tenders out for this project this winter.
Raw Water Intake/ Water Treatment Plant Upgrade Project – Associated Engineering is engaged to provide a water study as the preliminary part of this project, once this is complete then Council can make decisions about the best process going forward. There will definitely be a sod turning ceremony for this project in the spring of 2022.
Subdivisions Projects:
Residential – we are still awaiting concept plans from Urban Systems to the Mann Street subdivision and staff is looking at the feasibility of the College South as a residential development after the development of Mann Street, but before expansion to the east of Mann Street, we expect further conversation as a result of the strategic planning process that we are currently engaged in.
Highway Commercial – The drainage plan is part of the Mann Street Residential and the concept plan – we are awaiting news from CP Rail regarding land east of Town as well as more information from Urban Systems before proceeding with this project.
Engaging Partnership Agreements:
Unfortunately, the meeting planned with Chief and Council of Whitecap First Nation could not take place due to the pandemic, we are looking at other opportunities to meet soon.
Future Projects:
With the progress made with the Railyard Subdivision, we are looking forward to a very busy winter season this year, expecting to price and hopefully sell a few of the 13 commercial lots that will be available for development in 2022.
Budget 2022 is around the corner, we have already started looking at key areas planning to have the operations and capital budget finalized for first approval prior to the end of December, 2021. It is imperative that we have this complete and that we complete our strategic plan prior to finalizing the budget.
