Following are highlights from the meeting of Battleford town council Nov. 6.
This year has seen more building permits compared to last year in the town of Battleford. Last year’s year-to-date permits included 32 residential permits, one commercial, and one institutional. This year’s year-to-date permits included 29 residential permits, four commercial permits, three industrial, and one institutional.
Battlefords Early Childhood Intervention Program asked council to declare Monday, Nov. 20 National Childhood Day in Battleford. The motion was carried.
Structural engineering firm JC Kenyon has completed a structural assessment of Town Hall, one of a few stages of a complete review. Work that needs to be done to Town Hall includes tying floor joists to an exterior wall, installing a sill plate, and repointing bricks. A few bricks and their mortar were sent for tests to determine the appropriate hardness of mortar to be used in the future, as mortar that has likely been too hard for the bricks has caused brick compression and fracturing in the past. Chief Administrative Officer John Enns-Wind said official cost figures regarding Town Hall's renovation work will be included in JC Kenyon’s full report. Timelines regarding the review’s completion have yet to be determined. Determining what to do with the opera house upstairs will be an upcoming question for council. Mayor Ames Leslie said council will seek public consultation before making a decision.
An administrative report states “there are some outstanding property tax accounts.” As of Nov. 2, the outstanding amount is $92,253.19. A notice listing the properties with outstanding arrears will be published and after 60 days a lien will be filed against the properties to collect the outstanding arrears. Information regarding property tax can be found online on a Government of Saskatchewan document entitled “Citizen’s Guide to Municipal Property Tax Enforcement.”
CCS Properties has been preparing to develop a bare land condo in Battleford West, at the corner of Telegraph Heights and Fifth Avenue, south of and across the street from where the current condo is on Heritage Crescent. Council approved a servicing agreement with CCS Properties. The administrative report states, “One amendment the Town has included is that the developer and the condo association will use the Town’s utility department for the annual maintenance of the waste water system; the cost will be charged back to the developer or the condo association. The reason is to ensure that subsurface infrastructure in the Town is at the same level of service.”
