OUTLOOK - The town council of Outlook met for a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, April 12. Present was all of Council: Sharon Bruce, Bob Stephenson, Justin Turton, Kyle McLeod, Ryan Husband, and Kevin Grotheim, as well as Mayor Maureen Weiterman, Chief Administrative Officer Kevin Trew, and Assistant Administrator Rachel Sillers.
The meeting was broadcast on the Town of Outlook Facebook page.
A number of topics and items were discussed, including the following highlights.
Public Works Report
By Luke Lockhart
Superintendent of Municipal Operations
Transportation
- All catch basins for the storm sewer system have been uncovered in preparation for the warmer temperatures coming ahead; it is unknown if any of the storm mains are frozen at this point, however all pumps are in working order and ready to be deployed if need be, and Mcgills has been contacted to have us on the list for steaming/jetting if need be.
- With spring time and the freeze thaw cycle that occurs, we are noticing more and more potholes around town. We have patch on hand, and with next week's warmer temperatures, intend to at least fill in the worse ones throughout the town.
Utilities
- We have done a bunch of work inside of the water treatment plant in anticipation of the upgrades which are slated to happen later this year; removed shelving units, reorganized almost everything in our storage area.
- Our raw water project is moving along, temporary power has been installed to the golf course pump site, and we have been pumping from that well for 10 days now, and expect to continue pumping for another 20 days. Regular sampling has been done, but have not got any results back to date.
Environmental Health
- We have received our updated permit to operate for the landfill site, no notable changes from our previous permit.
- The decommissioning of our inactive landfill cell has gone through the tender process, and we are awaiting final approvals from the Ministry of Environment prior to awarding the contract for construction.
General Public Works
- Our newest staff members have started, and will continue to take job specific training such as confined space entry, hoisting and rigging, fall protection, power mobile equipment, etc. over the next few weeks to ensure compliance and workplace safety.
Recreation Report
By Megan Anthony
Recreation Director
Jim Kook RecPlex
Skating Ice Time
We sold 97.25 hours of ice time in March out of a possible 420 hours. We have offered a total of 174.50 hours of school skating, open ice, public skate, parent and tot and shinny. In total, we utilized 271.75 hours of ice time out of 420 possible hours. The 420 hours is based on us being open from 8:00 am-11:00 pm, 7 days a week using every possible hour for ice rentals.
Bowling Use
We had people using the bowling alley for a total of 31 hours in March which included private rentals and drop in times.
Curling Use
We saw 65 hours of curling ice used in March. This included school bookings, curling club bookings and private rentals.
Civic Center
The Civic Center was used 17 days out of 31 in March which included, weddings, fundraisers, registration night, and private user group rentals (meetings,etc)
Van Raay and Community Swimming Pool
The swimming pool hiring is completed and I am happy to share that we have a few new team members this year with many returning from last year. We are hosting online swimming lesson registrations April 18th, 2023 at 7:00 pm. I am planning on being at work that evening to answer questions via email, social media and emails to ensure the registration process goes smoothly for everyone. The pool staff that are graduated will start May 1st and they will be prepping the pool for opening day.
Management
In March, I completed the hiring for the Kinsmen Park Program this summer. We have some excellent employees - three are returning and we have two new employees. Registration for the Kinsmen Park Program will be at the beginning of June. Until then, I am continuing to work with our website designers to create a separate page on our Town of Outlook website to be able to have online registrations as well as post updates about the program there. I just finished my second class in the Recreation and Tourism Management course I am taking. I will start my next class on May 1st which is a shorter class - it will be done on June 16th and then I am going to take the rest of the summer off of school and start again in the fall. I am really enjoying the classes I am taking and I have been able to use it in my day to day work. The curling ice has been taken out and the skating ice will be removed April 12th. We will have a quick turnover as we are hosting two events in the recplex the week of April 17th that will require both ice surface pads to be used during their event. The week of April 23rd - the RecPlex staff will be headed to Humboldt for some training. Brennan will be completing his Arena Operator Level 2, Azelyn is going to attend a two day Small Engine Repair course and Owen is going to be taking a supervisor training course. I am also organizing a first aid course for our town employees to take in the spring. June is Parks and Recreation Month and we have LOTS planned for the community to participate in so stay tuned for that!
Bylaws
Council discussed Bylaw 02(2023) Utility Administration Bylaw, which was presented for a second reading. There were changes made to the bylaw since the first reading, as it was pointed out that in sections 3 and 4, there were some "onerous charges" for new utility hookups, which Administrator Trew said the Town has never actually charged. Due to this, Trew moved to strike those sections from the bylaw. Council moved to proceed with the second reading, and it was carried.
Next on the agenda was Bylaw 03(2023) Water – Sewer Rates Bylaw, also up for its second reading. After some thorough discussion, Council moved to hold and carry a second reading.
There was also a presentation by SaskPower regarding the potential Small Modular Reactor project that would affect Lake Diefenbaker. Travis Sandeski and Alexis Doyle, public engagement consultants with SaskPower, spoke to Council via Zoom about the project so far, which has included a high number of public events aimed at talking with people and answering any questions they may have about it. As well as technical analysis, it's expected that further community engagement will take place throughout 2023.
Reports of Administration, Staff and/or Committees Requiring Decision
Discussing tax enforcement, Administrator Trew was asking for Council's authorization to commence with proceedings related to a number of lots and lands. Council carried the motion.
Council also discussed a tax collection report as of March 31 for informational purposes. In year-to-date data, it was said that in March 2023, $730,000 had been collected, while in March of 2022, the Town collected $1,036,428.
A motion was presented and carried to make a non-arm's length payment to Councillor Husband in the amount of $92.50 in mileage.
Unfinished Business
In discussing work that is to be carried out at the Outlook Public Library, it was said that Sun West School Division has put together a plan for updating a desk and shelving that includes work on both their desk and shelving and the Town's. The Town's share of the cost would amount to $10,950 and it was included in the town budget. As it may not have been Council's wish to proceed without a signed long-term agreement, a new draft agreement was created because there were questions regarding costs and the cost-share formula. It was learned that all labor costs and installation would be covered by Sun West. It was recommended that Council authorize the CAO and the Mayor to sign a joint use agreement, and also that they proceed with contributing $10,950 to the project. The motion to authorize signing the agreement was carried, with Councillor Grotheim objecting after bringing forward some concerns related to costs. The motion to proceed with making the financial contribution to the project was carried.
Council next discussed a recommendation from Associated Engineering to award the contract for landfill decommissioning to Nemanishen Contracting at a price of $1,139,916.50. In a bit of bad news, it was said that while the Town was approved for an ICIP grant of $1,000,000, the Town would also have a cost share in that formula, meaning the new money coming in from the grant was only $733,300. As well, adding the engineering costs that are owed, the total price of the project will actually be $1,383,758.77. This equates to the project being $383,758.77 over what the Town had budgeted for 2023, but it was said that the Town really had no choice but to proceed. A motion was made and carried to accept the tender.
New Business
In discussing an appointment to the Outlook & District Regional Park board, it was said that Dana Kendall has expressed interest in joining the board, and it was recommended that Council appoint Kendall to the board. The motion was made and carried to accept the recommendation.
A request related to fencing was made by Keith Carlson, who had requested permission to put up fencing at a height of 2.5 meters. A motion was made and carried to clean up the wording of the Town's zoning bylaw related to fencing.
Council then discussed the SkyTrail walking bridge, per a request that came in from Conrad Hammer. A motion was made and carried to allow him access to the bridge in order to assess the issues. Hammer's intended goal is to see if there perhaps may be minimal work that can be done in order to possibly see the SkyTrail reopen.
