ESTEVAN -
Ten benches and matching litter containers will be added along the new pathways in Estevan, in honour of active union members who have passed away.
Estevan city council approved the request at Monday night’s meeting.
Mel Murray with the United Mine Workers of America submitted the request, using the donation and commemorative recognition application that council approved earlier this year.
The benches and litter containers will be placed at the city’s discretion. The blue benches will have the name of the union member and the UMWA logo on a plaque, and the letters UMWA on the bench.
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Four tenders were awarded for the water division: liquid chlorine to ClearTech Inc. for $30,856.14, potassium permanganate (KMnO4) for the water treatment plant to Brenntag for $27,594, ammonium sulphate to Brenntag for $14,280, and hydrofluosillic acid (HFS) to Klearwater for $11,113.20.
The cost of ammonium sulphate is down three per cent from last year, but chlorine is up 30.2 per cent, KMn04 has increased 25.1 per cent and HFS is up 9.6 per cent.
“Most of the chemicals we use at the water treatment plant are imported from overseas or are transported large distances,” said Shane Bucsis, the manager of the water treatment plant and wastewater treatment plant. “The sharp increase in chemical is due to shipping increases and increase in pricing for manufacturing. We should expect this trend to continue year after year.”
The increases this year can be absorbed into the proposed budget for the water treatment plant in 2022.
Aluminum sulphate was not tendered, Bucsis said. Some form of this type of chemical is needed inside the plant. With the change in water pH, temperature and turbidity in the winter months, other coagulants are going to be tested to see if they are more efficient.
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Council also gave first reading to a bylaw to establish planning and development fees.
In a report to council, land development services manager Richard Neufeld said the document is a companion to the City of Estevan’s fees bylaw.
Land development services has established a number of fees for service. Each fee is based on general principles, such as reflecting 100 per cent service cost recovery, being competitive with other areas in the province, being transparent in application, encouraging business startups to come forward and be recognized, and not being on a for-profit basis.
Consideration is given to costs directly associated with processing an application, such as meeting attendance, site inspections, report writing, postage and advertising.
While some of the fees will remain the same, others do not meet the cost of service, and there are some without a current fee.
“We had a number of services offered by the city that we were not getting any cost recovery on at all,” said Neufeld. “For example, a servicing agreement for water and sewer as part of a new subdivision. We were giving those for free, and absorbing pretty much everything to do with them except for maybe the registration costs and land titles.”
