Tourism Society planning for 2022, including ‘All-In’ winter event
Dec. 14, 2021 meeting
Joe McWilliams
Lakeside Leader
Events are being planned, reported councillor Shawn Gramlich at town council’s Dec. 14 meeting. One is an “All-In winter event,” with things happening in downtown Slave Lake, at the Widewater Complex and at Big Fish Bay. Also being worked on is a concert at the end of April.
Gramlich added that an ice-fishing tournament was being considered, but instead, the society is throwing its support behind one being planned by the neighbours to the west (Big Lakes County), called ‘Slave Lake Slam.’
Municipal Planning Commission
Besides the re-zoning vote (See story on Page 1), the MPC only dealt with one matter at its most recent meeting, Gramlich reported. That was an application to subdivide a property in the M.D., in the jackpines area. Asked why the town’s MPC would have anything to do with that area, Gramlich said because it is within the zone of the Inter-municipal Development Plan, and as such, both municipalities get to have their say.
As for the proposed subdivision, “don’t get real excited,” Gramlich advised.
Airport
Ferguson told council the airport is projecting a $24,000 surplus for 2021, thanks to an increase in airport use this year over last. There will be no increase in support from the town in 2022, he said, although the board would like to start getting small annual increases, rather than a big one every five years or so.
The town and M.D. each contribute $112,000 per year to the commission.
The new perimeter fence appears to be paying dividends. Since its erection, there have been zero reports of deer on the property, Ferguson said.
Legacy Corporation
Frustration for this group, reported Warman, thanks to bookings of the Legacy Centre being canceled due to new COVID restrictions/fears. Events that had been held in recent weeks had low attendance.
When he heard the recent coffee house had very good attendance, Warman said, “that’s the best news I’ve heard in a while!”
Otherwise, fundraising projects are being contemplated. The prospective tenant for an upstairs space didn’t work out, so they are still looking.
Town people down
Acting CAO Garry Roth informed council seven town employees were in isolation “for various reasons,” but didn’t specify. People can expect some disruption in service because of it, he said.
Funding approved
Roth said municipal stimulus funding has been approved for town projects, including the downtown revitalization, SCADA and storm water. Also, an extension has been approved for spending another grant – the one for downtown revitalization that was supposed to have been used up in 2021.
Fire department
It was a busy week, with 16 calls for service. Half a dozen of these were for motor vehicle collisions. Five others were a category called ‘medical co-response.’
Looking into snow-clearing enforcement
Roth’s CAO report had an item about the town’s enforcement department working with the town’s law firm “to bring back a comprehensive legal opinion for snow removal and unsightly premises investigation.”
The enforcement officers have been dealing with complaints about people not clearing their sidewalks, and issuing notices. In the case of people who refuse, there is a legal process of enforcement, council heard at a previous meeting. It was said at that time it might not be worth the effort to pursue such matters. Perhaps that will be cleared up by Brownlee LLP.
Who gets to haul garbage?
Council had the results of a request for proposals for curb-side garbage and recyclable collections. The current contract runs out at the beginning of March.
Three proposals were received, council heard, but one came in eight minutes after the deadline and was rejected for that reason. Of the remaining two, one was significantly less than the other. The more expensive one was more local, and got some points for that.
The proposed new term is five years. One councillor thought it should be less; another one thought even longer might be better.
The low bidder was offering rates of $0.81 per week per dwelling for garbage pick-up, and $0.79 per dwelling per week for recycle pick-up. The other one bid rates of $1.46 and $1.97.
But because the bids were presented in different ways, councillors said they would like more clarity. They tabled the matter, asking administration to get more information from the two contractors.
Communications plan
Communications coordinator Jordan Schenkelberg presented a communications plan for 2022. It consists of four main strategies:
- Improving internal communication
- Improving transparency and trust within the organization
- Increasing capacity to communicate with and engage with residents
- Increasing resident engagement with and knowledge of the public process.
Ideas on how to achieve each of those were presented, which included various angles and avenues, including different social media platforms.
“I like the approach,” said mayor Warman. “I’m told by people in my house Facebook is for old people.”
“I really like what I see,” said Kimberly Hughes, mentioning the online polls and quizzes. She said from past experience, people who put on events would appreciate more help from the town in spreading the word.
Inter-municipal committee
Town council and their CAO got together with their M.D. of Lesser Slave River counterparts on Dec. 14 to talk about matters of mutual concern. These include the fire services and inter-municipal agreements, which expire at the end of next year.
The group also heard from a representative of a company interested in hydrogen production. It’s very early stages, said Warman, making the report.
Alberta North Central Alliance
ANCA – The new alliance of municipalities and First Nations in the region is making a bit of progress. Warman said the group had met and agreed that getting to know each other was an important next step. Accordingly, a Jan. 10, all-day meeting will “focus on education,” Warman said, and “understanding how each organization operates.”
So far, only two members of council have been participating. It’s been suggested more would be better – perhaps three or four.
“Think about that,” Warman said.
The alliance has applied for a grant from a federal program called CEDI. It appears to have made the short list and has been interviewed.
