West End Recycle Facility Information
The town council accepted a report offering information regarding the operation and service levels provided at the West End Recycle Facility (WERF). Due to the occasional unsightliness of the facility, administration was requested to provide information regarding service levels and general operational information of the WERF during the Feb. 14 council meeting. Mayor Megan Hanson pointed the facility looks substantially better ever since it was brought to notice.
There are two recycle depots operated by Public Works in Sylvan Lake. The WERF is located at the Dog Park parking lot on 60 St. and the East End Recycle Facility located at the Waste Transfer Site (WTS) on 30 St. (Range Road 12). The East End Recycle Facility is accessible by the public during the business hours of the WTS while the WERF is accessible 24-hours per day.The WERF is well used by the public and is frequented by businesses, residents, and non-residents alike. Occasionally the site can be found with recyclable materials laying on the ground, partly because the bins may be full or because some facility users refuse to flatten boxes and leave them on the ground, even when the bins have capacity.
Arrangements have been made with the recycle contractor to empty at least one bin every weekday, instead of the previous schedule of once every two days (as of Feb. 10). Additional signage reminding WERF users to flatten cardboard has been installed (on, or about Feb. 22). Public Works will evaluate the success of these steps and make further changes as necessary.
The facility costs about $24,000 annually, which is funded from the business and residential recycling levy and is included within the 2022 operating budget.
Chamber Lease 2022-2024
The town council approved an extension of the SLCC’s lease agreement for a period of two years with the option to extend for an additional two years in the Municipal Government Building (MGB).
In Dec. 2014, council approved the relocation of the SLCC from the Visitor Information Centre to the ground floor office in the MGB and directed administration to prepare a lease agreement for a three-year term commencing in Feb. 2015. On March 27, 2017, The SLCC requested a three-year extension to their lease and council approved a two-year extension without any rate increase for the cost of living. In March 2020 council approved a two-year lease which included a 2% cost of living increase per annum with the option to extend for an additional two years pending Council’s approval.
Community Welcome Signage Design
The council was presented with the 2021 Wayfinding -Entry Point Signage Project Work Plan and directed administration to move forward with design package 1 for the community welcome signage. Package 1 has a total cost of $299,086 for five welcome signage to be installed. The roundabout at Hwy. 11A (two-direction signage), Township Road 381, Highway 780 (50 Street), Highway 11 Westbound and Highway 11 Eastbound are the five locations chosen under the package. The town budget for this project is capped at #350,000.
On Jan. 6, 2021, the administration received feedback from council on the locations of welcome signage around the community, the size, and desired signage types for each location. On September 27, 2021, after a successful procurement, PM signs corporations were awarded the contract to design and build our welcome signage. At the February Committee of the Whole Meeting, council reviewed preliminary design options and provided feedback on the proposed design packages.
The project is currently in the design phase with construction anticipated to begin this spring for most locations. Locations in the proposed Provincial Highway 11 expansion area will be completed in alignment with that project timeline.
Response to Mr. T Iverson Open Mic
The town council accepted Report AIR-527 as information, as presented.
At the Jan. 10 Regular Meeting of Council, Mr. Iverson appeared as a delegation to propose that his property located at 4703- 48 St. should be considered for purchase or lease by the town as a parking lot. Mr. Iverson referenced the paid parking program and feels that increased parking locations and providing year-round paid parking would be a considerable boost to revenue for the town. Mr. Iverson stated that parking at the Bethany Care facility and adjacent seniors home is at a premium and this area has consistent on-street parking. Mr. Iverson proposed that he is open to leasing or sale of the property.
The administration followed up with Mr. Iverson and requested a written proposal outlining the details he was proposing. A proposal was received on Jan. 20 via email that provided a purchase price and a ‘long-term’ lease price. The proposal also included the 2020 and 2021 Assessment values.
Mr. Iverson’s proposal contained two policy type items that would have to be considered by Council. The first policy item that Mr. Iverson proposed would be a year-round paid parking program for this proposed parking lot. Currently, the paid parking program runs from May 15 to Sept. 15 of each year and is exclusively implemented in downtown. The proposal from Mr. Iverson would require expanding the area of the paid parking program to a lot outside of the downtown and expanding the paid parking program to year-round operation instead of seasonal operation.
The administration completed a preliminary cost analysis to purchase the property and then the demolition of the existing structures and construction of a parking lot. The estimated expenses to purchase the property and turn into a 24 stall parking lot consist of $385,000 for the purchase, $40,000-$50,000 for demolition, $5,000 for design and $106,900 for the cost to build.