Due to a burst pipe in the Municipal Government Building, the regular meeting of Town Council was temporarily moved to the NexSource Centre, Jan. 22.
The burst pipe is believed to have been damaged earlier this winter when the furnace went out, and the pipe possibly froze, according to Chief Administrative Officer Betty Osmond.
“We think it was a delayed effect from when the furnace broke a little while back,” said Osmond.
The burst pipe was for one of the main floor bathrooms. Osmond says it is important to note the water from the pipe was clean and potable water, and not wastewater.
Luckily, there was little damage done and it is currently being repaired.
Osmond says a second part for the furnace was purchased at the time the repair was made, and she is hopeful that will stop the possibility of another burst pipe in the future.
Code of Conduct Bylaw
Town Council approved the third and second reading of a new bylaw which dictates the Codes of Conduct for Council.
Included in this bylaw is details on absences for Council members.
Previously, Council had a policy in place for an expected code of conduct for the councillors. Now the Municipal Government Act (MGA) requires a bylaw instead of a policy. The bylaw must be in place no later than July 23, 2018, according to the MGA.
Alberta Community Partnership Grant Proposal
Town Council agreed to participate in an joint Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP) for a grant program under the Alberta Community Partnership.
This will be shared by “adjacent” municipalities. According to the Province, an adjacent municipality are those that share a boundary, so the Province considers the summer villages to be adjacent municipalities.
The partnership will address areas such as: future land use, manner of and proposals for future development, provisions of transportation systems and environmental matters among others.
Municipalities included in the grant proposal are Lacombe County, Red Deer County and the Summer Villages of Jarvis Bay, Norgenwold, Sunbreaker Cove, Half-moon Bay and Birchcliff.
Lacombe County has taken the lead on the grant application, which was submitted to the province by the Jan. 2 deadline, conditional on the approval of councils involved.
“We believe this will be very beneficial to all involved,” said Osmond, speaking about other chief administrative officers. “It is believed to be more efficient and garner more outside funding.”
Second Story Addition
Council approved the second story addition at the property on the corner of Lakeshore Drive and 46 Street.
The approval was given on a few conditions, such as the final appearance be in “accordance with the approved building,” that all materials and supplies not be stored on the public roadways and sidewalks as wells as the garage doors be made of an “acceptable material.”
Provincial Park
The Province has signed over the rights of the Sylvan Lake Provincial Park to the municipality as of Jan. 17. It is expected the Land Transfer will take two to three weeks to work its way through the Land Titles office, according to Osmond who spoke to Phil Hoffer of Provincial Parks.
When the land is officially transferred, the Town will also receive the first portion of the $1.96 million allocation to be used for park improvements and ongoing upkeep. The Town and the Province agreed to have half of the grant paid up front with the remaining half payable within 12 months.
The Town as also been given permission to reuse the provincial signs to be reworked for Sylvan Lake Park. This will be a considerable savings for the Town.
Read for 15
The Sylvan Lake Municipal Library will once again be participating in the national Read for 15 competition.
The library’s new marketing coordinator, Cathy Lichtenwald, hopes to see everyone in the community register their 15 minutes of reading on Jan. 26 and 27.
“Last year we had roughly 25 per cent of the community register, and that’s great, but we would love to see that number go up,” Lichtenwald said.
Also, the Library Board has approved a discount for library cards on Family Literacy Day, Jan. 27. Residents can register for a new card for 50 per cent off on Jan. 27.
Traffic Signals
The new traffic lights at 48 Avenue and 50 Street will be up and running by the end of the month. Currently, the lights are waiting on a meter to be installed by Fortis.
Town administration expects the lights will be put on “flashing mode” by Jan. 25 or 26 and fully activated on Jan. 29 or 30.
megan.roth@sylvanlakenews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter