During their regular meeting Oct. 28, Sylvan Lake councillors:
• proclaimed November as Family Violence Prevention Month in Sylvan Lake.
“We call upon citizens to speak out against family violence. We call upon you to make a difference by creating a culture of support for those affected by family violence. And we call upon you to encourage all Albertans to help make our province violence free in 2013 and beyond. You can speak up for those who are silenced,” read Mayor Sean McIntyre.
• discussed which provincial government department representatives to meet with when they attend the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association convention Nov. 19-22.
Councillor Matt Prete wanted to meet with Alberta Environment to figure out the stages necessary to do something about the lake level so that council could then host a town hall meeting to explain the situation to residents.
Mayor Sean McIntyre asked that they meet with Alberta Transportation “to discuss impacts of change to the 781-11 intersection and learn about future plans for the Highway 20-781 realignment. He’d like to hear their impression of changes that were made to the intersections.
• determined which councillors were going to which Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conventions. Typically the mayor and two councillors attend the annual FCM meeting with councillors rotating through the meetings during their term. Councillors Megan Chernoff and Dale Plante were selected to go to the meeting in Niagara Falls May 30-June 2, 2014; all councillors will attend the meeting in Edmonton in 2015; councillors Matt Prete and Jas Payne will go to Winnipeg in 2016 and councillors Chris Lust and Graham Parsons will go to Ottawa in 2017.
• agreed to keep franchise fees the same as past years for electrical and gas utilities.
Franchise fees are payments made by utility companies to obtain an exclusive franchise to provide utility distribution services within the community. Utility companies raise funds to pay these fees by charging their customers.
The 2014 electrical franchise fee with Fortis Alberta will be 10 per cent, a rate that hasn’t changed since 2004. For 2014, it’s projected the town will be paid $730,000 by Fortis, an increase of $44,000.
The natural gas franchise fee will also remain at the same rate as it has since 2004. It’s estimated the town will collect $579,370 in 2014 from this fee.
• heard from Chief Administrative Officer Betty Osmond about a number of projects completed, nearing completion or ongoing.
Lakeshore Drive water main twinning project is almost complete. The road has been repaved and minor concrete curb and sidewalk replacements will follow shortly.
Street modernization along 47A Avenue, 52nd and 53rd streets is complete except for minor landscaping.
East Storm Channel construction and other storm ditch cleanouts will be done by Urban Dirtworks over the next few months.
Reports to address concerns with future growth planning for water supply and distribution, sewage treatment facility upgrading and impacts of Golf Course Creek flow through Marina Bay are being critiqued and will be presented to council shortly.
Osmond noted a request for proposals for architectural services for the multiplex will be released by tomorrow (Nov. 1st). Once an architect has been secured further design refinement and a design charette will be undertaken so a facility design can be finalized.
Work continues on the fire hall project which is scheduled for tender, contract award and construction start by spring.
With favourable weather in October approximately 1.4 km. of paving was completed on trails. This included about 400 metres of new trail, as well as rebuilding and overlaying of existing trails. A new trail connection was constructed to connect Leader Field West with the dog park and the remainder of trail work along the railway going east from 46th Street was completed.