The town council of Outlook met for a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday night, September 11. Present was all of council; Donna Smith, Kevin Grotheim, Kyle McLeod, Maureen Applin, Floyd Childerhose, and David Simonson, as well as Mayor Ross Derdall, Acting Administrator Rachel Sillers, Public Works Coordinator Bonnie Pshyk, and Superintendent of Municipal Operations Luke Lockhart.
Absent was Recreation Director Jordy Jones, who was overseeing Community Registration Night at the Jim Kook Rec Plex.
A number of topics and items were discussed, including the following highlights.
Old Business/Business Arising from the Minutes
Three readings were held for Bylaw 08-19 – A Bylaw to Establish Water & Sewer Rates, after which it was carried. It will now be sent to Regina.
A motion was made and carried to send a letter explaining that a request related to the tax assessment at Piccolo Pizza in Outlook can be addressed if the owner of the building wishes to pursue it. The current tenant of the building is on a lease-to-own agreement.
The topic of a new Garbage Pickup Agreement was moved to a committee meeting to explore what the agreement may mean for residents and the Town, and it will be brought back to the next council meeting.
The proposed changes to a new Civic Centre Rental Contract were carried. Among the changes are a new damage deposit of $200, and the renter is responsible for any damages incurred if it exceeds that amount.
Public Works/Transportation
The third week of September will see sewer flushing being done in town.
One fire hydrant in town is non-operational and will be fixed. With a number of hydrants being decades old, Luke would like to explore the possibility of purchasing some new ones for next year as something of a preventative measure. Council gave the go-ahead to explore pricing on new hydrants.
It was said that the gravel being spread on local roads isn’t as good quality as previous years, and the recent rainfall has only made roads worse. The Town will be looking into acquiring another supplier after conditions have dried up.
The topic of lawn care and snow removal for the Town was tabled to the next council meeting, but it was said that it may no longer be a private contract position and that those duties may be absorbed by the Town’s Public Works department.
A motion was made and carried to move forward on having the Associated Engineering firm come up with a plan for the Town’s water intake system at a cost of $11,500. Councillor Applin believed that the provincial government should be lobbied to release more water. Councillor Grotheim questioned why the Town uses the same planning firm over and over, not wanting to see the Town possibly being taken advantage of down the road on any future projects. Applin said it’s about “taking a leap of faith” and Councillor Childerhose echoed those sentiments, stating that they needed to trust Associated Engineering because a professional relationship has been forged with them over time.
New Business
There were no local bids on a tender for a job involving concrete swale on McKenzie Street North in Outlook. A motion was made and carried to bring the job back to next spring.
There were three tenders received (two complete) for work related to the sewer connections of the Mann Street subdivision, as well as the utility connections of Reid Crescent and Conquest Avenue. The two company’s bid breakdowns were as follows:
Garnett Industries – Complete with WCB Letter of Good Standing and Proof of Liability Insurance
Mann Street Sewer Connections - $11,400.00 + taxes
Reid Crescent & Conquest Avenue Connections - $55,300.00 + taxes
Contingency work - $12,000.00 + taxes (parts and labour)
Total bid - $78,700.00 + taxes
Brunner’s Construction Ltd – Complete with WCB Letter of Good Standing and Proof of Liability Insurance
Mann Street Sewer Connections - $20,260.00 + taxes
Less $5,500.00 mobilization (for combined bid)
Reid Crescent & Conquest Avenue Connections - $51,200.00 + taxes
Contingency work - $7,950.00 + taxes (parts and labour)
Total bid - $73,910.00 + taxes
A motion was made and carried to accept the bid from Brunner’s Construction Ltd out of Saskatoon for the work.
A motion was made and carried to grant authorization to the Outlook & District Chamber of Commerce to explore extending the sign corridor on both sides of town.
Extra signage may go up in the area after the Town received a request from someone looking to hunt on Town-owned land.
A motion was made and carried to honor a proclamation request by the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan.
There was a brief break held during the meeting to honor Luke’s birthday, and council and guests enjoyed cupcakes.
Recreation
A motion was made and carried to move forward on a proposal by Stony Plain, Alberta-based Omni Sport for the creation of Outlook’s outdoor rink. The goal is to have it built for the 2020 winter recreation season, as it’s too late for this year.
Council approved the project being undertaken by the Outlook branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, which is looking into moving the community’s war memorial. The Legion will take care of raising any necessary funds for the move, and it was said that the Town would like to work with the branch in establishing a suitable new location for the memorial.
There is concern over an attraction at the Van Raay & Community Swimming Pool that is said to be “blistered”, that being the frog slide. Council is adamant that the pool contractor, Western Recreation, is responsible for fixing it, and evidently there has been some back-and-forth between the two on the topic. Administrator Sillers was instructed to contact Western Recreation to inform them that the feature needs to be fixed or they will not be receiving payment for their services.
Public Meeting
There is a tentative date of Thursday, October 17 at 7:00 pm for a public meeting to be held at the Outlook Civic Centre. However, this date is based on the availability of the Town’s finance officer, and it may possibly be moved to October 24. A confirmed date should be locked in by the next council meeting and more information will be forthcoming on the details of the meeting.
Plastic Ban
A motion was made and carried for Administrator Sillers to prepare a proposed bylaw to ban single-use plastic bags in the Town of Outlook with an implementation date of January 2020.
Council moved to in-camera discussions after accepting the correspondence. The in-camera agenda included the following items:
- Land – Lots 14-17, Block 60, Plan G358
- Legal – Correspondence
- Planning & Development
- Personnel
