Boulevard ‘fix’ tabled to next meeting

In the absence of Mayor Dawn Bancroft, Deputy Mayor John Rogers  motioned to table the decision on the ‘fix’ for the steep boulevard left when 1st Avenue was paved at the regular council meeting, July 13.
Heide Peterson of Mother Mountain Tea House had put in a written request on May 24, to fix the severe slope on the boulevard due to the paving of the street.
Coun. Rogers expressed concern should it be setting a precedent for village staff doing the work, when most residents have dealt with their own boulevard issues.
CAO Nikota informed council that they are owners of the boulevard and liable.
Nikota also explained that he checked out building and safety codes and the installation of staggered cement sidewalk blocks, two steps, does not require railings.
It was discussed that sidewalk blocks could be used also in front of the seniors lodge which is also very steep.

Letter of support
Council will send a letter of support for the Highland Market to retain their present liquor licence at time of renewal in 2018, and the White Knight Liquor new application as the Village is delighted that a potential owner has decided to open a new store front in the village.
The letter to the Alberta Gaming & Liquor Commission states the Village’s support for retaining the Highland Market General Store liquor licence, as the inclusion of liquor sales in the Market helps support what would otherwise be a fragile business model in a village the size of Delia.

Fall election
Council passed several motions including appointing CAO Mark Nikota as the Returning Officer for the fall municipal election to be held on October 16.
Nomination date is set for Sept. 18 with council determining there will be no deposit required for a nomination as has been the practice in previous elections.
Council will plan a Strategic Planning sessions for late August or early September that will then overlap with the potentially new councillors.

CAO report
CAO Nikota reported to Delia Village council that the expenses are on par with the budget  at the regular council meeting July 13, running at 44 per cent in the first six months of the budget year.
Nikota noted he had researched and changed phone and electricity providers which should save the village approximately $3700 annually.
He also noted that the MSI capital funding grants were received and one demand loan was paid off, with the remainder possibly going against MountainView Credit Union demand loan for $231,820.
However, Nikota noted that some funds may be held back for repair of the road south of town when Cando removes the railroad crossing tracks.
The majority of the cost is the responsibility of Cando due to the railway crossing however, the village may been to fix up the part of the crossing that is further away from where the tracks were.

Council reports
Coun. Rogers reported on the Drumheller Waste Management meeting noting that the Foothills Salvage Centre employs nine  people and have realized $750,000 in salvage sales from what people throw into the dump, plus 500 yards of compost sold to businesses, such as landscapers.
According the the report, 300 tons of material was saved from being buried.
“I thought scavaging wasn’t permitted,” said Coun. Jordan MacNutt.
“Maybe someone is missing out on a business opportunity.”

The Canada 150 group is putting together plans for the Fall Fair on Sat. Oct. 14.
They had previously looked at an electronic sign, however the cost of $50,000 or more was thought to be unattainable.
The group is looking into confirming that Delia had the first woman mayor in Canada in the early 1900’s.

Water grant
Delia and the Starland County received approval from the Alberta Government for a water line project through the Henry Kroeger Water Commission that had been applied for approximately 10 years ago.
Delia and Starland County will be responsible for 50 per cent of the million dollar project that will give Delia more water storage space, back up pump and back up generator which is needed desperately in case of fire or a shut down of power or the main plant.
The village and the county did not budget for the project in this year’s budget however, according to Nikota, there is a lot of  work yet to be done before the project can begin.

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