Elnora village councillors discussed an engineer’s assessment of the municipal office at their Nov. 12 meeting. ECA Review/Submitted
Elnora village council agreed to a resident request to provide complete costs for the new library project and will do it at an upcoming council meeting. The resolution was passed at the Nov. 12 regular meeting of council.
Coun. Lisa Ferguson requested that a letter she’d been given from an Elnora resident be added to the agenda; Ferguson stated the letter requested the Village of Elnora provide this resident with complete past, present and expected future costs of the new public library project.
Later in the meeting when councillors discussed the request they seemed open to the idea.
Ferguson stated she had already begun looking for the information and found some but wasn’t sure she had collected all of the financial information for the project.
During discussion councillors mentioned a few of the costs so far incurred with the project, including hiring a designer which they noted was mandatory to get the proper permits and the fact a firewall was built with the understanding that wall is to become a permanent part of the new structure, not temporary.
As councillors discussed the library project they stated it’s hoped the new library will benefit from volunteerism during construction to keep costs down. Councillors passed a resolution to have staff gather a full accounting of the new public library project and provide a report at the December regular meeting of council.
New village office?
Councillors pondered a report from Lex3 Engineering on the condition of Elnora’s village office; engineers stated they visited the building located on Main Street on Oct. 11.
The engineer’s assessment stated the building’s concrete foundation is in poor condition, walls have cracks that may be stress related, concrete walls in the basement are deteriorating plus other concerns.
“It is Lex3’s opinion that the existing structure is in very poor condition…but can be occupied in its current condition in the short term for one to two years,” stated the engineer’s stamped assessment.
It was noted in the engineer’s report the village office was built in 1927 as the Royal Bank branch.
Skid steer trade-in
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Sharon Wesgate provided councillors with a report on the village’s annual trade-in of its skid steer vehicle. She noted in her report the village deals with Brandt Tractor and was advised trading in the older vehicle for a newer one would cost $10,000 plus tax.
Wesgate stated prices have increased but it was suggested taxpayers will recover some money when the newer model is eventually traded in.
Councillors unanimously approved the trade-in.
Funding requests
Councillors pondered a few requests for donations, one from the Elnora Parent Council and one from St. Hilda’s Anglican Church.
The parent council noted they’re raising money for a playground project while the church noted their building needs a new roof.
The CAO stated the Village of Elnora has a policy that the municipality doesn’t donate cash to groups.
As councillors discussed the requests they agreed the village could try to help groups with their fundraising efforts with things like advertising.
Resolutions were passed for both requests declining funds but offering help as noted.
Bylaw officer
Councillors read a report from the village’s bylaw enforcement contractor, Red Deer County. Sgt. Irv Heide noted in the memo that community peace officers (CPO) spent five hours in Elnora in both September and October, writing one ticket each month.
Water restrictions lifted
Councillors unanimously passed a resolution to lift the water restriction placed earlier this year.
Readers should note many municipalities had restrictions in place due to dire warnings of drought across the province.
Stu Salkeld
Local Journalism Initiative reporter
ECA Review
