Unanimous approval was given for the Parkland Regional Library 2023 proposed budget, which included a 20-cents increase per resident, at their regular council meeting Sept. 27.
Councillors Andy Folk and Jeff Bourne both noted how small their operational budget was.
“It’s amazing how much they do with so little,” said Bourne.
There is $1,200 remaining from the $3,000 donation made by the fire department to the Boys & Girls Club (BGC). The club used $1,800 for their two-week summer program which was fully subscribed.
Nichole Fegan, program director, had asked council whether the remaining money could be used for the BGC after-school program or should it be saved for next year’s summer camp. Council will ask Fegan for her recommendation.
With the hatch marks and pylons now in place at Oops Fresh Market to discourage parking on the corner, no safety complaints were received this past week from motorists or pedestrians. The village and the owner of Oops will continue to monitor safety concerns at the intersection of 23 Ave. and 20 St.
Amy Ritchie on behalf of the Snowflake Saturday Market had asked that the hall rental fee be waived on Friday for setup. A unanimous decision was made that the fee be reduced by 50 per cent to $150, which would cover the village’s out-of-pocket expenses.
Coun. Bourne, will ask the hall board whether it would be appropriate to consider a separate fee for set-up situations going forward.
An e-mail was received from Dr. Kauchali of the Delburne Medical Clinic thanking the village very much for the substantial grant.
Emergency Management delegation
Dan Marsellus and Jeff Lunder attended the meeting to formally advise they would be exchanging positions on Delburne’s Emergency Management Agency.
Marsellus will be stepping down as director to take the position of deputy director and Lunder will become the new director. The change is effective Oct. 1, 2022. This switch would allow for a smooth transition.
Council thanked both men for their past and current service to the community.
Trees, bike racks and water safety
Public Works has finished trimming trees to improve the sight lines for vehicles entering onto the highway.
Public Works Foreman Gary Rusaw, also said there are complaints about trees on private property hanging over public sidewalks.
If these residents won’t cut back their trees, Karen Fegan, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) said the village has the right to cut a private tree straight up from the village’s property line.
Citizens have been asking for bike racks and councillors fully support this request. The library has already taken steps to apply for a grant to install a bike rack.
CAO Fegan has been asked to consider other public sites that should have a bike rack. Bike racks will be included in the 2023 budget.
Council Folk also wondered whether the Village could offer a similar program as had been done with the water barrel program to encourage private businesses to purchase bike racks.
Rumours circulating that the Bistro water (groundwater or tap water) is unsafe are completely false. Gary Rusaw, public works foreman said, “the tape water in Delburne is tested regularly and is perfectly okay”.
As for the groundwater, the Bistro site is on an abandoned gas station site. Before a business was allowed to occupy the land, reclamation measures were taken. This work was done prior to 2005. Each year, the groundwater is tested to ensure it continues to meet Environment department standards.
The village has on staff three public works staff who do the mowing, not three summer students as previously reported by the ECA Review.
Security in the Park
Quotes from Telebyte Communications Inc. and Viking Security Solutions were received for the installation of security cameras and access control to the washrooms in the park.
Coun. Bourne has worked with all the equipment quoted from both companies and said all of it is very good.
A unanimous motion accepted the Telebyte Communications bid in the amount of $7,389.27. The expenditure was budgeted as part of the pavilion grant.
Brenda Schimke
ECA Review
