Council Notes - August 15, 2023
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Council Notes - August 15th, 2023
Delegation/Trail Expansion. Ian Kwantes and Jeff MacKay of Weyerhaeuser presented to Council regarding a grant application the company has made to the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA). The grant would fund a trail expansion project of 6.2km in Willmore Park and 0.6km in the Town of Edson, east of the hospital to Vision Park. Interpretive signage would also be added to the trails. If successful, the FRIAA grant funding would be about $435,000. Council supports the project and expressed gratitude to Weyerhaeuser for their continued work in the community.
Snow and Ice Control Policy. Council amended the Snow and Ice Control Policy. After a full winter under the new policy, a few minor changes were recommended and approved for the upcoming snow season. Clarity was added that allows snow clearing to occur if snow and ice pack becomes excessive, and the north portion of 50th Street was moved to Priority 3 (Collector Routes) to better align with the traffic patterns.
Sanitary Sewer Condition Assessment. Engineering Consulting Firm, McElhanney, hired by the Town of Edson as a part of the Sanitary Sewer Condition Assessment Program, presented their findings to Council. The main system issues were capacity (pipe sizes), low pipe grades causing buildup, and inflow and infiltration from rainfall and groundwater. The report recommends addressing those issues, as well as the development of a maintenance, flushing, and inspection program. The estimated cost for the actions in the report is $20 million. Council has added the project to the Capital Plan, and it will be reviewed and prioritized with all other projects during the budget process.
Curbside Waste and Organics Contract. A 3-year contract extension with GFL has been approved by Council for waste collection. Additional services included are Spring Cleanup and Christmas Tree collection by GFL.
Airport Parking Fees. Council approved a reduction in aircraft parking rates at the Edson Airport as a result of a previous delegation to Council from the Edson Flying Club. Several options were presented to Council and approval was given for a 50% reduction in the current rates.
2024 Budget Meeting Schedule. Administration requested alternate dates be scheduled for the 2024 budget deliberation schedule due to the recent evacuations and floods. Council approved the following dates:
- October 14, 2023 – 9am to 3pm (Budget Workshop)
- November 14, 2023 – 5pm
- November 22, 2023 – 5pm
Out-of-Scope Emergency Compensation. Approval was provided for the payment of out-of-scope compensation for time worked during the two wildfire evacuations and flooding emergencies as these were unbudgeted expenditures. Union employees were compensated previously.
Next meeting - The next Council meeting is scheduled for September 5, 2023, at 7:00 pm.
Agenda/Information package HERE
App users view the video HERE