MD of Pincher Creek Council meeting, September 13, 2011

Chris Davis - The Municipal District of Pincher Creek met on Tuesday, September 13.  In attendance: Reeve Rod Cyr, Deputy Reeve Bjorn Berg, Councillors Rod Zielinski, Helen Cyr, Terry Yagos,  CAO Wendy Kay,  and Administrative Executive Assistant Jessica McLelland.

Pincher Creek Humane Society request for support - decision delayed

The Pincher Creek Humane Society (PCHS), in the persons of Christine Wagenaar and Bev Duffield, attended the August 23 meeting of the MD council.  At that time they said the PCHS was in desperate need of a new building.  According to the meeting minutes, they said  The Town of Pincher Creek has donated land and set aside $100,000 towards a new facility, and hoped the MD council would also support the endeavor.
Council decided to postpone a decision on the matter until they hold 2012 budget discussions.

Operations report

Director of Operations Leo Reedyk reported that the summer help had returned to school, excepting one individual who was staying on for a few weeks.  He said Agricultural Fieldman Al Jacklin would be retiring from MD service on September 16.  Concerns regarding the Beaver Mines tennis court were discussed, with the basic theme being the court was not designed for skateboards and similar hard-wheeled usage.

The Ranch Road intersection at Highway 6, southwest of Pincher Creek near Christie Mines, was cited as a concern, due to visibility issues.  Councillor Helen Cyr mentioned there had been several accidents at the location, and Reeve Rod Cyr agreed that there were real sight-line problems.  Since Highway 6 is under the jurisdiction of Alberta Transportation, they would have to be involved in possible changes.  However, Ranch Road itself is an MD road, and Reedyk indicated that would mean the MD would have to be responsible for any project to rectify the situation.  Councillor Cyr observed that there was a large body of water that would have to be accounted for in any plans to change the approach to Highway 6. She also said ratepayers who use Ranch Road wanted to see changes, as it is a fairly busy road.

Bonertz Hill flood repair

Tenders were considered concerning repairs to the road at Bonertz Hill, which was damaged badly in the June 17, 2010 flooding event, which resulted in a significant portion of the roadway sloughing down the slope.  Reedyk indicated he had not heard back from Disaster Funding as to how much of the project they would fund, and that the estimated $400,000 cost was nearly double the initial engineering estimate.  He recommended deferring the project until next year.  He said the MD would still need approval from the Department of Transportation for the necessary road closure to complete the work, and he thought time was running out to complete the project this year.
Council members questioned several aspects of the project and Reedyk's recommendation.  Two tenders have been submitted, and several members of council wondered whether it might be prudent to ask the successful bidder if they would allow the project to be deferred until next year while keeping their bid the same.

Additional land would need to be acquired to complete the project as proposed.  Councillor Terry Yagos indicated it was likely the affected landowner would be amenable to a land swap.
In response to a question from Councillor Helen Cyr, Reedyk indicated the project would probably take a month to complete, and that a significant amount of earth would have to be removed, an aspect of the project accounted for in both bids.

Bobcat and Attachments

Council approved the purchase of a bobcat with multiple attachments, including a snowblower and chipper.  There was some debate as to the ability of the smaller machine to tackle some of the large snowfalls the MD can be faced with.  It was determined that the MD still had possession of the large snow removal equipment still, and could defer selling it, just in case.  Reeve Rod Cyr said "we need the bobcat anyway."

CAO Wendy Kay discussed traffic control on MD roads, indicating that overweight vehicles are causing excessive damages in some areas.

Deputy Reeve Bjorn Berg suggested council should revisit the goals calendar council made in the fall of 2010, to see where they were in reference to it.

Wildlife control concerns

Council also spent some time working on a resolution to present to the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties, with the goal of encouraging Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) to increase manpower and services "to address the ongoing issues on the eastern slopes".  At the heart of the MD's concern is the closure of the Fish and Wildlife office in Pincher Creek, and the gradual reduction in Fish and Wildlife officers from three to the one presently serving.

"What makes the news is that a cougar has eaten someone's cat, not that a cougar has eaten three llamas across from the dam." - Deputy Reeve Bjorn Berg

Septic dumping rates a concern

Jacques Thouin, owner of the Beaver Mines Store, wrote a letter to the MD council asking that his effluent removal issues be addressed.  The council seemed sympathetic to his plight, saying "we're working on it" after discussing several possible options.  At present the Beaver Mines store is being charged what seems to them (and others) to be exhorbitant rates for effluent removal.

Animal control bylaw

Council spent a fair bit of time fine-tuning the proposed Animal Control bylaw, which is due to be featured at a public meeting on Thursday, September 22, from 7 pm to 9 pm at the MD administration office. Councillor Rod Zielinski was concerned with the mechanics of the permit, in terms of the actual experience for someone showing up at the MD office looking for a permit. "What would that permit look like?" he asked.  Zielinski and Berg discussed the specific wording of the proposed bylaw without coming to agreement.  After a vote, the modified text of the bylaw was accepted, with the possibility of amendments being made, as being ready to present to the public on September 22.

Ladder truck for fire department discussed

In his report to council, Deputy Reeve Berg, who also serves as Chair for the joint Emergency Management Committee, raised the issue of purchasing a ladder truck for the Fire Department.  "We have 11 structures large enough that it is recommended we have a ladder or aerial truck," he said, indicating the general rule is to have one once a community has 5 structures large enough. Such a vehicle would be a "big expense".

Berg also mentioned the Emergency Management Agency, which he said has seen an increase in budget during the course of his chairmanship.