MD Council Notes, August 28 meeting

The MD of Pincher Creek No. 9 Council met on Tuesday afternoon, August 28.  Reeve Terry Yagos, Deputy Reeve Bjorn Berg, and Councillors Helen Cyr and Rod Cyr were in attendance.

Curling Club asks for help
                                     
Pincher Creek Curling Club Treasurer Debbie Reed and President Randy Elliott appeared as a delegation before Council, seeking assistance toward their goal of a new facility.  Reed brought up the meeting the club had with the Mayor on July 19 (click here for that story).

At that meeting the club was told to look at repairing their present facility enough to keep it operating for another 10 years or so until the Town builds a proposed new sports complex.

"As a club we would like to see our money go towards matching grants rather than thousands of dollars worth of repairs," Reed said.  She expressed the club's concern that the town "can't give us a written confirmation" that a new sports complex will be built, or that it will definitely include a curling rink when it is.

"We need a land description to apply for grants," Reed explained. "The Town couldn't give us one, so we're just kind of stuck right now. We want some kind of formal commitment from the Town, and we're looking at other alternatives."

"Ideally we'd like to work with both the MD and the Town."

Randy Elliott said the club was arranging to have another engineer come in to look at the building, rather than the one the Town employed.  "Just for another opinion," clarified Reed.  "As an executive (of the Curling Club), if something happens to someone in that building, I don't want to be liable," said Elliott.

Reed and Elliott asked MD Council to consider whether there was land the MD could offer the club so that they could pursue grant options.

Councillor Berg asked "Can you not use your present location (when applying for grants)?"  Elliott explained that there were too many potential modern code violations at the present location, including handicap access. "As soon as we pull out a permit that whole building would have to be up to code."

"How far out of town can it be?" asked Berg.  "Even Pincher Station would mean we lost a lot of curlers," said Elliott.

Reeve Yagos suggested talking with nearby communities like the Crowsnest Pass.  "Long term, looking at the population, it could be a joint effort," he said.

"People on the curling committee, we're getting tired," said Elliott.  "This has been going on for four years.

Chickens OK with AG Services Board

At their July 26 meeting, Agriculture Services Board (ASB) Member John Lawson moved that MD Council be informed the ASB has no objection in principle to allowing residents within MD hamlets to house chickens, and that an amendment to Bylaw 1198-10 be considered to regulate the containment of chickens and the number of chickens allowed on a parcel of land.

Texas Gate application approved

Council approved an application by Mel and Eleanor Zabolotney for a Texas gate on a statutory road allowance leading to their property, which is located just west of the North Burmis Road, 2 miles north of Highway 3.  Councillor Helen Cyr opposed the motion.