Drumheller Town Council

Regular Council Meeting

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Mayor Heather Colberg called the meeting to order at 4:32 p.m.
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Councillor Fred Makowecki was sworn in as Deputy Mayor for the months of March and April.
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Bylaw 08.17 is a bylaw that authorizes council to incur indebtedness by the issuance of debenture in the amount of $485,000 for the purpose of constructing a Sanitary Lift Station in East Coulee.
This was last brought to council’s attention in July 2017. At the time, the previously council felt that borrowing the funds was more sufficient rather than taking it out of reserve accounts.
Corroded, metal pipes and pumps have started to fail. This project should be completed by the end of the summer. East Coulee residents will expect an outage on sewer for approximately 12 hours in total to change out pipes. The replacement station will be built beside the old one for an easy switch over in systems.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be $1.37 million and the municipality estimates the following grants and contributions will be applied: $685,000 in provincial grants, $200,000 in federal grants, and $485,000 in debentures. These contributions will pay for the entirety of the project.
The lift station is expected to have a lifespan of 50 years or more.
The bylaw passed second and third reading.

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CAO Darryl Drohomerski advised council on how to be objective on first reading of the Mobile Vending bylaw.
This bylaw was tabled at the Monday, February 5 Regular Council meeting.
Council immediately moved to in-camera matters.

Drumheller Town Council

Committee of the Whole Meeting

Monday, February 12, 2018

Mayor Heather Colberg called the meeting to order at 4:31 p.m.
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CAO Darryl Drohomerski presented his October to December quarterly report to council.
He highlighted the town’s active role in current flood mitigation. The town is close to having the ownership of the dykes transferred from the provincial government.
On December 30, the Aquaplex re-opened its doors to the public following an extensive modernization upgrade. The hot tub is still not functioning properly as it is not reaching Alberta flow rates.
The Town has been working on a solution for the Royal Tyrrell Museum sewage odor by holding meetings during the quarter with MPE Engineering, the museum, and the province to review the ongoing concerns and impacts of residents. He says ‘there is an end in sight’.
At council’s Strategic Business Session held on November 29, employee housing was identified as a corporate priority. On January 12, an initial meeting was arranged with ATCO to discuss the proposal of an ATCO village for employee housing.
He listed some key accomplishments from 2017 like the Canada 150 celebration led by the Heritage, Arts and Culture Committee, an electric car charging station donated by ATCO, the grand opening of the new Riverside Medical Clinic, the continuation of the downtown revitalization project, and council’s creation of an Economic Task Force.
He also listed top priorities for the corporate and operational levels.
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Director of Infrastructure Services Armia Mikhaiel and CAO Drohomerski presented the 2017 Infrastructure Services Annual Report. They highlighted a few key areas.
A new fuel card lock system project was tendered on July 7 with Installation completed on December 21 for the airport. It provides capability to accurately track fuel inventory and allow access to fuel at any time.
The town discovered that the addition of higher chlorine concentration of the pipes fueling the splash park fountain has led to corrosion causing water leakage. Cameras were sent down to see the condition of the pipes. He explained that it looked like multiple small leaks had formed. The town is not sure which route to take at this time to fix the problem.
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Director of Corporate Services Barb Miller presented her fourth quarter report.
A large amount of time was spent on the municipal election with over 50 employees running 26 voting stations. Administration worked on the Utility Rates Bylaw and clarified for council on how they are calculated. They also finalizing the 2017 operating budget draft which will be released at the end of the month. They are currently preparing Fiscal year-end documents and the auditor is scheduled for March 5. Ms. Miller reported that the IT Management transition has had minor difficulties but overall is going smoothly.
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Director of Protective Services Greg Peters explained the current situation of the fourth quarter report. He explained he is working on two bylaws; the Tourism Corridor Bylaw and Cannabis Legislation.
The purpose of the tourism corridor bylaw is to help the town maintain, enhance, and preserve its character, scenery, history and aesthetics. The cannabis legislation is in response to the upcoming federal legalization of marijuana.
A regional Emergency Master Plan final draft has been reviewed by the director and will be reviewed one last time by a contractor before being presented to council.
The director is researching solar energy for the Civic Solar Project which will be presented at a future council meeting to see about how the municipality can utilize this technology.
Mr. Peters is exploring all aspects of a fenced dog park like gathering interested resident opinions, cost estimates, and potential locations.
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Councillors reported on the wellbeing of the committees they sit on as well as what each once is currently striving to work towards.
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Councillors Zariski and Garbutt presented the Vision, Mission and Values statement.