Tom Zariski was sworn in as Deputy Mayor for the months of September and October..
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The Drumheller Chamber of Commerce requested council review the current Purchasing Policy after a brief presentation on May 8 for new recommendations.
Changes like posting on the Town of Drumheller website for tendering purposes as well as proposal opportunities will come into effect.
Councillor Jay Garbutt noted that the website must be navigated well and that many will not search for the information so it must be easy to find.
A local preference clause was also put in place to encourage local spending between the town and businesses.
This may give preference to suppliers operating from taxable property within Drumheller and all bids or quotations offered will be considered equal.
Local suppliers may be granted a pre-tax price differential preference of five per cent over other suppliers on individual purchases up to $25,000, provided that with the exception of price, all things are considered equal once specifications and terms are reviewed.
Cindy Clark, Business Advocacy Committee Chair, was very pleased with the overall policy and thanked council for considering the purchasing policy changes.
A motion was carried to follow through with the revised policy
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A new Infrastructure Financial Strategy was discussed and presented by Stantec, an international professional services company in design and consulting. This new strategy was based from policy adopted by council in 2011.
Stantec first visited council and presented a presentation on February 13, 2017.
Under this strategy, the plan will focus on certain points. It does not require significant increases in currently available annual revenue for infrastructure. It maintains a similar debt level as present - well below maximums set in Debt Policy.
The strategy will also Increase overall cash reserve levels over a 10 year period. It is dependent on similar levels of infrastructure grants and availability of special purpose grants and does not include funding for major new infrastructure.
A request for decision (RFD) was made for council to adopt the updated strategy. Councillor Tom Zariski made a motion to adopt the new strategy. Sharel Shoff seconded.
The motion was carried unanimously

MONDAY, AUGUST 21, 2017

A public hearing to address Bylaw 07.17 was the first item on the list. The bylaw was meant to amend Plan 3867 HU Lot 11 within the SW ¼ Sec. 28-28-19 W4M within the Rosedale District from Urban Transitional District to R-CH- Residential Cottage Housing District. The previous recreational area that sits in Rosedale is a full 10.3 acres of land. The plan was to remove all existing housing units to in turn create 57 new lots as a gated community.
The first reading for this zoning was on June 12 with letters regarding this possible change sent out on June 19. A total 103 referrals were sent. Of that total, seven letters returned as opposed to the proposal and one in favour.
The initial plan for this new cottage resort was to create 22 year leases with a target on snowbirds for the summer months. A recreational aspect would be included with a board in mind to designate what would like to be seen.
Since the land has a naturally decided upper and lower plateau with a 50 ft elevation from higher to lower end, all of the lots would be clustered together on the top half with a wooded area. These upper lots would have a partial view of the lots below it.
This new development has green initiatives in mind by using greywater for watering yards, solar panels, compost and recycling, and a carpool vehicle.
The non-movable permanent housing units themselves will have high pitched roofs with a cottage concept while attaining a smaller size. It would be made with efficient and recycled materials.
Wooded area will act as barrier and keep existing wooded area.
From the seven submissions read, one was in support and seven were opposed.
The project was seen as a ‘glorified campground’ with no place in the Rosedale community.
Neighbouring home owners and council meeting attendees pointed out traffic and parking issues, health risks, construction, lease problems like AirBNB, safety, noise, housing prices, disrespectful owner’s, lot sizes, payments, amenities like running water and sewage, etc. The one in favour mentioned the 31 year reputation of RA Hamilton and Associates as they have worked on many local buildings like Heartwood Manor, Heartwood Haven, and other cottages.
The public hearing closed. The motion was later defeated.
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Council proceeded to Bylaw 04.17 to make a motion to incur indebtedness for the ongoing flood mitigation project. Ensuring the bylaw passes will allow council to move forward to then give direction on the new project. It also relates to getting the province to clarify the owner of bridge. The motion was defeated due to lack of knowledge on budgeting.
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Bylaw 05.17 begin a bylaw to incur indebtedness by the issuance of debenture in the amount of $516,000 for the purpose of flood mitigation in East Midland and Newcastle, through berm enhancement and construction. Second and third readings were initiated. A motion to table was made by Councillor Tara McMillan.
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An update on the Aquaplex project was conducted. The liner is getting put in very soon, with lots of prep finished already. Painting is essentially done with only parts of the flooring left.
Due to unforeseen massive amounts of concrete, demolition took a two week delay. Director of Infrastructure Services Darryl Drohomerski noted that the contractor on site spent many evenings and weekends trying to get back on schedule as well as crew members. Regular bi weekly meetings for updates have been put in place. Overall, the updates are on budget but timing is unsure at this time.
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A Referral For Direction (RFD) was made by Director of Corporate Services Barb Miller.
For council to start advanced polls, the Returning Officer was given permission to hold them. The dates will be on Thursday, October 5, 2017 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. before the official election date on October 16, 2017.
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An update on the Downtown Revitalization Strategy has provided some new insight into the way in which the project will go. Some of the suggestions collected by the public were interesting. A Downtown public plaza creation, an opportunity to enhance existing features, seating, shade, outdoor performance, signage, outdoor marketing, events and programing were all mentioned in the online survey. Overall, the third option was picked. It included raised sidewalks, more dinosaur themed items, pocket parks, and a Woonerf which is a shared street with spaces for socializing. Banff is an example.
More Dinosaur Capital of the World signage and branding like the new dinosaur street names will be up by December of this year.
For the Dinowalk, the branch is working with dinoarts, referred to mapping. The medallions will reinforce the scavenger hunt type walk.
60 people took the online survey.
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Mr. Drohomerski gave a presentation on a proposed lighting model to replace the 30 year old decorative lights that surround downtown. The plan was proposed with partnership with ATCO, created a new design for decorative designs. If followed through, there will be brighter lights than what is currently on the street.
So far there are 62 existing fixtures and eight deficiencies for a total of 70 for replacement. The new bulbs are expected to take less power but give off cleaner, brighter light. They would change the three head light to a one head light with poles for two flower pot hangers plus a plug in for Christmas lights. These lights can focus away from windows or towards roads by directing light to where it is needed.
Starting by next spring, the plan is to finish replacing the old lights before the middle of June next year.
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