ELK POINT - A much more urgent local need came right on the heels of the final report on a proposed regional multipurpose leisure centre to be built in St. Paul at last Monday’s meeting of Elk Point town council.
Carrie Baumgardner and Shane Smith of the A. G. Ross Arena operating committee came to council to request financial assistance to repair and replace the system that supplies hot water to the dressing rooms since it is no longer operating properly.
Smith has a quote for an indirect fired water heater, to run off the existing boiler that would save half of the operating cost. Installation and programming would be hard to pinpoint, but probably would be around $15,000 total.
The current system provides hot water 24/7, 365 days a year through a new one would be programmed to turn on when the arena is in use, saving wear and tear on the pump and system.
Mayor Parrish Tung questioned the possibility of having individual water heaters in each change room, but then heard that this would require extensive work to install the required lines.
The boiler, installed in 1992, also provided water for in-floor heating of the dressing rooms, with those pipes now corroding and in risk of catastrophic failure, Smith added. One leaking line already had to be isolated two years ago, and in the future, the arena will have to look at a different way of heating those rooms.
That project is on the arena wish list, which is “a mile long” and also includes repairs to a leaking roof over the dressing rooms, which he and fellow volunteer Conrad Pierce have been working on for two weeks, Smith said. The committee is working on an insurance claim for the roof, and will seek grant funding for that project if necessary, “And we will get it replaced, eventually. We can hold our own on that, but the water system is top priority.”
The request was further discussed later in the meeting with council agreeing to provide $15,000 from recreation reserves.
Concerns brought forward
Another Monday night delegation brought a plea for help from the manager of a local liquor store, who told council, “We have a problem in our town.” Serious ongoing problems with persons loitering in the area and allegedly approaching and sometimes threatening patrons are interfering with business, making patrons nervous about visiting the store, the manager said.
Regulations prevent the sale of liquor to intoxicated persons, with the risk of fines or even having the business closed down. The manager is strict about not allowing those individuals linger in the store, heard council.
The Town of St. Paul, along with the St. Paul RCMP and Municipal Enforcement, has sent letters to liquor stores in that community to advise the operators of the expectation that liquor stores and licensed establishments selling liquor and cannabis, as outlined by the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act.
Rather than sending out a similar letter, Mayor Tung suggested bringing the matter to local RCMP, and further discussions later in the meeting ended with a request for CAO Ken Gwozdz to contact RCMP Sgt. Steve Nolan to ask if the issue could be brought to the wraparound committee formed last fall.
First Responder communications
The approval back in May to change the current radio system to the Alberta First Responder Radio Communication System (AFRRCS) radios for the Elk Point, Ashmont, Mallaig and St. Paul Fire Departments came back to council, with administration directed to award the contract for AFRRCS migration for the Elk Point Fire Department to Whyte Communications Ltd. at a cost of $26,187.78 plus 15 per cent contingency, the funds will come from the MSI capital funding and will be paid to the County of St. Paul in January 2024. Funds are part of the 2024 budget.
Natural gas
The possibility of Elk Point operating its own natural gas supply was brought back to council, with the two-year franchise agreement running out and the gas company asking for a 10-year contract. While some on council would like to find a way to have the operation and there being a potential for a large volume user, it was decided after discussion to enter into the contract, providing there is first a discussion on the penalty clause should Elk Point decide to opt out before the contract expires.
Social media policy
The town’s social media policy for staff was brought to council for its five-year review, with some changes, and was approved.
Allied Arts request
Elk Point Regional Allied Arts Society has requested a letter of support for a pair of grants that would help with upgrades to the facility’s hot water system, installation of a projection screen and video system, a new commercial dishwasher, a two sided sign, and rebuilding of the front entrance.
These upgrades would not go forward without the grants being approved, but if approval were received, the society would reach out for financial support for the projects from both the town and the County of St. Paul, as joint owners of the facility. After discussion, council moved to defer the item to the Nov. 7 special meeting for the 2024 interim budget.
Operations report
Manager of Operations Jay Duffee’s report for the summer months included a water main break on a residential lawn and a sewer blockage caused by MCSnet drilling for fibre optic cable, with the MCSnet crew helping in the coordinated effort to repair that issue.
Upgrades at the river campsite included expanding sites, replacing fire pits and tables and building a new road enabling campers to turn around on the lower level. The plan is now to remove the posts on the upper level and replace them with seating benches where visitors could overlook the river.
