ST. PAUL - After being notified that the local school division is interested in forming a partnership to begin looking at revitalization an area that was historically known as a recreation hot spot in St. Paul, Town of St. Paul administration has been directed to "leap" into discussions about the potential project.
The area - located on St. Paul's main street near Racette Jr. High School - was once the site of three outdoor skating rinks, and other recreation opportunities for youth. Over the years, those rinks were taken down, and the area was absorbed into the school yard.
While St. Paul Education says it has no intention of selling the land, Superintendent Glen Brodziak recently asked the board of trustees if they would be interested in starting discussions with the Town of St. Paul regarding a possible revitalization of the area.
The area still includes a small brick building that was once a change area for hockey players and skaters.
No budgets or financials have been forward for a potential project, and the first step is simply to start discussions, heard Town council at the Jan. 24 council meeting.
A motion to allow CAO Steve Jeffery "to leap into discussions" with St. Paul Education was made by Coun. Brad Eamon.
"It's a win-win," said Mayor Maureen Miller, after the motion was passed.
Hospital upgrades
The $3.5 million hospital upgrade that was announced for St. Paul nearly one year ago has now entered the design stage.
Coun. Brad Eamon offered a quick update on the project during Monday night's council meeting, noting that a consultant had been hired and they are now in the design phase for work that will be done in the emergency department.
"It's going to take some time," said Eamon, but the province is getting input directly from staff who work in the facility, as part of the design phase.
"It's great to see that they're using the staff," said Mayor Maureen Miller, adding, it's crucial to hear firsthand from the people who work at the hospital.
The $3.5 million upgrade at the St. Therese Health Centre's emergency department is part of a $50 million investment over three years to modernize rural health care facilities in Alberta.
"This is a fund that will be invested in dozens of projects up and down the province," said Premier Jason Kenney, when the funds were initially announced in March of 2021.
Washroom request
Administration is moving ahead with obtaining a quote to create a washroom in the basement of the golf course clubhouse, following a request from the Lakeland Cross Country Ski Club.
The ski club uses the space to store equipment, and has offered rentals in the past. The Town has tried to accommodate the club by allowing use of the upstairs washrooms, but the washrooms are unavailable when the restaurant located on the top floor is closed and locked up.
Jeffery said he would propose to explore the costs of putting a simple washroom into the basement. The space would be used by the ski club, and whoever else may use the space, which is mostly unfinished.
Coun. Norm Noel noted that in the past, there had been talks about developing a meeting area in the basement, and he wondered if the creation of a washroom would fit into those plans.
Jeffery noted that he has only recently come across the plans for the basement space, which is a close mirror to what the upstairs looks like. He noted that the washroom would be simple enough that it could be disassembled if plans to move forward with finishing the basement moved ahead at some point.
"Time and practicality" would be kept in mind for the construction of one simple washrooms, at this time. Council approved a motion to allow the CAO to proceed with obtaining quotes for a single washroom space.
PPE policy
A revised Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) policy was presented to council on Monday night. Jeffery said the amendment document would clear up some of the ambiguous language that was in the older document.
Coun. Nathan Taylor brought up a portion that spoke to reimbursing staff for necessary PPE, specifically as winter gear, every two years. He said he would gladly have the Town pay for replacement winter parkas or bibs more often, if it was required, especially when staff work in -40C weather at times.
"We don't want to be wasteful," said Jeffery, adding, these types of policies can be taken advantage of. That being said, if a staff member needed a replacement, due to perhaps a friction point that wore out clothing quicker, discretion would be used.
A request to add the word "or" into the sentence, to allow for that flexibility was approved, along with the amended policy.
Resident survey
Administration was directed to bring a resident survey to the next Committee of the Whole meeting, along with previous results of the last two surveys.
Following the completion of the 2021 survey, council had expressed interest in circulating a survey annually. Jeffery said he was looking for direction on how to proceed with this year's survey.
