The Town of St. Paul held a special meeting on March 16 night to discuss a variety of items related to COVID-19, the first decision being the closure of public access to town buildings, including the town administration building.
The decision came on the same day the County of St. Paul decided to close public access to its buildings.
While the buildings will still be fully staffed, the public will be asked to contact the town via phone and email. The measures are being put in place to protect staff, along with protecting the public.
The move will "keep our staff calm. We want to keep our staff healthy," said CAO Kim Heyman. Monday night's meeting was held in council chambers, but was attended via teleconference by Heyman, Coun. Nathan Taylor, and the St. Paul Journal. The closure of buildings to the public is one way the town hopes to keep staff from getting sick.
The St. Paul Golf Course clubhouse will remain open due to the fact the Tin Cup restaurant is operated privately in the building. The golf course's pro shop, which is staffed by the town, will be closed though, heard council.
A motion to close the facilities to the public was carried. The decision does not affect the operations at the Wellness Centre, where a number of doctors run practices.
Increased precautions will be taken for staff members who handle incoming mail, money, and cheques. Staff will wear gloves and items such as phones will be wiped down between each user.
The Town of St. Paul administration building will also have a major clean over the weekend, said Heyman. Similar things are being done at the Wellness Centre.
Council also decided to eliminate penalties on taxes and utilities until the building is open to the public again. The town will also no longer shut people's water off, at this time.
The Action Bus was also discussed. The bus will continue to operate, providing a valuable service for those who need it. But, the bus will only bring people to necessary places, such as doctor's appointments and the grocery store. The bus driver will also be allowed to refuse a ride to anyone who is showing symptoms of COVID-19.
Garbage Pick-up
Assistant CAO Steven Jeffery spoke about issues relating the garbage pick-up and how some garbage is not being bagged properly. He noted that some staff members are concerned about picking up open garbage, specifically at this time.
"I have to sympathize," said Jeffery. He explained that it's a regular occurrence for garbage to be strewn across a back alley. Town staff doing garbage pick-up will now have the ability to refuse picking up garbage if there is lose trash.
"We're going to continue the service of course," said Jeffery, speaking about garbage pick-up in general. But, he encouraged people to be more mindful.
"We're asking people to step up," said Taylor.
Council also passed a motion to allow decisions to be made by Mayor Maureen Miller in consultation with the CAO, rather than all of council. Heyman noted that because the situation continues to evolve quickly, they could be calling meetings weekly with council on various topics.
The rest of council will still be notified of decisions being made.
Taylor noted that he supported the idea, specifically for critical decisions that deal with the health and safety of people.
Open house cancelled
The open house scheduled for April 23 to gather feedback regarding the town's proposal to purchase rollout garbage bins for all residences, has been postponed. A new date has not been set. Postponing the open house will delay ordering the bins, heard council.
Swimming Pool
A number of parents have requested refunds for swimming lessons that have been cancelled due to the closure of the Aquatic Centre. Many people in town also have monthly passes to the facility.
Council agreed to pro-rate refunds for swimming lessons for those that request it. Parents can also choose to simply delay the completion of the lessons. For those who had passes, the timeframe to use the passes will be extended once the pool reopens. At the time of the pool closure last week, there were 100 kids enrolled in swimming lessons.
