ECA Review 2022-06-30

4 J une 30'22 HANNA/CORONATION/STETTLER, AB. ECA REVIEW
MORRIN COUNCIL
Morrin says former mayor’s sewer
line works fine
Stu Salkeld
Local Journalism Initiative reporter
ECA Review
A former mayor of the Village of
Morrin who’s battled the village over
sewer line issues won’t be getting any
work done on that infrastructure in
the foreseeable future.
The topic was discussed at the June
15 regular meeting of council.
Councillors discussed the issue of
former mayor Howard Helton’s sewer
lateral, along with Chief
Administrative Officer (CAO) Annette
Plachner and Public Works Foreman
Dave Benci.
Plachner reported Helton contacted
the village recently to ask if his sewer
lateral was going to be repaired.
Benci stated repairs to Helton’s
sewer lateral were not in the village’s
budget, plus a third party examined
the sewer lateral in question, including
both a camera and sewer snake, and
looked at it several times.
Benci stated the company in question,
TKNT Mechanical, felt that, after
examining the video footage, there is a
“dip” in Helton’s sewer lateral but that
it does not prevent the lateral from
operating normally.
Their conclusion, noted the foreman,
was that Helton’s lateral is not perfect
but it’s functional.
The foreman noted he feels half the
sewers in Morrin have a dip and that it
would not be worth the $20,000 expense
to dig up Helton’s lateral. If there is a
problem with Helton’s lateral, stated
Benci, snaking it would be much
cheaper.
Benci added the village has
responded to Helton properly. “We’ve
done everything in our power to
accommodate him,” said Benci.
Gas Plus property
Coun. Lorraine MacArthur asked
for an update on the status of the Gas
Plus property located across the street
from the village office. The property
has an unpaid tax bill and also an
underground contamination.
MacArthur asked if the village was
going to acquire the property through
the tax recovery process and Plachner
responded that decision was up to
council.
Mayor Chris Hall asked if someone
wants to rent the building, should the
village rent it out if it becomes village
property?
Benci stated that even if the village
takes the property over, the village is
not responsible for the contamination;
also, he added it could be useful for
Public Works storage.
Councillors asked how Benci knew
this and he noted he received that
information from the provincial government
in the past.
He also stated the contamination
hadn’t been tested in about 20 years
and there were no plans to test it again.
Councillors decided the village
would get formal confirmation that the
village wouldn’t be responsible for the
contamination and then make a decision
on the property in July.
Relationship status
Coun. MacArthur noted she recently
spoke to Starland County administration
about a mutual road issue and
MacArthur told her peers she got the
impression Starland is upset with
Morrin over a recent decision
regarding lots in the village.
MacArthur added it appears
Starland County has the impression
Morrin is unhappy with them and she
suggested a social meeting between
the two councils to get the relationship
back on track.
The issue in question revolved
around a private property owner
wishing to sell lots back to Starland;
the village balked at this as it would
remove those lots from the tax base.
MacArthur added that fire department
issues may also be on the agenda,
as Starland County pays most of the
fire department bills. CAO Plachner
stated that Morrin always pays its
share of fire department costs.
Councillors agreed to approach
Starland County about a social
Kevin Smook to seek
nomination for the UCP
Camrose Constituency
Representation matters. The role of
an MLA is to be a voice of the people, to
represent the grassroots and to
advance your interests.
The MLA’s top concern is
WORKING FOR YOU.
The MLA needs to lead by
example - always - and
invest in our communities
through their service and
their actions.
Kevin and his wife Sheila
have been living in the area
for nearly 30 years.
This is where they raised
their family and launched
their real estate business. Smook
All four of their children
graduated from Tofield
School and two graduated from the
University of Alberta Augustana
Campus.
Kevin would like to work towards
creating more opportunities right here
in the Camrose region, so we can
retain and attract young people to our
area.
Kevin’s political experience includes
three terms on Municipal Council, and
his community involvement includes
working with the Lions Club, Chamber
of Commerce, Ag Society and
Rotary Club.
Representation matters.
Your representative matters.
And your candidate for the
UCP matters.
Buy a UCP membership by
July 5th to ensure your eligibility
for the UCP nomination
meeting in the Camrose
Constituency.
And on nomination day, vote
KEVIN SMOOK, because he
knows your voice matters.
Contact Kevin at 780-995-9339 or
visit his website: kevinsmook.ca
Authorized by the
Kevin Smook campaign.
Village of Morrin Coun. Lorraine MacArthur asked for an update on the status of the Gas Plus
property located across the street from the village office. The property has an unpaid tax bill
and also an underground contamination.
ECA Review/S.Salkeld
meeting to discuss various issues.
Felonious felines
Coun. M’Liss Edwards brought forward
a resident complaint about cats
trespassing on private property.
The resident complained that cats
shouldn’t be at large in the village and
noted dog owners have to pay a village
license while cat owners don’t.
The CAO pointed out Morrin has a
cat bylaw which requires cat owners to
keep their pets on their own property;
if a trespassing cat can be identified,
the village bylaw officer can write a
ticket.
Plachner noted that cat complaints
should come to the village office.
Public Works report
Benci submitted his regular Public
Works report and noted he had met
with the Village of Delia to discuss collaboration
with Drumheller Public
Works.
It was noted that collaboration might
involve things like street cleaning and
sewer flushing; Benci added he’s had
trouble trying to find a street sweeper.
Mayor Hall asked if purchasing one for
the village is an option, and Benci
responded the dust would still need to
be picked up and the vehicle would still
need to be stored.
The foreman reported the village’s
spring cleanup went very well, and
added the contractor charged the village
$630, while a previous contractor
charged $3,000 to $4,000.
Benci reported he looked into getting
solar lights for the gazebo at about $20
each, but were only 20 lumens in
brightness and at that level probably
wouldn’t be easily visible. He noted a
brighter system could cost up to $6,000.
Benci added that smaller lights would
probably also be a target for
vandalism.
He mentioned the gazebo’s paint
scheme still has lettering from the
original steel grain bin material, and it
was agreed the village would ask the
Lions Club, who is responsible for the
gazebo, if the lettering could be painted
over along with solar lights added.
Clearview happy with
help on fuel costs
Clearview’s Board of Trustees was
pleased to learn this week that the provincial
government will help with the
rising cost of fuel.
The province announced it will reinstate
the Fuel Contingency Program
where the monthly average diesel price
exceeds $1.25 per litre. Also, it
announced the program will be
enacted retroactively to March 2022
and remain in place for the 2022-23
school year.
Clearview uses about 400,000 litres
of fuel (gas and diesel) each school
year. Clearview’s buses travel 7,551
km. daily and close to 1.3 million km.
per school year. Based on a $1.80 per
litre in expected fuel pricing, the new
source of funding will save approximately
$225,000 per school year in
Clearview.
Clearview’s budget for fuel in the
2021-22 school year was $475,000. In
2022-23 the division expects to spend
an additional $200,000 for a total fuel
budget of $675,000.
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