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Town Council: Library in danger of closure

Eckville Town Council met for its regular meeting on Sept. 25
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Eckville town council from left to right (back row): Councillors Sandra Hallgren, Coleen Ebden, Stuart Carde; Deputy Mayor, Scott Kinley; Councillors Dwayne Meyers and Kevin See. Front row: Mayor Helen Posti

Eckville Town Council discussed the possibility of the town library closing at last night’s council meeting.

Counc. Kevin See stated the library has a cash flow problem and will close if issues with paying staff and power bills are not addressed.

The library currently only gets paid in August and May. “Getting paid quarterly would help,” See said.

Counc. Colleen Ebden said the library would be able to plan better if they were able to get a grant from the county.

The county bases funding on memberships and one membership could have five people attached to it.“The numbers are skewed,” said See.

“We need to have more rural people and that’s what we’re trying to get is more memberships from the county,” said Counc.Sandra Hallgren “We need County of Lacombe people because that’s who pays us.”

Agricultural Society funding

Agricultural Society funding that generally arrives in June has not shown up yet. Although the ministry has stated the funding will be distributed, it has not communicated why there is a delay. Deputy Mayor Scott Kinley expressed concern that the delay may mean at some point the funding is pulled.

“I think we have to be really careful in the next few years because with the state of the provincial finances there’s going to be a lot of pressure and they go after these little things because it’s politically less dangerous,” Kinley said

Mayor Posti agreed, expressing her view that the provincial government is looking to larger centres like Edmonton and Calgary and smaller communities may lose out on funding as a result.

All council voted in favour for writing a letter on behalf of the mayor and council “expressing concern for the delay and the lack of communication in regards to the Ag Society grants.”

Grant for community hall

Deputy Mayor Scott Kinley reported a $19,000 grant has been approved for the community hall. Counc. Ebden applired for the grant in March and said the town should receive the cheque around January. The grant will be used to replace the ceiling in the main hall and install new LED lights.

Living Flag time lapse video

Counc. Sandra Hallgren encouraged everyone to check out the time lapse video that was taken of the Living Flag on Sept. 12. It’s posted on the town’s Facebook page.

Communities in Bloom

Councillors Hallgren and Ebed reported on their attendance at the Communities in Bloom conference, sharing what many of the surrounding communities are doing to be more environmentally conscious. “We want to try something different for the town sign,” Hallgren said, elaborating they would like to plant “hundreds” of tulips that will bloom for round eight weeks.

Fire hydrant missing

Chief Administrative Officer Jack Ramsden reported a fire hydrant is missing on 57 Avenue on the west side of the street. He said it’s possible someone clipped it with a truck when driving by. Ramsden said unlike what you see on TV shows, the hydrant is not gushing water. “Honestly, when you think you’ve seen it all,” he said with a smile. “So if you happen to see a yellow hydrant in the ditch, let us know.”