By Paul Johnston
Eckville Town Council met for its regular meeting Monday night where they discussed the upcoming Communities in Bloom judges and the opening of the dog park.
Judges from Communities in Bloom (CiB) will be arriving in Eckville on July 26 for adjudication. This is the first year the Town of Eckville will be participating in the competition.
Twenty-seven communities across Alberta will be judged on a number of criteria including: tidiness, environmental action, and heritage conservation among others.
The July 26 CiB judging will coincide with the grand opening of the new Eckville Off-leash Dog Park. The grand opening will be held on July 26 at 1:30 p.m.
The area of the park will be clearly defined with a sign listing park rules, and visitors will be greeted with the park sign in the shape of a dog bone. No amendment has been added to the current dog by-law, but one will be forth coming in order to accommodate the new park.
A delegation from Eckville Minor Ball presented to Council the need to repair and update the Town’s two ball diamonds. Geoff Humphrey says both fields are in dire need of repair.
In particular he points out the chain link fence is dilapidated and rusted with a number of “wholes and sharp edges.”
“Pieces are broken off and kids catch their clothing,” Humphrey said.
The cost to upgrade and repair the ball diamonds is approximately $40,000. However, Humphrey believes $20,000 is a more realistic figure.
“We can do a lot of the work ourselves with the help of local volunteers,” he told Council.
Jack Ramsden, chief administrative officer with the Town, stated that the expense of upgrading and repairing the fields could possibly be shared with Lacombe County.
A number of County residents utilize the fields and therefore the expense could be shared with the County as part of the Town Of Eckville and Lacombe County Cost Sharing Agreement.
The agreement states the net operating costs will be shared based on the ratio of County residents and Town residents using the facility.
Ramsden also presented a request for a decision from Council on the approval of a goods and service fee to be implemented as per policy No. 1108. The fee is to recognize the time required by town staff to execute real estate searches in order to gather information pertaining to property assessment.
A service fee of $10 was motioned and carried. The $20 fee for a tax certificate will remain the same.