The County of Wetaskiwin council met for their regular council meeting on Oct. 12, 2021, the last before the municipal election on Monday Oct.18, 2021.
At this meeting council made decisions in aspects of leisure and community services, public works, and received RCMP quarterly reports from Wetaskiwin, Thorsby, and Breton RCMP.
Council approved a request from the Central Alberta Rescue Diving Society (CARDS) to donate the old Wetaskiwin Fire Services Rescue Truck to CARDS.
CARDS has worked closely with the South Pigeon Lake Fire Department and Mulhurst Bay Fire Department on search and rescue training, and as a volunteer organization each diver foots the bill for their own equipment to make recovery dives.
CARDS sent a request to the county requesting special consideration regarding the donation of the old Wetaskiwin Fire Services Rescue Truck as Wetaskiwin Fire Services received a new rescue truck in the summer of 2021. CARDS would use the retired truck to be a command post on diving recovery scenes where they could review sonar images and discuss strategy for their recovery dives. It would also provide a storage space for the diver’s gear and a place for them to seek sanctuary given the stress of diving recoveries.
Council approved the proposed new structure of Strategic and Tactical planning to include:
• Goal;
• Level of Service;
• Council Strategy;
• Tactical Action;
• Operational Task;
• And Business Plan Task.
Council received the quarterly report from Leisure and Community Services. The report detailed that county campgrounds had a surplus of $18,858, the new paid parking lot in Mulhurst Bay was successful in generating operational revenue and removing the truck and boat trailers from residential streets, and ice is in and ready for use at the Winfield Arena.
Council also received a quarterly report from FCSS, and the Wetaskiwin, Thorsby and Breton RCMP, both of which they accepted as information.
In the Wetaskiwin RCMP’s quarterly update council was informed that total criminal code offences from January to August 2021 are up 10 per cent in Wetaskiwin compared to 2020, with an increase in persons crime and property cr0ime.
Thorsby/ Breton RCMP reported that from April 2020 to June 2021, property crime increased by 31 per cent and it was primarily driven by mischief (41 per cent). There was also a notable increase in arson.
Wetaskiwin County emergency services reported their 2021 fire call volume to date which included:
• South Pigeon Lake- 91 calls;
• Mulhurst Bay-46 calls;
• Buck Lake/ Alder Flats- 69 calls;
• Wetaskiwin Rural- 61 calls;
• Millet East/West- 49 calls;
• And Winfield- 39 calls.
Council also directed Administration on upgrades to Range Road 11 (Black Bull Road). Council directed Administration to prepare a local improvement plan for a total of $2 million and to use a combination of borrowing and grants for a total of $4.62 million to build 6.1 km of Range Road 11 south of Highway 13 to county pavement standards.
shaela.dansereau@pipestoneflyer.ca
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