Building permits on the rise
Shannon LeClair – Times Reporter
Though the proposed highway realignment was the big issue of the night, a few other interesting and important tidbits were discussed during the council meeting July 7.
Building permits
Since January 1, the Town has issued 30 permits for single-family dwellings; which is an increase over last year at this time. There have also been 11 multi family permits issued for a unit total of 77. As of July 6, a total of 723 business licenses have been issued, with 51 being for new businesses during the months of April, May and June.
Bus Campaign
Since the ‘we heard there’s room in Strathmore’ bus advertising campaign began, the campaign on the website has received 796 hits, which indicates that the campaign is effective.
WFCSS
Wheatland Family Community Support Services finally had the budget approved and so the organization can begin dispersing funds to some of the different organizations, which have applied for funding. Half of the funding will be sent out right away, while the other half will be sent out in the fall.
Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Commerce is still looking for more volunteers to help with the Heritage Days parade. The next meeting for the Chamber will be held at the town offices on July 19.
Communities in Bloom
The provincial judges for Communities In Bloom will be in Strathmore on July 22. The Town will be keeping an eye out for litter, overgrown lawns, etc. to ensure that the
Town looks good for judging.
Calgary Regional Partnership, CRP, transportation committee
On June 22 the Alberta government released green trip funds for $2 billion. The cities of Calgary and Edmonton were each awarded $800 million. The remaining $400 million was awarded to the rest of the province. There are some concerns, as it was made clear applicants for the funds would be required to contribute at least one third of the capital cost of the project, with the green trip fund providing the balance. Members of the CRP committee will be meeting in Cochrane to reassess and determine where to go from here. The meeting will be on July 22.
Jennifer Brooks from Community Futures Wild Rose appeared before council to summarize the results of the Business Vitality Initiative, BVI. She outlined both the short term and long term goals, which came from the report. The three main short term goals are downtown beautification, economic development and business friendliness consultations.