RV parking, street name change, brought to council
Shannon LeClair – Times Reporter
This week in council there were a few hot-button issues brought forth. The biggest was the RV Bylaw, which had members of the community packing into the council chambers. The Land Use Bylaw sparked some debate between council, but no one from the community spoke to council.
RV parking
Numerous residents attended the council meeting to debate whether parking an RV in their front yard should be allowed. One of the biggest complaints brought forth was that since the bylaw has been in effect since 1998, why was it not strongly enforced in previous years. Shannon Biccum who spoke on behalf of her community said, “Certain bylaws are being taken care of while others aren’t.”
Mayor Lattery replied stating that the town plans to make sure all bylaws will be enforced. After a bit of a heated discussion, there was a two-part motion put forth by Councillor Bob Sobol. One part is amending it from 24 hours to 72 hours in which an RV may be parked at a residence. The second part is for there to be a summer period, from May long weekend to Labour Day long weekend, during which RV owners can park on their property 24/7. There will be a public hearing about the possible amendments at the July 14 meeting, where residents may speak their opinions on the matter. There will also be an open house on July 5 at the Civic Centre from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. The open house on the off-leash area for dogs will be at the same time.
Bylaw #10-07 Land use Bylaw
The final public hearing regarding the Land Use Bylaw went before council on June 16. The current bylaw was still suitable for the new developments with only one item needing amendment due to a typo.
Susan Sanderson spoke on behalf of AECOM and their findings regarding the current bylaw and recommended amendments. The only other person to speak on behalf of the public was Bruce Klaiber, a developer who was in favour of smaller lot sizes.
“We’re only hearing from developers, which is great, but we needed to hear from the residents,” said Deputy Mayor Brad Walls.
The bylaw went through its second and third readings. Councillors Earl Best and Mike Lloyd were against the amendment motions and opposed the second reading.
Best requested a recorded vote for the third and final reading. Councillors Lois Wegener, Earl Best and Mike Lloyd opposed the third reading. On new homes the minimum lot size is 40ft, but a lot may be 50ft plus if that is what a builder wants.
Street Improvement
The 2010 street improvement project tender was awarded to Bow Mark Paving for the amount of $375,798.64. The main focus of the project is resurfacing Third Avenue and spot repairs needed to the sanitary sewer lines. Bow Mark said they plan to complete repairs in time for Heritage Days but with the weather, it might not be feasible.
They are to begin work immediately.
Name Change
A request was made to change the name of the East Boundary Road with the name of a citizen worthy of the honor. There was little discussion regarding the proposed change.
“I never heard of a street being named after someone still alive,” said Councillor John Rempel.
It was a unanimous decision by council to change the name of the East Boundary Road to George Freeman Trail. The Freeman family has been in Strathmore for close to a century, and George has been an active member of the community. He did not expect to hear the road was being renamed in recognition of his contribution to the community.
“I’m quite happy with it,” said Freeman.
Residential Irrigation Committee
The Town is looking for 10 people to be part of a residential irrigation committee. The purpose of the committee is to decide whether reinstating the system is feasible in the future. The committee must have one council member sitting on it. Mayor Lattery stated he would like to sit on the committee. The committee should be 10 members but a quorum would be six. The committee would have to meet a minimum of once a month, and is to remain in effect until September 30 2010, when they will present the results of their research to council.