Sponsorship granted for seniors book
Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter
Strathmore resident John Godsman has been writing bi-weekly columns featuring seniors in the area since May 2010. On Feb. 6 he put in a request to the Town asking for $500 to help with the costs of producing his new book. The book, ‘The Seniors of Strathmore and Wheatland County’ is a compilation of the articles Godsman has written from May 2010 until Dec. 2012.
“I started this as a project when I was bored in 2010 and I thought it would maybe last six months, maybe nine months and here we are at the end of December I’d written 54 articles. I have already written six for this year which will go into the next book which hopefully will be published in 2015,” said Godsman.
He started off by using the book ‘Strathmore the village that moved’ to find his subjects and now people are contacting him with suggestions on who to write about. Godsman currently has 14 people in line for upcoming articles. Assist Business Centre has been compiling the articles into alphabetical order and preparing to print.
“I think it’s very good for the community that Mr. Godsman who will be able to complete this book and I’m definitely in support of that and I would encourage the rest of council to support this as well,” said Councillor John Rempel.
After covering the costs associated with publishing the book, if there is any money left Godsman plans to have it put into a trust for the next edition of the book. He has no interest in making a profit from it.
Councillor Dave Hamilton moved to sponsor Godsman in the amount of $500. The motion passed with Councillor Best opposed.
Road work scheduled
A Request For Proposal for the engineering of Thomas Drive was put out to the public from Jan. 11 to Jan. 31. A 2013 project has been scheduled to see improvements made to the road.
“In 2013 that includes the engineering of the project as well as the construction of the project. We will need to secure an engineering firm for this activity based on construction requirements and the various systems that were planned to design and implement in Thomas Drive,” said Jesse Parker, director of operations and engineering for the Town.
At the close of the RFP request here were eight engineering consulting firms that indicated their interest in the project.
SNC Lavalin Engineering Consultants was awarded the contract. Their cost was competitive, and Parker said they have a good understanding of the scope of work. The outline from SNC also will see Thomas Drive scheduled to reopen well before the Strathmore Stampede weekend, providing there are no delays due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. The project is expected to cost $235,010 plus GST.
FCSS grant review committee
Town council approved the terms of reference for the FCSS grant review committee on Feb. 6 before accepting five member requests. There must be two staff members and five residents who sit on the committee.
Each member is appointed for a three-year term, after which they must reapply to remain on the board. All of them must be residents of Strathmore, and officials from any organizations or groups who plan to apply for funding are ineligible to hold a position on the committee.
Council appointed Randy Tiller, Sheila Crispin, Tracy Burkholder, David Collins and Robert Breitwieser to the first three-year term of the FCSS grant review committee.
Committee appointments
The United Way has two new members of the public who will be sitting on the partnership committee. Kevin Keegan and Melanie Dale were both appointed to a one-year term.
The Assessment Review Board is also welcoming a new face: Allan Auger will sit on the board for one year. Extensive training by the province is required for anyone who sits on the board. Training sessions usually take place in the spring.
Museum Committee
The museum committee board members met up after taking a bit of a hiatus. Councillor Pat Fule said they hope to set up a society so that grant funding may be applied for in the future but first they need 10 board members. Anyone interested in joining the committee can submit their name with the Town at 403-934-3135.
Request for support
The Wheatland and District Emergency Medical Services Association (WADEMSA) asked the town and the county for a letter of support to be sent to the Minister of Health Fred Horne. WADEMSA is requesting additional funds from the provincial government for the costs of ambulance support.