Town of Strathmore Shorts

Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor

 

Colin Huxted brought the fruits of his labour to Strathmore town council on Nov. 18, in the form of compost gained through a household organics recycling project.
“They gave us the opportunity and we proved we could do it,” said Huxted. “This is a class one operation and there are a lot of requirements for it.”
Council previously gave Huxted the go-ahead to repurpose the abandoned sewage lagoon for composting needs. He and his staff went through some intensive training, which he said left him excited about the concept of sustainable environments. He said 40 percent of household garbage comes from organic material and he wants to make that useful and keep it out of landfills. He also utilizes wood chips from recycled lumber products.
Huxted has invested about $200,000 in the project so far and was asking council to award a 10-year contract, so that he could further develop the process for Strathmore resident contributions.
“I don’t want to wait for the Alberta government to tell us what to do. I want to be ahead of them and show them what we can do,” said Huxted.
Huxted said the rich soil supplement that he was producing could be on sale in spring 2016. Council awarded Huxted the 10-year contract with an agreement that he would work with the town administration for the project and at the end of the 10 years discuss options for renewal. Huxted said one idea for the future may be establishing a young tree lot that would be fed by the composted material and grow trees for town beautification.

Stalemate on Co-op parking lot
The Town of Strathmore council turned down a $1576.50 a month lease offer by Co-op for use of the 42,150 sq ft parking space adjacent to the old Co-op grocery building in downtown Strathmore.
“We have had a few discussions with the about the purchase or leasing of it and this was their offer,” said Strathmore CAO Dwight Stanford.
Councilor Steve Grajczyk countered by suggesting a $1 a year lease, with the town agreement to remove the snow from the lot. The offer was directed to administration to take back to Co-op.

New apartment for Strathmore downtown
The re-designation of 303 Waddy Lane from single detached residential to a medium density modest residential district was given first reading leading to a public hearing set for Dec. 16, 2015. A three story, 12-unit apartment building has been proposed for the site and will be forwarded to the Downtown Overlay Committee for comment.

 

Traffic committee proposed
Councillor Bob Sobol suggested to council that a traffic advisory committee be established to improve traffic flow and safety in Strathmore.
“Similar committees exist in other communities and are very effective,” said Sobol.
The committee mandate would monitor, evaluate and advise on traffic related issues in the community.
Sobol stated he would like to see the committee comprised of people with some expertise and background in the field and suggested peace officers be considered for the committee.
Council gave the motion first through third and final reading.