Overnight Shelter gets funding boost, needs volunteers, PPE Town Council briefs – July 22, 2020
By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Strathmore Town Council approved a bylaw to provide a $23,000 loan to fund the Strathmore Overnight Shelter. These funds will be paid back to the town within 90 days, once Alberta Rural Development Network has approved funding on an “expenditure reimbursable basis.” The funds will be used to fund staffing and allow clients to be housed 24-hours per day, according to town administration. The shelter has had no outbreaks of COVID-19, said Strathmore town Councillor Lorraine Bauer, the council representative for the shelter.
“Our volunteers have been extremely diligent,” said Bauer. “Our executive director has done an extremely diligent job of making sure that everyone is trained (and) that our clients and volunteers are receiving the support that they need before they enter the premises.”
The shelter remains safe, and is in need of volunteers, as well as gloves and masks, said Bauer.
Water, water everywhere, but not a place to paddle
Administration responded to a council inquiry about prohibitions on recreational activities, such as swimming and boating, in Strathmore’s major waterbodies, such as Kinsmen Lake and Strathmore Lakes. These waterbodies are storm ponds that are part of the town’s drainage infrastructure that serve as collecting and settling areas for water running off roads, lawns and roofs, explained Ryan Roycroft, director of infrastructure, operations and development.
“The town can’t guarantee the quality of (this) water,” he said. Even if the town tests these waters regularly, a single rain event can bring golf course and agricultural wastes into the system. Unlike Chestermere Lake, also in effect a stormwater pond but where recreational activities are permitted, Strathmore’s lakes have lower water turnover times and do not receive raw water from Western Irrigation District infrastructure, meaning issues with water quality are more likely, said Roycroft.
Say hello again to Handi-bus
During a June 22 meeting, the Strathmore Handi-bus board voted to increase trip fees by $10 per trip, regardless of purpose (health and social trips). The price increase was made to meeting costs associated with new health regulations, such as additional PPE and cleaning materials, increased downtime of vehicles for sanitization and more limited trip capacity.
During 2019, Handi-bus operations ran a deficit of $75,885, a loss that was funded from board reserves. The Town of Strathmore funds a $125,000 operating grant to the board funded by tax dollars, with about $50,000 extra being provided in-kind for administrative purposes. Wheatland County has typically provided $35,000 per year to the service. Under its June 12 relaunch plan, medical trips resumed the week of June 29 and social trips resumed during the week of July 20. Despite these financial challenges, efforts are ongoing to improve the service, said Strathmore town Councillor Jason Montgomery, who chairs the Handi-bus board. “I can tell you that the new path will provide transportation options to any mobility challenged residents who may need it, whether medical or social trips, with more hours of operation in a day and more days of the week,” he said. “We are also looking at ways to reduce the cost of the service to the clients by a substantial amount, and will be ensuring the sustainability and viability of the service for the foreseeable future.”
Facility reopening plans approved
Strathmore town council and administration discussed new reopening plans for Strathmore’s recreational facilities. Alberta Occupational Health and Safety was reported to have conducted inspections of the recreation centres in early July. “We had no major concerns,” said Tracy Simpson, director of community and protective services. There were “some small policy changes that we have to address, but they were really impressed with our plan and really happy to see the approach we’re taking in reopening our facilities.” Mayor Pat Fule expressed his approval for the plans. “I was very impressed with the various reports,” he said. The reports are another demonstration of how town staff have “put their heads together” to make town facilities safe for the public.
Community grants for COVID-19 relief.
The town received three new grants for providing community supports: Social Services Support for COVID-19 ($30,585; government of Alberta), COVID-19 Community Response Fund ($42,000; United Way Calgary and Area); Emergency Community Support Fund ($72,000; government of Canada). The funding was used in part to boost existing community supports, including grocery gift cards, food box subsidies, discounts to the frozen meal program, subsidized counselling, researching the development of a community response team and developing financial literacy programing. The town is awaiting a decision on several other grants: New Horizon for Seniors ($25,000), Anti-Racism Action Program ($125,000), Alberta Blue Cross Community Roots ($5,000) and Community Choosewell ($5,000).
Complete minutes from council meetings can be found at www.strathmore.ca once they have been adopted.