OLDS — Mayor Judy Dahl says ensuring that unsightly premises are cleaned up will be a major priority for her in 2022.
During a year-end interview, the Olds mayor said that job would be tackled via the town’s community standards bylaw.
“I could see the community standards bylaw with some items such as signage and unsightly premises, enforcement measures to close the loop(hole)s in lots of areas," Dahl said.
A big cost, but a worthwhile one said Dahl, is replacing the roof of the Aquatic Centre.
A total of $400,000 is set aside in the 2022 capital budget for that project. The money for it is slated to come from funds provided by the province through its Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI).
“We (town council) did have a tour of that and it certainly is in need of replacement,” she said. “It’s served its purpose well.”
Dahl also wants to focus on saving money for taxpayers.
One way to do so, she said, is a pilot project to replace water meters. A total of $50,000 is set aside for that project in the capital budget.
“With water and the price of water, I’m excited for that,” she said.
Dahl is also intrigued by the money-saving possibilities provided by an infrared asphalt-making machine also approved by council as part of the capital budget.
That machine is slated to cost $95,000. Money for it will come out of town reserves.
Operations manager Dale Rankel touted the benefits of the machine during an appearance before council in December.
He said it will only require two staff members to operate it and it can be used all year long to patch roads and trails.
It can create fresh asphalt in-house instead of relying on contractors to do so and it can create hot asphalt, rather than the cold mix employees currently use.
Rankel said because of all those advantages, the machine is “about 7.5 times more productive for the same amount of money (as using an out-of-town contractor).”
“It works actually to be almost half the cost,” he added.
He predicted the machine could last 20 to 25 years, because all its parts are replaceable.
“That would be very cost-saving for us for operating in the future,” Dahl said.
Dahl is glad council approved at least some money for wayfinding (directional signs in town).
However, council agreed to only spend $85,000 on wayfinding this year, deferring another $80,000 for later.
Like other communities, council is expected to begin work this year on a new strategic plan for the community.
“We're pretty excited to get into that, especially with a new council. And it doesn’t hurt the incumbents to review it either," she said.
Dahl is also looking forward to working with the councils of other nearby communities on projects that could be mutually beneficial, such as the Mountain View Regional Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan which was presented to Olds town council on Nov. 22.
