SUNDRE — Both the municipality as well as the local library were recently named among the recipients of the 2022 Minister’s Awards for Municipal and Public Library Excellence.
Linda Nelson, chief administrative officer, delivered the good news in a report to council during the regular Oct. 17 meeting.
Last month the Town of Sundre was named a recipient of an environmental award from Alberta Municipalities over the new sewage treatment technology that will reportedly substantially enhance the existing traditional lagoon system. The municipality also received earlier in October accolades from the Minister’s Awards for Municipal Excellence for the same project.
The Minister’s Awards program has been around since 2002 with the objective of encouraging municipalities to share their success stories by recognizing accomplishments in the provision of municipal services.
Every year, municipalities submit to a panel for consideration initiatives they’ve deemed successful. The evaluations are conducted by a group including representatives from Alberta Municipalities, Rural Municipalities of Alberta, Local Government Administration Association, Society of Local Government Managers, as well as Alberta Rural Municipal Administrators Association.
While there were no official presentation ceremonies, the municipality was mailed a painting by artist and environmental scientist Bruce Hunter Thompson, who since 1981 has lived in St. Albert, having previously lived in eastern Canada.
Mayor Richard Warnock said the municipality owes a debt of gratitude not only to administration but also past councils who helped set the stage.
“It’s been a long five years to get there and a lot of discussion, decision-making, budgets, motions, and here we are now getting into the ground breaking and the building of the plant,” said Warnock.
Council went onto carry a motion approving Nelson’s report for information.
Sundre library also recognized
Also mentioned in the breakdown of the 2022 Minister’s Awards that was included in council’s agenda package was the Sundre Municipal Library being named among recipients under the category for Public Library Services serving populations of fewer than 10,000 people.
The awards are given for two library service initiatives that demonstrate excellence and innovation while also showing a responsiveness to a community’s needs and providing a direct benefit to the public.
The Sundre library was recognized for its “Take and Make for Mental Health” kits that were designed to promote mental health and support isolated adults and seniors within the community. That program represented a sort of evolution of the family activity kits that the library had been providing since early on in the pandemic.
The kits for adults and seniors were developed specifically to combat the negative effects of stress and isolation. The library also partnered with local businesses, family support organizations, as well as primary care networks to source materials and resources for various kits.
