Outlook Town Council News & Notes - March 12

The town council of Outlook held their regular meeting on a new night this week, being held on Monday, March 12 instead of the usual Wednesday night slot.  Present was councillors Donna Smith, Kyle McLeod, Maureen Applin and David Simonson, as well as Mayor Ross Derdall, Administrator Dean Pickering, Assistant Administrator Laurie Lemon, Superintendent of Municipal Operations Randy Antoniuk, and Recreation Director Jordy Jones.

Absent was town councillor Floyd Childerhose.

A number of topics and items were discussed, including the following highlights:

• Mayor Derdall, Administrator Pickering and Councillor Applin met with Loraas about the possibility of any solid waste and recycling opportunities, and it’s expected that they will be hearing more from them soon.
• The town is expected to revisit its animal control policy soon, particularly as it pertains to what to do with any stray animals seen around town.
• Dean met with the town’s public works and recreation staff and he found that there may be some “hidden assets” among them, so he plans to hold meetings with staff members to assess their skills and see where some of them are at when it comes to their professional goals and aspirations because Pickering believes in teamwork as it relates to the staff.
• The new heater was recently installed out in the bleacher seating area at the Jim Kook Rec Plex by Rafoss Plumbing & Heating.
• There is plenty of activity going on at the rink even this late in the winter season, and plenty of crowds taking in all the action, especially the senior hockey game played on Sunday afternoon between the Ice Hawks and the Beechy Bombers where the stands were packed.
• The town opted to enter the Novice category in the Communities in Bloom competition as this allows a community to pick three categories that it wants to be judged on before going into the competitive ranking.  This was done because Outlook is seen as a community that’s still in the midst of revamping its look and starting to grow again from a cosmetic perspective.
• Council is not satisfied with the work being done by the bylaw enforcement officer as they feel he is being too lenient with residents who should in all likelihood be receiving tickets instead of repeated warnings.
• As it relates to installing flower planters as part of Outlook’s beautification plans, Councillor Applin is concentrating on having them put in at both town entrance signs, the cemetery, and the corner park located at the McKenzie Street/Saskatchewan Avenue intersection.
• The furnace system at the Outlook Civic Centre has officially had enough as cracks were discovered throughout all the heat exchangers following an incident that spurred investigation last Friday.  The system dates back to 1971, so the town is moving forward on getting a new system put in after an assessment is done to see what will suit the building’s needs.
• Pickering and Superintendent Antoniuk, as well as Councillor McLeod will take part in a one-day SaskAlert training course, which is seen as an important program for town officials to know and be familiar with.
• A motion was passed for the town to buy and install a debit machine for the town offices building in a move seen as being perhaps very long overdue.
• A motion was passed for the community to hold a ‘Spring Clean-up’ weekend in May.  The initiative sets aside a day or two that is dedicated to residents cleaning up their homes and property of junk and clutter in an effort to further beautify the town.  More info on that event will be coming soon.
• Plans are in place to give councillors standardized email addresses for them to use.
• A motion was passed to give the town staff Good Friday and Easter Monday off for holidays.
• The town intends to move forward on adopting a Strategic Economic Development Plan, which will include workshops and open house events that the public will be encouraged to attend.  This is seen as needed for Outlook, but the intention is to follow through on it because this type of talk has come up before without any significant follow-up.  The town realizes that such a plan will need to be developed and adhered to in order to help realize their vision for community growth.