OUTLOOK - The latest reports from key staff members with the Town of Outlook show where the riverside community is currently standing as things move into the fall.
Included below are reports from the Chief Administrative Officer, Superintendent of Municipal Operations, and the Assistant CAO.B
CAO Report
By Kevin Trew
Chief Administrative Officer
Human Resources:
• We were assisted a lot in the summer of 2024 in our public works department by summer students filling some gaps and our community development department saw a few summer staff involved in the Kinsmen Park program and the new Explore and Excel program.
• We are currently recruiting staff for the rink season.
Policy and Procedural Items:
• We hosted our 6th semi-annual open house last week, this time including an open forum format, there was good attendance and we were given a lot of feedback and will take that into consideration for future open houses.
• Our 3rd annual report is complete and published, this document is an operations document, prepared by Team Outlook for public consumption.
Successes this Month:
• The highway infrastructure replacement program is wrapping up and Brunner’s did a quick and thorough job, it really was great working with them and we found them to be very good with all stakeholders, the public works staff, led by Luke and Kelton were able to adapt along the way and shift priorities as different issues came up during the project.
Learning Opportunities/Capacity Development:
• Communication, we are finding that we can always do better in communicating with the public and all stakeholders, while we are always open to changing and improving, we have to be mindful that we can be too close and that those further away do not have the same knowledge or background that we do, it is always a work in progress.
Current Unfinished Projects:
• Raw Water Intake/ Water Treatment Plant Upgrade Project – Strike continues to make progress with the water treatment plant upgrade and we expect it to be completed mid October, the pilot project along the river bank is wrapping up with Associated Engineering preparing the results and going to pre-design of a replacement raw water intake based on the success of the infiltration well with a shield well in providing similar quality water to what the current WTP is designed for.
Subdivisions Projects:
o 2024 Highway Commercial and Residential Subdivision – We have seen some movement from CP Rail and we have a lease before Council for the storm water retention pond. Casa Boldt is working on the subdivision application for Mann Street.
o College South Residential – we are preparing information regarding service levies for developers and look to have that information in their hands shortly.
• Outlook-Rudy Fire and Rescue capital projects – The Fire Hall Campaign Cabinet has had some good success with fundraising and we are moving this project forward with the appointment of the project manager momentarily.
Public Works Report
By Luke Lockhart
Superintendent of Municipal Operations
Transportation:
- All asphalt patching is done for the year, we still have the block of Pacific Ave to rehabilitate, expected to be done over the next 2 to 3 weeks. We will also be doing another round of “in house” pot hole patching once we receive our product.
- Sidewalk rehabilitation is ongoing; the section beside the Royal Bank will be poured later this week, I have a meeting set with Gary from the school division for tomorrow to try to come up with a plan that works for both parties moving along with sidewalk replacement in front of both public schools.
- We have started reclaiming the roadway and rerouting traffic off of the property owned by Small Steps on Tollefson Drive, concrete blocks have been placed adjacent to the property line, and the roadway has been widened to its initial design. There is still some leveling work to do after consulting with the property owners, and some reflective signage has been ordered for the ends of the concrete blocks.
Utilities:
- Water treatment plant upgrades are ongoing; close to schedule… current activities include the piping in front of the plant to tie the backwash water into the equalization tank, as well as rerouting if the main distribution line from the plant to the town; inside the plant there is electrical and controls work ongoing. The bypass for the water distribution is expected to be in place for another 2 weeks, this includes the truck fill station being out of service due to a lower pressure and flow levels within the plant itself.
- The highway sewer replacement project is very near complete; Brunners are expected back in town this Thursday to do the 1 remaining sewer that needs to be dug in, they may have to redig 1 connection which has since backed up after being replaced. Once these 2 locations are completed, there is just the connection for the Irrigation Motel that requires relining as opposed to replacement.
- We are currently releasing our 2nd lagoon cell, sampling will take place later this week; note that our permit has been adjusted now requiring sampling from both up and down stream, as well as our point of release.
- McGills has completed our annual sewer main flushing program; a potential area of concern was discovered on Park Avenue that requires camera inspection, this has been booked and will happen in the near future.
Environmental Health:
- Landfill operations have been normal with the addition of our summer student running the scale house, Brad has had lots of extra time to get things caught back up to keep us in compliance with the MOE. Now with summer coming to an end, we will have to again fill in staff to keep up with these requirements.
General Public Works:
- Compost and tree pick ups have been ongoing as scheduled, and will continue for the remainder of the fall months.
- We have started trimming trees on streets and alleys all around town; focusing on dead growth, overgrowth, and hazardous limbs.
Assistant CAO Report
By Rachel Sillers
Assistant Chief Administrative Officer
Following the completion of the final phase of the Highway Water and Sewer Rehabilitation Project, all service replacements have been invoiced. Originally, we planned and budgeted to replace 74 services, however upon inspection there were significantly less services that required replacement during the final phase. We had also originally planned to capitalize our portion of the expenses related to sewer service line replacements, however after in depth conversations with our auditors regarding best practice, we are going to move our share of expenses into operating for this project. The rationale is that this infrastructure is not fully located on municipal property and is not something we’re required to be responsible for during or after its useful life. It is somewhat complicated and this is the most straightforward approach that is in keeping with best practice. It will certainly have an effect on our financial statements, however it will not be overly significant. The original revenue per our operating budget was $185,000 and actual totaled $112,500 (-$72,500) and expenditures were budgeted at $925,000 but are more likely to be approximately $650,000 (-$275,000).
We have transferred all reserve funds previously held in trust to the Outlook-Rudy Joint Protective Services Committee (ORJPSC). We continue to work closely with ORJPSC and the Campaign Cabinet to issue donation receipts for the Fire Hall Project which has seen increased activity over the past few months.
As we enter the third quarter of 2024 the Executive Team will be meeting in September to discuss the 2025 Operating Budget and 2025-2034 Capital Plan. We intend to present a draft for current Council to review in October 2024. With 2025 being a revaluation year for assessment, and with Provincial and Municipal elections scheduled for fall 2024 there will be a lot of variables for us to consider, however each year we strive to present a clear and wellthought-out budget for consideration and this year will be no exception. I feel a great sense of pride in the growth our Executive Team has shown regarding budgeting and fiscal responsibility, they all take it very seriously and even look forward to budget discussions.
Heading into fall, Administration is also working closely with the Community Development department to organize and update cash handling procedures for the RecPlex Kitchen and Arena. This is not a response to a system that doesn’t work, but rather an opportunity for us to fine tune and make our current procedures more efficient ahead of the 2024/25 winter season.
