HomeMy WebLinkAbout1978-01-20 Council Minutesa
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MEETING OF LOCAL GOVERNING OFFICALS FRIDAY, JANUARY 20th,
1978
The annual meeting of Local Governing Officials was held in the
office of the Municipal District of Kneehill #48, Three Hills, on
Friday, January 20th, 1978, commencing at 1 30 P M
Representatives present were
M--P-----
Stanley Schumacher, Drumheller
Gordon Towers,Red Deer
M L A
Allan Warrack
Gordon Taylor
J Williams, Researcher for G Taylor
M D Kneehill #48
G A Berdahl
C W Poole
Ralph W Brown, Reeve
Art W Bauer
Leonard Litz
T A Ferguson
Reginald Campbell
Alex Cunningham
Norman Soder
Glenn Smyth
Town of Three Hills
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K A Wright
Chester Davidson
Town of Trochu
Raymond Frere
E Tepper
Dick Sommerville, Administrator
Village of Linden
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Floyd Sillito, Secretary - Manager
Three Hills School Division
W Adrian, Secretary- Treasurer
G Wilson, Superintendent of Schools
M Brown
D Buyer
J Benedict
Three Hills Hospital
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Hugh Sommerville, Administrator
Art Taylor, Board Member
Trochu -Hospital
-------- - - - - -- --
Ron Hepburn, Board Member
Sister Helen Levasseur, Administrator
Elnora -Hospital
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Dave Wagstaff, Board Member
J C Jeffer,y,Mun Administrat�Or•
Jean Wilkinson
Miss Malpass, Representative from the Three Hills Capital
Mr K Wright moved Mr R Brown act as Chairman of the meeting
Carried
Those present introduced themselves and named the area or municipalit}
they were representing II
Mr J C Jeffery reviewed the minutes from the last combined r}eeting
and noted the items which were covered He then read the t,
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MEETING OF LOCAL GjvrIf1V_NG OFFICIALS, FRIDAY
JANUARY 20th,1978
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minutes
Mr Wright moved the minutes of the last meeting be adopted
Mr Benedict seconded the motion
Carried
TOWN OF THREE HILLS
Mr Brown then asked for a report from the Town of
Three Hills
Mr K Wright gave a brief summary of the town's
activities in 1977 He noted the town's population at
last census was 1662 and is now about 1700 The town
now has its own contract with the R C M P due to the
increase in population Three new wells south west of
the town have been developed and tied into the town water
system He further noted that the Town is looking for
a new administrator, and also noted that there are five
new councillors
VILLAGE OF LINDEN
Mr Floyd Sillito, Secretary - Manager, noted that Linden
had a busy year in 1977 The Lynn Haven Senior Citizen
Apartments were opened and 7 of the 12 units are now
occupied An annexation of about 89 acres in the
north west corner of the village is underway which will
provide for a new mobile home subidivision and a 72 acre
industrial park. and a new residential subdivision
The village hope to provide a golf course in 1978
The sewage lagoon has been completed and is operating
Mr Sillito also noted that the private school is in
operation and it is hoped that the problems concerning
this school will soon resolve itself
The main street of Linden will be paved by the Provincial
Government in 1978 The tennis court was resurfaced in
1977 and the residents have had very good use of the courts
The community held a sports day, barbeque and a fall fair
and exhibition A four plex is planned for 1978 in the
village, and a feed operation may move to the village in
1978
TOWN OF TROCHU
Mr Raymond F+'rere gave a report for the Town of Trochu
He noted that the population of the town is now 814,
which is a substantial increase from 1976
He reviewed new businesses which opened in the town in
1977 and noted there are now 4 doctors and one dentist
in Trochu A new sewage lagoon is in operation and
an up -date of the water system is underway A new
residential subdivision is to be opened up in 1978
He also reviewed the various projects underway under the
NIP program, including the tennis court camp kitchen,
drop in center Work has been done on the swimming pool
and street lights installed at the intersection of Highway
21 and Secondary Road 585 There are 4 new councillors
and the town anticipate a steady increase in population
in 1978
VILLAGE OF ACME
There were no official representatives from the Village
of Acme, but Mr Art Taylor noted that the Meadow Lark
Manor in Acme is filled to capicity and consideration is
been given to an addition There are hopes for a new
curling rink He also noted that the new sewage lagoon
is in operation
VILLAGE OF CARBON
There were no official representatives from the Village
of Carbon, but Mr Daun Buyer noted that the new lagoon
has been completed, and the village hopesto proceed with
residential subdivisions on the island, but are being held
back because of lack of water supply for that area
He reviewed projects undertaken under the NIP program
The population has increased and there are no residential
lots available for sale I
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MEETING OF LOCAL GOVERNING OFFICIALS, FRIDAY
JANUARY 20th 1978
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VILLAGE OF TORRINGTON
There were no official representatives from the Village,
but Mr Art Bauer noted that there are 11 or 12 trailers
located in the new trailer park The population is
increasing The building for the new arena has been
delivered and will be constructed in the spring
THREE HILLS SCHOOL DIVISIO
Mr Jack Benedict reported
He noted there are 3 new
a balanced budget for 1978
teachers is slow, but hope
Closure of certain schools
has not been solved
V
on the School Division activities
trustees The Board anticipate
The negotiations with the
this matter will be settled soon
is a problem which to date
ELNORA HOSPITAL
Mr Dave Wagstaff noted that there is an increase in
admissions to the hospital, there were 27 births and 12
deaths in 1977 Out patient visits totalled 2200
There is a new doctor for a total of 4 using the
hospital facilities The joint planning committee
is still working on the future plans for the hospital
Mr Wagstaff noted that the Provincial Government
funds many projects which do not appear to be as
important as hospital care for people, but the hospitals
are still forced into a deficit position because of
the amount of the provincial government grants, and lack
of government assistance
THREE HILLS HOSPITAL
Mr Hugh Sommerville noted there are now 4 doctors
in Three Hills and were 4 available all during 1977
This made a considerable difference to the work carried
on in the hospital during 1977 There were 292 more admissions
in 1977, 38 births and 7116 out patient visits,
most of which were for x -ray and lab work
Mr Sommerville noted that in addition to the 38 births
in the area, there were 32 marriages and 34 deaths
TROCHU HOSPITAL
Mr Ron Hepburn reported regarding the Trochu Hospital
In June of 1977 the new extension was opened There
are - extended care beds and � active beds
There are 27 patients Four doctors use the hospital
facilities The x -ray facilities and lab work facilities
have been greatly improved The Board expresses gratitude
to the Linden Ambulance volunteers and noted it is a great
pleasure to work with them
KNEEHILL AMBULANCE SOCIETY
Mr Ferguson reported on the ambulance activities for 1977
There were 227 calls and 1990 volunteer hours spent
running the service The financial position of the Society
is good and Mr Ferguson reviewed briefly the financial
report He noted that a memorial plaque had been purchased
to record the names of persons in whose memorary donations
to the Ambulance Service had been made This plagt}e
will be erected in the M D Office The biggest problem
facing the society is collection of accounts Mr Ferguson
expressed the thanks and appreciation of the Board to the
volunteers for the dedicated effort put in to the operaton
of the service
DRUMHELLER HEALTH UNIT
Mr Berdahl reviewed the operation of the Health Unit for
1977, and noted the biggest increase in costs was for
power and natural gas Salaries are being negotiated on a
regional basis and will be attempting to stay within
the 6% guideline However a problem is arising because
of the 9% increase awarded to nurses by the courts and upheld;,
by the provincial government There is also a problem
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LOCAL GOVERNING OFFICIALS Nlrh'li1VG FRIDAY
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in filling positions on the staff He reviewed the
work being carried on by the Health Unit and noted
that thT srtgaa�ita cost for this area is about $14 00
which is verage for the province
The Health Unit is providing better and more services
all the time The two biggest problems are with garbage
collection and butcher shops The strict regulations
enacted by the Province for these two operations are
causing a lot of hardships and in some areas forcing
the shut down of small town butcher shops, and costing
municipalities a lot of money to operate a sanitary
land fill site which meets provincial regulations
AUXILIARY HOSPITAL AND NURSING HOME
Mr Bauer reported regarding the Mountain View Kneehill
Auxiliary Hospital and Nursing Home There are 50
beds in the auxiliary hospital and a long waiting
list There are 40 beds in the nursing home
with a longer waiting list We require more beds
in Kneehill area Salary negotiations are underway
and it is hoped to stay within the 6% guideline
There were a lot of new members appointed to the
board this year due to the elections last fall
Mr K Wright of Three Hills is acting as Chairman
this year, and Mr Bruce Freeman from Didsbur,y is
Vice Chairman The proposed split of the Mountview
and Kneehill areas into two separate districts is
still being reviewed
MUNICIPAL DISTRICT OF KNEEHILL #48
Mr Brown reported on tYe Kneehill Sanitary Land Fill
Committee and the operation of the land fill site in
1977 It was noted that the land fill will be moved
shortly to a new site just south of the Town of
Three Hills The site does cause problems, and the
possibility of a different system using dump boxes
and a compactor truck is being looked at This
system would move the garbage out of the Kneehill
area to a Regional Land Fill Site located perhaps
in the Drumheller area or in the Calgary area
Mr Brown also reviewed the activites of the Eastern
Region Committee of Calgary Regional Planning Commission
After final approval of the new Planning Act this committee
will again meet to review the Preliminary Regional Plan
as it affects the eastern region of the Planning Commission
area He noted that he represents the M D of Kneehill
on this committee and Mr Ken Wright from the Town of
Three Hills was appointed to represent the towns and villages
of the area
Mr Brown then reviewed the activities of the M D in 1977
He noted that the Provincial Government had advertised
for tenders to pave Secondary Road 585 west of Three Hills
the access road into Swalwell and a portion c,f road going
through the Village of Linden
He also reviewed the recent decision made by council
regarding allottment of the rural population for recreation
purposes
Mr Dave Wagstaff left the meeting at this time
Mr Brown noted there is a possibility of having Highway
27 east paved in 1978, noted the tremendous increase in
oil and gas activity in the area, and noted that employees
had been granted a 6% increase for 1978
DR ALLAN WARRACK was then requested to speak He congratulated
the convenors of the meeting, and noted he had always received
assistance and friendship from the retired secretary, G G Kingi,
and hoped for the continued success of this type of meeting `j
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LOCAL GOVERNING OFFICIALS MEETING
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He also extended congratulations to the old and new
councillors and board members
Dr Warrack noted that four new senior citizen manors
were opened in 1977 and there are plans for one at
Torrington and one possibly at Beisker in the future
The problems being encountered by the farmers were noted
and he also noted that tough negotiations are underway
with the U S A with regard to trade barriers and
sale of gas to the States
Labor negotiations will probably create problems in 1978
The rural gas program is progressing nicely and the
project is approximately 2 /3rds completed for the entire
province
MR GORDON TAYLOR then spoke He also expressed thanks
for the continuation of these meetings as he finds them
a great help to him
He noted that there are two bills before the Legislature
now regarding disposition of property after marriage
breakdown and he is attempting to obtain the feeling of
the people regarding these bills He also noted that
there is great concern expressed about the centralization
of schools It was originally brought into effect to
provide better schooling, but now it appears it is being
done to keep down costs The proposed closure of the
school at Carbon is causing alot of concern for the parents
Another area of concern is hospitalization, and the need
for more auxiliary and nursing home beds It is hoped
that this problem will receive more attention in the coming
year Another concern of the people is the rising cost
of power and natural gas, and he noted that the Utilities
Board is looking at the problem, but these increases appear
to be necessary to ensure that power will be available
to future generations
Mr Taylor then reviewed briefly the reasons behind the
choice of site for the Red Deer River Dam This site
will have the effect of reducing erosion of the river banks,
will stabilize the flow of water and will reclaim many areas
of land all along the river In doing so,however 5z sections
of good farm land will be flooded The cost will be
about $52 million
MR STAN SCHUMACHER then spoke He expressed thanks
for the meeting He noted the federal government is
not putting through much legislation at this time, and appears
to be waiting for an election The farm problems were
briefly reviewed
MR GORDON TOWERS then spoke
He reviewed the proposed payout from the Western Grain
Stabilation Program and noted it would probably be paid
out some time in the summer He reviewed farm problems
also and noted the farm debt has increased in 5 years
to 8 5 million The farm community is in jeodardy
Mr Towers also noted that the federal deficit is increasing
and pressure must be exerted on the senior government to
cut down expenditures Mr Towers noted that the boundaries
of the Red Deer Constitutenc,y will be enlarged
GOLDEN HILLS LODGE
Mr G Berdahl spoke about the operation of the lodge in 1977
and again noted the largest increase in costs are for power
and natural gas There are 47 residents at the lodge
Wage negotiations were completed sucessfully recently and a
25� per hour increase was allowed The Lodge is run in a
very successful manner due to the efficient matron and good
staff co- operation
Mr Alex Cunningham, Utility Officer for the M D Kneehill
spoke briefly regarding natural gas installation in the
rural area and reviewed the two sewer installations undertaken'I
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LOCAL GOVERNING OFFICIALS MEETING JANUARY 20th,1978
by the M D , one in the hamlet of Huxley and one in the
hamlet of Ruarkville He also noted a study is being
undertaken for a sewer system in Swalwell He also
reviewed the Ruarkville replot undertaken in connection
with the installation of the sewer system
There was brief discussion with Dr Warrack regarding
the need for calling for public tenders for such
projects in order to qualify for government grants
and it was agreed that a letter be sent to him
outlining this problem
The meeting was then open for questions
Questions were asked about the sale of gas to the United
States and various trade problems with the United States
The need for more nursing home and auxiliary hospital beds
was, again brought up
A request for paving Secondary Road 575 from Carbon to
Drumheller was also discussed
There was discussion with regard to the split of the
Mountain View Kneehill Auxiliary Hospital Board area
Mr Gerry Wilson requested the meeting to give consideration
to the problem which is developing in the schools because
of the lower drinking age The problem is working its
way down into the junior high schools, and perhaps it is
time to re- examine the age of majority
Dr Warrack spoke briefly regarding the age of majority
and noted he did not agree with the idea of increasing
the age of majority, but did agree it was worth
reviewing the situation More and more problems
appear to be developing because of the drinking
in the schools, etc
Mr Taylor noted that 70% of the people who had discussed
this problem with him were opposed to raising the age
of majority or the drinking age, but perhaps an education
program must be undertaken in an attempt to resolve this
problem
There was further discussion regarding this problem
There was brief discussion with regard to the allocation
of the rural population for recreational purposes
It was agreed that the next meeting of local governing
officials be scheduled for the 3rd Friday in January,
1979 - January 19th, 1979,
Mr Buyer moved the meeting do now adjourn
Carried
Time of Adjournment -- Approximately-5-
pproximately 5 0 4141- -----------
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