7th Regular Meeting of 2009 - April 27

Whenever I miss a regular council meeting, I watch the Shaw Cable recording. This happened for the April 27, 2009 meeting. So the notes here reflect a reading of the background documents and what Shaw Cable 10 viewers would have seen.

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Telecom Towers - NIMBY! Golf - IEBY*!
(*In Everyone's Back Yard)

ABSENTEES: None

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS: 210 pages


Pecuniary Interest Forms

"Pecuniary" must be one of those words that's really fun to pronounce (though it's not on my list), since this plea is now a permanenet fixture of the agenda. To wit, for the fifteenth consecutive meeting, the Mayor requested that members of council submit forms detailing their financial interests in the city that might affect their actions as municipal councillors.

[Note that this item is not included in council's procedure bylaw - specifically, Bylaw #10 of 2005, as amended by Bylaw #23 of 2008 and Bylaw #32 of 2006. In addition, re-read the comments I posted on February 25, 2009, under "Submission of Pecuniary Interest Forms."]



Telecom Towers Start to Sprout

Apparently, I'm not the only person opposed to Bylaw Number 5 of 2009, which permits telecommunications towers up to 140 feet high at every school in the city [see the posting for the 5th Regular Meeting of 2009, held on March 23]. The unsightliness of these metal monstrosities was evident in a letter from Nicholas Cowie, who opposes a 50-foot tower being erected at Princess Margaret School, 351-13th Avenue East [in Ward 4, represented by Councillor Williams - see pages 91 and 92 of http://www.citypa.ca/Portals/0/PDF2/Council_Agenda/2009/2009%2004%2027%20-%20Order%20of%20Business/Agenda%20-%20Pages%201%20-%20159.pdf ]. This tower was supposed to have been installed by March 30, 2009.

- Councillor Williams said this tower is across the street from his house, and he is opposed to its construction. Several of his neighbours have contacted him about their opposition to the tower. He wants the city to meet with the school board to resolve the issue.

- Councillor Dionne asked if there was going to be a tower erected at each of the Sask. Rivers School District schools [had he read the meeting documents, he would have known the answer to this question . . . .]

- Economi c Development and Planning Director Joan Corneil answered - "No."

- Councillor Atkinson wondered whether the Roman Catholic Separate School District would be next to propose new telecommunications towers. He asked if there was other technology that could perform the same function, or alternatives to a 50-foot tower.

- Councillor Ring said only Princess Margaret School was at issue; he received just one letter opposing this tower's construction.

- Councillor Williams noted that there must be a way around the "line-of-sight" issue. (The tower is 15 feet taller than the trees in the area.) He was annoyed that the school board had already poured the concrete for the base of the tower, stating that this presumptuous action assumed that council's approval was a "slam dunk."

- Director Corneil [redundantly] pointed to pages 86-87 of the documents - one tower was being requested.

- Councillors Swystun and Zurakowski said they would support postponing consideration of this issue. Councillor Dionne made such a motion. Swystun asked if this was a postponement to allow review of all other schools, or other technologies. Mayor Scarrow said "both."

- Councillor Atkinson concluded that the tower would eventually need to be higher, after the neighbouring trees grew.

- THE VOTE: 8 - 0, to postpone consideration of the request.


Tap, Tap, Tapping for Dollars . . . .

[TAP Communications of Saskatoon submitted a proposal for marketing, re-branding, and signage for the PA Transit System, the cost estimated at $24,000 to $41,000 - see pages 58 to 79.]

- Mayor Scarrow asked if tenders had been called for this work.

- Capital Projects and Planning Manager Scott Golding replied, "No, this was a direct request" to TAP. Apparently, "our own (transit) consultant had difficulty finding bus stops" [the signs for which are very small - hence, are easily lost in the visual clutter generated by "No Parking" and "No Stopping" signs.]

- Councillor Atkinson pointed to a glaring absence from the report, saying "ridership numbers are pertinent." [There is no information whatsoever about bus ridership in Prince Albert in the report.] He hasn't seen those numbers, which should be used as "a benchmark."

- Manager Golding replied that ridership was "largely unchanged" in the past few years. Atkinson asked if there was a report to that effect.

- Councillor Swystun asked if the contract could be approved without tendering the work.

- Mayor Scarrow commented that there was no rush involved, a further report could be requested, and the cost needs to be tied down.

- Councillor Matheson asked [given that a grant from the federal government would be used to pay the contractor] whether the federal government required the work to be tendered.

- Councillor Atkinson ended the discussion by saying that mandatory bus passes, similar to what U of S students have in Saskatoon, would be more valuable to the transit system than new signage.


(NO) Smoke on the Water

[Kinsmen water park allows smoking in some areas of the facility.]

- Mayor Scarrow said the water park should be fully non-smoking, and that ball diamonds need a longer look with respect to this issue.

- Councillor Zurakowski said the bleachers and spectator areas should all be non-smoking, noting the city's bylaws "are reflective of society."

- Councillor Dionne said that enforcement of non-smoking areas would be "easier than you think."


Golf in Prime Ministers Park (Temporarily?)

[The Kiwanis Club asked to have their week-long 'Million Dollar Hole-in-One Fundraiser' in Prime Ministers Park from June 25 to 28 - although golf is not allowed in city parks, there was no explanation presented for why the Glenmor Grain property could no longer be used, and there are multiple locations outside the city where the Club could safely have such an event.

To be fair, Cooke golf course should reciprocate by permitting a charity "Poker Rally on Skates" on its putting greens next winter.]

- Mayor Scarrow said the layout at the park [there's a map on page 137] was "very appropriate." He took a look at the site, calling it ideal, and said the event was well-managed [but gave no indication how the city would prevent golfers from using the site on a regular basis AFTER June 28 . . . .] He said the other site [Glenmor, used for the past 5 years] was "not conducive to their goals" [What, making money? Providing a pretty location for whacking golfs balls from a tee? Or having golfers take over city parks?]

- Councillor Swystun said the site was used 7 or 8 years ago, and Councillor Williams, who has participated in this event in the past, said "danger is not a worry."


Mayor & Councillors Attended/Feted/Were Fed At

- Councillor Matheson had "a couple of things I was privileged to take part of" [sic] - presentation of a cheque for over $6000 to the PA Council for the Arts, the District Planning Commission open house, and the Community-Futures-sponsored YBEX awards.
- [predictably, champion golfer ] Councillor Ring remarked on the opening of the golf course's 100th season, with all 18 greens being "pristine"
- [confirming the special place the golf course represents for city council] Councillor Zurakowski noted the new restaurant at the golf club, Metric, was now open.
- Mayor Scarrow mentioned his attendance at the Saskatchewan Fire Chiefs Convention. Because he had forgotten his calendar at his desk, he was unable to recite the rest of the events he attended. Councillor Dionne [among others] was pleased to hear this.


Inquiries: Poor Grading & Excessive Speed

- Councillor Dionne noted that the grading job done on Cloverdale Road had left the road surface in worse shape than before the grading.
- Councillor Ring asked if something could be done about speeding traffic on 12th Avenue East, north of the intersection with Marquis Road [he did not suggest speed bumps - as Councillor Dionne has in the past, for Riverside Drive. Both councillors should take a look at the (highly appropriate) speed bumps installed in May 2009 near Gordon Denny School in Air Ronge.]


Public Forum

- Steve Lawrence was unable to attend.
- Rick Chloss spoke in favour of a green industrial park, from which nuclear would have to be excluded. In explaining why nuclear-power-related industry was not "green," he referred to an essay on the language of politics by George Orwell. Germany, he noted, has more people employed in the renewable energy industry than in car manufacturing.


And thanks (to all and sundry) . . . .

- Mayor Scarrow thanked administration, Councillor Gervais (who was ill) for his presence, the media, and "all those who made presentations."