In anticipation of the April 18 Beiseker byelection, the Rocky View Weekly asked the candidates their opinions and ideas on key issues impacting the community.
What specifically would you do to address the aging water infrastructure in the village?
Nikki King: It isn’t just a Beiseker problem – infrastructure is among the biggest and most challenging expenses for small communities. According to one engineering group, much of our drinking water infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life. There are an estimated 240,000 water main breaks per year in the U.S. alone.
No one cares until you turn on your faucet and there isn’t any water. Most water infrastructure is underground and out of sight, making it harder to see developing problems. If we do not assess an aging infrastructure frequently, problems are more likely.
In 1983, Beiseker developed a General Municipal Plan. The plan was to be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure the objectives and policies reflect the current desires of council regarding the growth of Beiseker and to ensure any changes were not in conflict with the overall goals and objectives.
Any time work was done in the past to our infrastructure, as-constructed diagrams should have been provided to the Village from the engineers. To the best of my knowledge, many of those drawings are missing. I believe education is a key part of the equation; therefore, we need to consult with subject matter experts to lay out long-term water investment plans, as we cannot wait to take action until a disaster strikes. We should be spreading out our infrastructure costs over time, and performing preventative maintenance on the shut-off valves annually.
Mykle Lambert: I would address the oldest parts of the water infrastructure first, prioritizing the lines depending on age and state of disrepair.
Victor Lemky: What to do to address the aging water infrastructure is definitely a concern for every citizen in Beiseker. How do we remedy the issue? Our taxes cannot go up as they are too high in most residents’ opinion as they are right now. I believe part of this problem is the amount of money that we are required to pay to the “Aqua 7” water commission. This is also reflected on the amount that each household pays on their water bills, as is the case with taxes, raising them is not a viable option without upsetting our valued residents. How are we going to promote growth in the way of new residents and housing if we can’t keep our current residents happy?
In discussions with former mayors and councillors it has been brought to light that these same issues were faced in the 1950s and 1980s. Now we are faced with them again.
Obviously we cannot upgrade all of our lines. Our only option is to investigate the possibility of obtaining funding through the “Alberta Municipal Water/Wastewater Partnership” and other grants that may be available for an undertaking such as this. Then we can address our issues on a worst-first basis and come up with a strategy for maintaining these on a yearly basis, thus avoiding major infrastructure issues we are faced with today.
Kurtis Lyczewski: What I would do to address Beiseker’s aging water system would first have it evaluated and determine which area needs to see attention first and how we would be able to efficiently accomplish this task.
What is your opinion on the curbside recycling program in the village and should it be continued?
Nikki King: As citizens, we have a responsibility to future generations to be environmentally responsible and keep as much recyclables as possible out of our landfills. That being said, we also need to be fiscally responsible as to how we manage that process.
When first implemented, the curbside recycling program was operated by volunteers and our economy was in a very different position than it is now. Paper prices have since plummeted, with the price of mixed paper being worth $34/short ton. The program has now fallen to the Beiseker Public Works Department to collect bins for both residential and commercial locations and to sort and bale the paper.
The program is now working in a negative balance by generating costs with little to no return to our bottom line. Many other communities are facing the same challenge in regards to providing recycling programs. I believe by networking with other municipalities, and with waste and recycling companies, we would be able to leverage that knowledge to develop a sustainable program with minimal impact to our budget.
Mykle Lambert: I believe our curbside recycling program is failing and we have a few options to improve on the current system. First, it starts with educating the community about the benefits of a recycling program within the village. We then need to re-evaluate our current recycling program and make the necessary changes to improve its efficiency. I believe our options are as follows. Continue the same program we currently use but pick up recycling every two weeks, or implement a central drop off location.
Victor Lemky: There has been a lot of discontent voiced by residents of Beiseker regarding the curbside recycling program and how effectively it is run compared with how it has been run in the past.
When the program began, it was run by volunteers. Those volunteers have served well and moved on and, as is the case with most service groups, there are no new members to take their place, thus leaving it to the Village to maintain. I would like to investigate the possibility of returning it to a volunteer program where it is set up as a society. I feel this would improve the community spirit with all residents who take part. If there was enough participation and the collection was cut back to every second week, it would not be an unreasonable task for any one individual.
By creating a society for non-profit, there may be grants available to enhance its sustainability as well as helping to make it a less arduous task. This could also be made easier if each household “pre-cycled,” which is the practice of having recycling in mind when making purchases and making sure that the items purchased are easily recycled.
Recycling could then possibly also include items such as grass clippings and branches, depending on the wishes of the residents and the willingness of the society.
Kurtis Lyczewski: I believe the curbside recycling is a positive program the Village has to offer, but I think it could be improved with a review of how the program is being run now.
The 2015 Municipal Sustainability Funding (MSI) is expected soon. If you were to make a priority list of items to use MSI funding on, what would that list look like?
Nikki King: The issues regarding the state of our water infrastructure and roads are clearly on the forefront of many citizens’ minds and remediating those challenges will require long-term planning. The first step would be a system-wide review related to capital infrastructure expenditures, followed by rehabilitation of existing water lines and non-routine maintenance of the infrastructures systems. I would also prioritize capacity building within the Village through succession planning and staff development. I believe we should also support the maintenance of safe, healthy and vibrant communities, such as support for municipal and non-profit facilities and environmental sustainability, through environmental education and awareness initiatives.
Mykle Lambert:
Repairing or replacing our aging water and sewer lines.
Repairing our crumbling roads and bridges.
Improving our parks and pathways.
Victor Lemky: When allocating funds coming from the Province for the Municipal Sustainability Initiative I believe we would need to look at the Multi Year Capital Plan that is in place and make revisions based on our most immediate needs.
As much as we need beautification projects in our village, functionality of our infrastructure is paramount. We have to realize that when allocating funds for upcoming Village projects perception is reality for the greatest percentage of the public. While monies might be spent wisely, if residents aren’t able to see the results there can be discontent among taxpayers.
I have heard people say, “Why do our taxes keep going up but the same problems still exist?” There needs to be a balance between important projects where residents may not see the results and what may be deemed less important but are aesthetically pleasing to the taxpaying majority.
With this in mind, my priority list would include:
Street repair on a worst-first basis.
Sidewalk replacement again where needed most.
Promote residential growth through advertising.
Developing industrial land and target industry that can take advantage of our location as it pertains to highways 9 and 72
Promote tourism by making use of our greatest asset, our mascot, “Squirt.”
Kurtis Lyczewski: For the MSI, I would need to have a better understanding of unfinished business but would like to see it going towards improving and cleaning up our water system and road ways to make our village more appealing to tourists.
