Following a June 1 meeting with RCMP, the Town of Crossfield is moving forward with a proposal to uncover the feasibility of surveillance cameras at key areas in town.
Following a June 1 meeting with RCMP, the Town of Crossfield is moving forward with a proposal to uncover the feasibility of surveillance cameras at key areas in town.
Councillors Jo Tennant and Hadi Feltham told council at the June 7 meeting RCMP is in favour of the Town installing cameras at the entrances and exits of the community to aid police in determining what direction suspect vehicles travel in and out of Crossfield.
“They were just over the moon with the thought that we would be interested in doing that,” Tennant said. “They just really see great possibilities for our community.”
The meeting was spurred from a discussion surrounding surveillance at council's May 17 regular council meeting.
Mayor Nathan Anderson said the proposal outlines cameras are meant only to deter crime and aid the RCMP in criminal prosecution.
He said cameras would in no way be used for traffic enforcement, photo radar, red light cameras or to observe private property.
“That would be the clear line in the sand,” he said. “This isn't London. This isn't spy camera stuff.”
Before moving forward with a policy detailing the use of surveillance cameras in Crossfield, Anderson said public consultation on the matter is critical.
He said an issue as large as surveillance requires the community to be on board before pushing forward and implementing.
“If the public flatly rejects it, I would be very much opposed to (surveillance cameras),” Anderson said.
A rough draft of a surveillance camera policy and a public engagement strategy will be presented to council at the June 21 regular council meeting.
Old and decaying trees along Railway Street and Hammond Avenue will be coming down and replaced.
Crossfield Chief Administrative Officer Ken Bosman said, though many of these trees look healthy at a quick glance, the 60-year life span of many are past the “best before” date.
Careful observation of the trees has determined there is a lot of rot and decay on the older plants, he said.
“From a safety point of view and an infiltration into sewer infrastructure underground, the correct thing is to get rid of them,” Bosman said. “Those will start to come out fairly rapidly at the end of this month.”
The Town consulted with an arborist to learn what mix of tree species could thrive in the climate of Crossfield, Bosman said.
The replacement trees will be smaller than those removed, he said, but will be as large as economically reasonable.
With utility lines running under the trees, he said there are physical restrictions in terms of how and what the Town can plant.
“We don't have a completely free hand to do what we want to do,” Bosman said.
About three dozen trees will be replaced in total with work starting at the end of June, he said.
Bosman told council the program to repair sidewalks in 2016 has been going well for the Town.
With competitive quotes coming in, he said the Town is doing about 17 per cent more work than it did last year for the same cost.
“We're making a real dent in it,” he said.
