Irricana is the recipient of a provincial Recreation and Parks Association ChooseWell High Achiever award for its program “Reducing Barriers to Healthy Living for Teens and Tweens.”
The award includes a $2,000 grant that will be used for a water cooler at the Irricana Recreation Complex and activity based equipment such as a hula hoops, a parachute, stilt walkers, frisbees, scoop ball sets, scooters, gater balls and sports day game sets for the Summer Sizzlers.
Rural residents who made an outstanding contribution to the town are now eligible for the Mayor’s Recognition award. This prestigious award is rarely given out and was traditionally reserved for Irricana residents.
Council, however, felt that there are deserving rural residents who have volunteered in Irricana for generations and this will open a new avenue of recognition to them.
CAO Alvin Melton reported that the Women’s Health and Wellness Conference was attended by 90 women who enjoyed sessions on nutrition, positive self talk and a yoga as well as a drumming circle. One hundred per cent of the evaluation forms received stated that the participants found the sessions valuable, revitalizing and empowering.
The Conference partnered with 17 business entrepreneurs to offer door prizes and giftware tables.
The remediation of the mold in the Centennial building is now complete, Melton reported.
The campground swale is built, and the campground is now closed for the season. Public works has completed a major clean up of the area around the lagoon where years of mixed asphalt, clay, dirt and concrete have been separated.
Melton presented the 2011-2012 Strategic Plan to council.
The plan, the result of several planning meetings, sets the long-term sustainability of the community and will give council and staff a clear roadmap to reach the Irricana Vision.
It includes short-term, mid-term and long-term goals and objectives. A copy of the plan can be found at the Town office.
Councillor Larry Martin reported that tourism attractions in Irricana brought many people to the area over the summer.
The Economic and Development and Tourism committee is beginning to draft their guidelines for the temporary marketing campaign expected to start in the new year. Council had approved funding for this project in the previous budget and they are looking for a person to spread awareness of the community through social media and press releases.
They are also looking into a business recognition plan to go hand in hand with the business visitations and questionnaires that will be circulated soon.
The next Trade Fair date has been tentatively set for Sept. 9, 2012 and the committee is considering producing an event calendar to let people know what is happening in the community.
A proposal was received from Community Futures and the Boomtown Trail, to see if the Town would be interested in hosting a series of events dealing with the future of small communities in the region. They are currently attaining more information to better understand if this is something the Town can do.
The board reluctantly accepted the resignations of Janice Culp and Valerie Fasoli from the board who are retiring and wish to pursue other interests.
Mayor Lisa Constantini submitted a report on the AUMA Conference she attended including courses on communication plans, visioning and how a strategic plan fits in with budgeting. She also noted that Calgary took a different approach this year in the budgeting process that involved public consultation allowing residents to indicate where they felt budget cuts could be accommodated. Constantini reported she also had opportunity to ask then Minister of Municipal Affairs Hector Goudreau, if the Province planned to provide funds for the Aqua 7 Water Commission. Goudreau, however, was non-committal, she said.
A letter was received from Statistics Canada thanking the town for its support of the 2011 Census. The first statistical release on population numbers will be available in 2012.
The next meeting of Irricana council will be Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in council chambers. The public is welcome. There will be a budget meeting on Nov. 15 at 6 p.m.
