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Big grant for new pool Village council briefs with Roxanna Thompson Northern News Services Published Thursday, January 24, 2013
The village will be receiving $488,321 from CanNor. Deputy Mayor Stella Nadia attended a ceremony in Yellowknife on Jan. 22 to accept the funding on behalf of the village. "That's fantastic news," said Mayor Sean Whelly about the funding, during a council meeting on Jan. 7 when the grant was first announced. The fact the project was ready to begin, the community supports it and there were health and safety issues related to the old pool helped to secure the grant, said Sebastien Goyer, the village's senior administrative officer. Goyer commended Caitlin Jaffray, the pool supervisor, for completing the paperwork for the grant. The grant will offset an amount that the village would otherwise have to pay, said Goyer. A revised estimate for the cost of the pool is being compiled. It is expected to be between $1.4 and $1.6 million. Fresh paint for curling rink The village will not be donating a prize to the Fort Simpson Curling Club's Merchants' Mixed Bonspiel, but has instead committed to in-kind painting. In response to a letter from the club seeking a donation, Coun. Leah Keats suggested that the village commit to painting the walls in the curling rink this summer. The paint has been chipping for years and it falls on the ice and has to be swept off, she said. Coun. Ron McCagg said the suggestion was very practical. "Everybody wins," he said. Questions about idling rules The third reading of the village's updated highway traffic bylaw has been delayed following questions about idling vehicles. The second reading was passed by council during the meeting on Jan. 21, but before the vote for third reading was called, Coun. Marie Lafferty asked if the bylaw contains rules about idling. "We have really cold weather up here," she said. There could be a lot of ruined vehicles if the village set rules for the amount of time they can idle, said Lafferty. She added it would be a problem to enforce in light of all of the transport trucks that were idling in the village during the recent winter road closure. This is an area that needs more attention, said Mayor Sean Whelly, including where vehicles can idle and for how long and whether there should be different rules for commercial vehicles. Cell coverage upsets residents The village will be writing a letter to NorthwesTel on behalf of residents about possibly misleading service claims. Coun. Bob Hanna said people were led to believe the upgrade to 3G cellular service in December would extend cellphone coverage into the Wild Rose subdivision and as far as the airport. Residents have discovered, however, that you need a new 3G phone to access the extended coverage. Older cellphones still lose the signal near the second entrance to Nogha Heights. NorthwesTel at least owes us an explanation as to why this is, Hanna said. Concerns over impaired drivers Coun. Ron McCagg said there has been a marked increase in the number of instances of impaired driving in the village. According to the December policing report provided by the Fort Simpson RCMP detachment, there were 107 calls for service in 2012 involving impaired driving compared to 79 the year before. "I hope it's based on increased surveillance rather than increased drinking and driving," said Mayor Sean Whelly.
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