Adam Johnson
Northern News Services
Friday, July 27, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - In a surprising turnaround, Yellowknife city councillors voted Monday to increase funding for a pair of basketball courts at Mildred Hall to $28,000 from $18,000.

The move came after a speech from Laurie Sarkadi, chair of the Mildred Hall School Community Park Project.

Charlene Lloyd voices her concerns about dispute resolution at Con/Rycon trailer park during Monday's city council meeting at City Hall. - Adam Johnson/NNSL photo

She said the plan had projected costs to turn the front of Mildred Hall from a "barren, gravelly wasteland into usable green space" at $750,000 in 2005. Now, those costs are $1.6 million, due to spiraling material and labour costs.

"We call ourselves the Deh Cho Bridge of parks," she joked.She said an additional $28,000 would allow two basketball courts to be paved, lined and equipped, matching a $30,000 in-kind donation from Northland Utilities to provide lighting. The previously committed $18,000 would have only paved the second court, she said.

"I wish you had been here last week when we had all these questions," Brooks said of earlier discussions on the matter.

After the presentation, Coun. Dave McCann was still leery of the project, as it would leave the city $8,000 (from a total of $100,000) in contingency funding for the rest of the year.

Con concerns at council

While city council passed an approval to transfer Con/Rycon lands Monday, some residents were still worried about the future.

During an impromptu presentation, resident Charlene Lloyd said she was concerned about how disputes would be handled once the lots were transferred.

"I found out my trailer is on my neighbour's lot," she said.

"Encroachments will be handled on a case-by-case basis," said public works director Greg Kehoe.

"So I'm going to have to move my trailer?" Lloyd asked.

"We really don't know right now," Kehoe responded.

While Con /Rycon residents have jumped another hurdle, the decision to release lands to them still depends on approval from the GNWT and Yellowknives Dene.

Travel expenses

After a number of professional trips, the city's travel budget is still looking good, according to city officials.

Before approving Coun. Mark Heyck's trip to an energy conference in Edmonton, Coun. Dave McCann asked to know how much remained in the city's travel budget.

According to city administrators, $25,000 still remains of an initial $50,000, which seemed to satisfy McCann.

Recently, councillors Kevin Kennedy, Lydia Bardak, Mark Heyck, David Wind and Dave McCann spent a combined $12,000 on a trip to Calgary for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference. The total does not include amounts from councillors Bob Brooks and Shelagh Montgomery.

Meanwhile, Mayor Gord Van Tighem and councillors Kennedy, Bardak and McCann spent around $9,000 to attend the NWT Association of Communities annual general meeting in Norman Wells.

A bylaw for trees

Toward the end of the meeting, Coun. Shelagh Montgomery made a call for a sweeping bylaw to protect trees in Yellowknife.

She said having such a bylaw would help to preserve an "important natural resource." However, she also acknowledged this was not always possible during development.

Other councillors were willing to support the motion to have administration draft the bylaw - though a few were not sure what form it would take.

"I'm very interested to see what kinds of recommendations come forward," said Coun. Bob Brooks.

"I think the devil or the deity will be in the details," said Coun. Paul Falvo, while supporting the motion.