Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Draft Transit Master Plan - New Bus Routes!

At the public works committee today there was a presentation on the draft Transit Master plan. I wasn't at the meeting but I received the plan ahead of time in my council mail box.

The plan has taken some time but the end result is very encouraging - it lays out a great plan for improving our transit system over the next few years. In particular three of the biggest problems with the current system (operating hours, frequency and coverage) will be addressed in the new plan:

• Operational hours will be extended to 6:20am to 10:00pm M-F, 10:00am to 6:00pm Saturdays and 10:30am to 5:00pm Sundays.

• Service frequency will now be 40 minutes on all routes and every 20 minutes on selected routes during peak times.

• New routes will be established to connect to pretty much all subdivisions of the city. (see the rout map below).

There also a lot more in the plan; a downtown transit terminal, standards for bus stops and the possibility of linking up with the school system to replace the yellow busses for high school students. (The document is about 100 pages long) as soon as it's up on the city's website I'll post a link to it here - or in the mean time if you're interested email me and I'll send you the pdf.

So this is great progress but there is still some work to do as each of the recommendations / ideas in the plan require resources and that means money.

Draft Municipal Development Plan Available

Back in March I mentioned that the city was working on redoing it's Municipal Development Plan (also known as the MDP). As I mentioned back then:

"The MDP is the overarching document that guides all the other plans that the city does so it's principles have a big impact in how our community develops. In fact it literally shapes the way our neighbourhoods grow, mature and redevelop - so it has a big impact on our quality of life."

There have been lots of input sessions and open houses since then and there is now a draft version of the new plan available. If you take a moment to check it out you'll notice that it highlights things such as; more respect for the pre-existing natural environment when new neighbourhoods are developed, increased focus on sidewalks and walkable communities as well as bike paths, direction to develop a 20 year economic development vision, and standards that will yield more attractive commercial development.

That's just a few of the high points.

To see the detail check out the full version of the draft plan HERE.

Or

Check out the "easy reading" version in the promotional flyer HERE.

Read either version and send me your comments, positive and/or negative.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Library Update - July 13th, 2009

It's been a while since the last Library Update. Of course Laurie and her team at the Library were just a little busy over the past month or two. But, I guess that with moving buildings, working out the kinks in the new space, learning where the bathrooms where and hosting a major provincial event with the Lieutenant Governor's Arts Awards we can give them a break. ; ) Here's the report Laurie passed on for me to provide to council tonight:

A special thank you to Michelle Gairdner and the others who worked so hard preparing and staging such a wonderful grand opening of the Montrose Cultural Centre.

Thank you to the City of Grande Prairie for providing this new library for the community.

The public response has been wonderful. The tutoring room is being booked, memberships are up 230%, and the public has found their favourite corners to curl up with a book by the window or study in a quiet area with a cup of coffee or use the public computers. Teens love their new area for studying and visiting with friends. The parents and young children love moving the cushions and bean bag chairs into just the right position for lounging and sharing a good book.

Celebrate with us!
Join us for the Grand Opening of the Grande Prairie Public Library! The festivities will begin on Saturday, August 22 at 10:00 am. There will be activities for the whole family including performers and special story times as well as coffee, juice and snacks.
Opening ceremonies will be at 3:00 pm in the Teresa Sargent Hall.
There will be giveways for the first 500 visitors. Enter to win fantastic prizes including a Wii!

Discover Great Summer Reads at the Library
Why should the kids have all the fun? Discover the latest summer reads at your Library and win prizes. Keep track of the books you read or listen to between July 2 and August 31. Read 3 books or listen to 3 books (tape, CD or downloadable eAudiobook) and be eligible for weekly prizes. After reading or listening to six books, complete your reading log and enter your name for the Booklover's basket to be drawn in September.

Reading logs are available at Customer Services or online.

We are now able to offer Group Computer Training for the public in our new Training Lab.
Group Computer Training

June 22- August 31
Microsoft Word - Tuesday and Friday from 10:00 am to11:00 am
How to use E-Bay - Fridays from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm)
How to use the Library’s Online Tools - Learn a new research tool every Thursday from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
How to use Facebook - Tuesdays from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Registration is required. Maximum of 10 participants.

Summer Activities for Children at the Library
Agent 009 – Summer Reading Club
Join the TD Summer Reading Club this summer! Plan to visit the Library this summer for detective themed events including our new online summer reading club at www.gppl.ab.ca.

Spy School
Ages 7 to 12
Tuesdays: July 7, 14, 21, 28, Aug. 4, 11, 18 from 2:00 - 3:00 pm

July 7: Make a thumb writer, notebook and spy kit holder
July 14: Codes and ciphers
July 21: Camouflage and disguise
July 28: Finding evidence (finger prints, teeth prints, etc.)
Aug 4: Observation and memory skills
Aug 11: Creating a crime (group story writing)
Aug 18: Spy gadgets

Special Missions
Ages 7 to 12
Thursday July 9, 16, 23, 30, Aug. 6, 13, 20 from 2:00 - 3:00 pm
Presented by members of the community.

Children’s Summer Programs

Wednesdays - July 8 to August 19
10:30 am - 11:00 am - Musical Tots: stories rhymes and music for 2 and under.
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm - Melody Magic: stories, songs and musical activities for 4’s and 5’s
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Book Detectives: book talk and share favourite reads
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm - Family Night: Bingo, Booknik (book sharing and snacks), scavenger hunt & games.

Wednesdays - July 9 to August 20
10:30 am - 11:15 am - Storytime: stories, finger plays and films for 3 to 5 year-olds.

Is the Book Better Than the Movie?
Enjoy popcorn, refreshments and a movie. Which was better? The book or the movie? Discuss and defend your choice!
Thursday, July 23 @ 6:30 pm - The Three Musketeers based on the book by Alexandre Dumas.
Thursday, August 20 @ 6:30 pm - Carrie based on the book by Stephen King.

Computer & Internet Training @ the Library
Sign up for a free, one-hour session on any of the following:
• Using the Library Catalogue
• Computer Basics
• Learning to Email
• Surfing the Internet for Beginners
• Introduction to Microsoft Word

Visit the Information Desk to sign up for your one-on-one instruction with Library staff. Call (780) 357-7455.

GGS Committee Agenda for July 13th

This is my first post after being out of the city for a while on a short summer vacation. I did manage to squeeze in the "council related activity" I mentioned and I'll be posting pictures soon.

Today is a "Council Monday" so we will have our full regular meeting tonight at 7pm. I was going to post the agenda for that but it doesn't seem to be online this morning. So, in it's place I'm getting a little head start on the week and posting the Agenda for the General Government Services committee meeting that will happen on Wednesday.

The names you see below the agenda items are the staff members who are presenting the report on that item. My quick comments are in italics.

1. Refund of Property Tax
S. Smith, Assessor
It doesn't happen very often but occasionally the city's tax assessment department does make mistakes. In this instance there was an error in the square footage calculation of a property that resulted in the owner being over billed. Since 2004 they've been paying more in taxes they they should have. City staff are recommending that we refund the total amount of the over billing, $10,542.15

2. Bill 202 Municipal Government Act
J. Ferguson, Legislative Services Manager
This bill from the province calls for the creation of a Municipal Auditor. Not a bad idea but 1) it has the potential to create a lot of additional work for municipalities and 2) the Minister of Municipal Affairs already had the power to order municipalities to under go an audit.

Along with Bill 203 I think it's an example of a private member's bill that addresses a perceived problem rather than an actual one. Both pieces of legislation have their good points but I think they went ahead without a lot of research being done. For example I don't think either AUMA or AAMD&C (the organizations representing Alberta municipalities) were consulted in the creation of these. Janette is bringing this bill to council's attention (I first heard of it this spring on Twitter) and I imagine that the committee will ask for a report on how this will impact the city. We may also take a position forward to AUMA asking them to lobby the province for changes. Looking on Twitter I just noticed that the Province is asking for public input on the Bill, I imagine we'll as staff to prepare a submission.

On a somewhat related note; I think it's odd the province wants to create more auditor positions when they don't even fund the one they already have.


3. Customer Satisfaction Survey
D. Olinger, Marketing Communications Manager
This report formalizes the process of doing Customer Satisfaction survey's in the city every 2 years. The next one would be in March of 2011. Having it then will allow the new council (elected in October of 2010) to use the input from residents as they build their strategic plan in the spring of that year and the 3 year budget in the fall. It's a great feedback loop that will ensure that the views of residents are reflected in the city's business planning process.

4. Correspondence
4.1. Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, re: Government of Alberta Response to FISC Recommendations on Forest Industry Competitiveness

4.2. R. Danyluk, Minister, Alberta Municipal Affairs re: Unconditional Municipal Grant
This is an annual grant, and it's one of the few that comes without strings attached, like saying it has to be used by a certain time, or for a certain type of project or service. The total amount of the grant this year is $592,188 or approximately 0.00422 % of our yearly budget.

4.3. Town of Grande Cache, re: Invitation to Grande Cache’s 40th Anniversary
Congratulations Grande Cache!
In this letter they are inviting the Mayor to attend to help celebrate at their Opening Ceremonies on Friday September 4th. The weekend of the 4th to the 7th the Town will be hosing a Homecoming celebration for everyone who ever lived in Grande Cache - mark it on your calendar!

5. Other Business

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Summer Vacation


Canada Day Celebrations, Tug-o-War; Kids vs. Politicians. Left to Right: MLA Wayne Drysdale, Myself, Mayor Dwight Logan & MP Chris Warkentin.... we lost... pretty badly. Thanks to Tymmarah in MLA Drysdale's office for snapping the pic.



Summer is here and I'm going to be taking a little vacation for the next week. Susan and I are going to drive down to Vancouver to visit some of her family and friends. I have plan to fit in a fun activity that relates (kind of) to council - if that pans out I'll have pics but other than that you can expect the blog to be pretty quiet until about the 13th.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

GGS Committee Agenda for June 30th

Because of the Canada Day holiday one of my regular city committee meetings has been bumped to Tuesday - the General Government Services (GGS) Committee. As I mentioned last time I posted an agenda from GGS, this committee meets every second week and generally deals with things like internal corporate services (IT, and Finance) as well as the administrative functions of the corporation.

Below is the agenda for today's meeting. The names you see below the agenda items are the staff members who are presenting the report on that item. My quick comments are in italics.

Delegations
1. Mr. B. Manz - 2008 Aquatera Annual Report (attached)

The city owns Aquatera (along with the County of GP and the Town of Sexsmith) and as part of that relationship we see them at meetings quite often. Presenting the annual report is kind of just an FYI thing as all council members receive it in our mail boxes.

2. Committee “In Camera” (land matter)

3. Grande Prairie Public Library 2008 Audited Financial Statements (attached)
S. Walker, Acting Corporate Services Director
The Library is one of two organizations who's year end financial statements are combined with the City's. The other is the Airport. The library ended the year with a surplus of $292,776 - mostly due to a number of smaller factors that added up; unexpected grants and higher than expected fundraising on the revenue side and lower than expected or deferred expenses. Any surplus is transferred to a reserve and will cover some of the increased expenses that come as the library grows in to the new building.

4. Branding Exercise RFP Award (attached)
D. Olinger, Manager Marketing and Communications
This will ensure that the city is effectively marketing itself in a coordinated manner. The most visible result of this for the public will likely be some kind of new logo for the city (Right now we are using the city Crest which really isn't a logo). I won't be surprised if there is some angry feedback on this expense ($36,000) but ultimately the city is a large corporation that needs to communicate effectively with the public and this will help.

5. Strategic Priorities Chart Update (attached)
A. Cerny, Acting Legislative Services Manager

6. Correspondence

6.1 Mr. W. Drysdale, MLA, re: 2009 Municipal Sustainability Initiative allocation (attached)
This is in response to a letter we sent outlining the negative impact that the province's decision to reduce MSI funding had on our city. The province chopped about $2.4 million out of grant funding we were supposed to receive this year - money that was going to the construction of the multiplex.

6.2 AUMA Mayors’ Caucus, re: Bill 203 Local Authorities Election Act Amendment (attached)
This new provincial bill (view as a pdf)came from an MLA's private member motion late this spring. It sets out rules for how municipal election campaigns are financed and reported. I don't think anyone has too much of a problem with having fair guidelines in place that ensure transparency (I don't) the issue is that this was sprung on municipalities without any consultation. Because of that there are a number of holes in the proposed legislation that could have negative impacts. Hopefully we'll be able to correct these things by working through AUMA before this becomes law.

7. Other Business

Monday, June 29, 2009

Council Agenda for June 29th, 2009

Hope you are enjoying the sunshine! Below is the agenda for tonight's regular council meeting. These regular meetings start at 7pm and are open if you want to attend. If you can't make it in to watch live, in person then you can always watch online. (All council meeting webcasts have also been archived here too- meaning you can call up and watch any meeting all the way back to June of 2004!)

Some quick items of note on this agenda; starting the process for development to start on the south east corner of 68th Ave and Resources Road (8.3), closing off access to the Provincial Building parking lot from 104Ave (9.3.1), buying a new street sweeper for $208,966 (9.3.2) and a tree-trimmer truck for parks at a cost of $159,897 (9.3.3), borrowing $454,446 for the Centre for Creative Arts renovation (9.4.1), Providing Fire Dispatch Services to the Towns of High Prairie & Spirit River (9.9.1 & 9.9.2), a 10 year agreement between the city and ATCO for a Arctic Winter Games cauldron in Muskoseepi Park (9.10.4)


Grande Prairie City Council Agenda for June 29th, 2009
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. NATIONAL ANTHEM
3. ADOPTION OF PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
4. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
5. DELEGATIONS
6. PUBLIC HEARINGS
7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

8. REPORTS

8.1 Appointments to the City/County Joint Recreation Committee (attached) Request to appoint four Council members to the City/County Joint Recreation Committee.
RECOMMENDATION
Council appoint Aldermen Deimert, Gustafson and Wong, and Mayor Logan (ex officio) to the City/County Joint Recreation
Committee.

8.2 Bylaw C-1100-145, to Amend the Land Use Bylaw (attached)
Bylaw C-1100-145, to amend the Land Use Bylaw, to include “Fleet Services” as a Discretionary Use in the “CC – Central Commercial” District.

RECOMMENDATION
Council give Bylaw C-1100-145, to amend the Land Use Bylaw first reading.

Council establish Monday, July 27, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers as the date, time and location for Public Hearing purposes for Bylaw C-1100-145.

8.3 Bylaw C-1060-10 to amend the South East Area Structure plan & Bylaw C-1100-112 to amend the Land Use Bylaw
Adoption of the Kennedy Development Ltd. Outline Plan

RECOMMENDATION
Council give Bylaw C-1060-10, to amend the South East Area Structure Plan first reading.
Council give Bylaw C-1100-112, to amend the Land Use Bylaw first reading.

Council establish Monday, July 27, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers as the date, time and location for Public Hearing purposes for Bylaw C-1060-10 and Bylaw C-1100-112.


9. COMMITTEE BUSINESS

9.1 Municipal Government Day Team – June 10, 2009
RECOMMENDATION
Council receive the minutes of the Municipal Government Day Team meeting held June 10, 2009.

9.2 Council Committee of the Whole – June 15, 2009
RECOMMENDATION
Council receive the minutes of the Council Committee of the Whole meeting held June 15, 2009.

9.3 Public Works Committee - June 16, 2009
RECOMMENDATION
Council receive the minutes of the Public Works Committee meeting held June 16, 2009.

9.3.1 Access to 104 Avenue from the Provincial Building
RECOMMENDATION
Council reinstate the status quo of the access to 104 Avenue from the Provincial Building parking lot pending neighborhood
consultation.

9.3.2 Tender Award, T-12-547-09, Street Sweeper
RECOMMENDATION
Council approve Tender T-12-547-09 for the purchase of a street sweeper be awarded to Western Equipment & Services
Inc. in the amount of $208,966.74 (excluding GST), as the lowest tender meeting specifications.

9.3.3 Tender Award – T-14-547-09, Truck with Forestry Aerial Device
RECOMMENDATION
Council approve Tender T-14-547-09 for the purchase of a forestry aerial device and chip/dump mounted on a single axle truck be awarded to Calco Equipment Inc. in the amount of $159,879.00 (excluding GST), as the lowest tender meeting specifications.

9.3.4 Bylaw C-1233, to close a portion of 88 Street, south of 112 Avenue (attached)
RECOMMENDATION
1. Give Bylaw C-1233 first reading, and;
2. Set Monday, July 27, 2009 as the date for consideration for second and third readings.

9.3.5 Inspection Services Quality Management Plan (attached)
RECOMMENDATION
Council adopt the City of Grande Prairie and the Town of Beaverlodge Joint Uniform Quality Management Plan.

9.4 General Government Services Committee – June 17, 2009
RECOMMENDATION
Council receive the minutes of the General Government
Services Committee meeting held June 17, 2009.

9.4.1 Borrowing Bylaw C-1229, to borrow for Renovations of the Centre for Creative Arts
RECOMMENDATION
Council give first reading to Bylaw C-1229, to borrow for the
renovations of the Centre for Creative Arts building.

9.5 Council Committee of the Whole – June 17, 2009
RECOMMENDATION
Council receive the minutes of the Council Committee of the
Whole meeting held June 17, 2009.

9.6 Pursuit of Excellence Committee – June 17, 2009
RECOMMENDATION
Council receive the minutes of the Pursuit of Excellence
Committee meeting held June 17, 2009.

9.7 Environment Committee – June 22, 2009
RECOMMENDATION
Council receive the minutes of the Environment Committee
meeting held June 22, 2009.

9.8 Council Committee of the Whole – June 22, 2009
RECOMMENDATION
Council receive the minutes of the Council Committee of the
Whole meeting held June 22, 2009.

9.9 Protective Services Committee – June 23, 2009
RECOMMENDATION
Council receive the minutes of the Protective Services
Committee meeting held June 23, 2009.

9.9.1 Renewal of Dispatch Agreement – Town of High Prairie
RECOMMENDATION
Council approve the renewal of the contract with the Town of
High Prairie to provide emergency fire dispatch services for a
five year period in accordance with the fee schedule as
presented.

9.9.2 Renewal of Dispatch Agreement – Town of Spirit River
RECOMMENDATION
Council approve the renewal of the contract with the Town of
Spirit River to provide emergency fire dispatch services for a
five year period in accordance with the fee schedule as
presented.

9.9.3 Ownership and Operating Agreement – Animal Pound
RECOMMENDATION
Council approve that the City enter into the Ownership and
Operating Agreement for the Animal Pound with the County
of Grande Prairie and the Grande Prairie and District SPCA.

9.9.4 Police and Crisis Team (PACT) Initiative
RECOMMENDATION
Council approve that the Mayor send a letter to the Minister
of Public Safety and Emergency recommending an additional
RCMP officer be hired for the Police and Crisis Team (PACT)
initiative.

9.10 Community Development Committee – June 23, 2009
RECOMMENDATION
Council receive the minutes of the Community Development
Committee meeting held June 23, 2009.

9.10.1 2010 Olympic Torch Relay Event Request for Funding
RECOMMENDATION
Council approve the funding of $20,307 from the Recreation
and Culture Program Budget for the 2010 Olympic Torch
Relay Event.

9.10.2 Bear Creek Pool Request for Funding
RECOMMENDATION
Council approve an additional $10,000 from the Leisure Centre
Operating Budget be provided to the Piranhas Swim Club for
the 2009 Summer Season provided additional grants and
revenues are not received, and further refer the annual
operating grant for future Bear Creek Pool contracts to the
2010 Budget review.

9.10.3 Crystal Centre Food and Beverage Service RFP Award
RECOMMENDATION
Council approve the award of RFP-12-439-09 for the provision
of Crystal Centre Food and Beverage Service to Crystal
Catering Ltd. for a three year period with an option to renew
for an additional three year term, as the highest evaluated
proponent meeting specifications.

9.10.4 ATCO Gas Agreement – Arctic Winter Games
RECOMMENDATION
Council approve a 10 year Agreement between the City and
ATCO Gas for the installation, operation and maintenance of
an Arctic Winter Games cauldron and pedestal in Muskoseepi
Park.

10. CORRESPONDENCE
11. DELEGATION BUSINESS
12. NOTICES OF MOTION
13. COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS