District of Barriere council meeting of Oct. 6 had only a few items on the agenda.
District staff were directed to make application for the 2015 Wood Stove Replacement Program. This program is sponsored by the Lung Association and managed through the Ministry of Environment by local regional districts or municipalities. The rebate would be $250 towards an approved replacement stove, plus a possible additional rebate from retailers and manufacturers.
Council members approved up to $500 for a family oriented Halloween Dance that will be held on Oct. 31 at the Ridge gym. More info will be made available as the details are sorted out. There will be no fireworks this year.
The cedar log posts that were supplied by Gilbert Smith Forest Products for erecting signage at the Louis Creek Industrial park were bucked up and carried off by an unknown thief. Additional posts have been ordered and, this time, will not be delivered to the site until they day they are going to be erected.
CAO Colleen Hannigan reported that an increasing number of Barriere residents are using oversized garbage cans at the street with the expectation that their garbage will be retrieved from these. The large containers have been manufactured to be used in areas where the truck lifts and dumps them mechanically. This requires a particular type of truck that the district does not own, which is resulting in the collector having to pick out each bag separately from these large cans and then upending the can to get the last one out. Some residents are also using containers they have built or placed permanently near the road. Because they have to be far enough back from the road to not present a hazard or get plowed away, they often become difficult to access for the collector. Staff are in the process of sending out some educational materials to residents to remind them of the requirements that have been set for garbage pickup in the District of Barriere.
Thanks to the volunteer efforts of Carman Smith, Jim Harper and Gilbert Smith Forest Products, staff have been successful in installing a steel plate at the outlet of Leonie Lake to hold back water while repairs to the caulking around the outlet sluice gate at Leonie Lake Dam were completed.
There will be a Fall Strategic Planning Session held on Oct. 14, at 5 p.m., to provide an update on current projects and priorities for the community and for those running for election.
Mayor Humphreys read out a proclamation, proclaiming that October be known as Foster Family Awareness Month in the District of Barriere.
Council members passed a motion to grant $500 to the Farm Kids Scholarship Fund for the upcoming Bullarama. They will also be donating two tickets for the Bullarama Dance to the Barriere Chamber of Commerce’s Passport Program.
The next District of Barriere Council meeting will be on Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.