By Marcia Love
Council received positive feedback from the Communities in Bloom program on Aug. 10.
Communities in Bloom judges were in Maple Creek on Aug. 4 to critique the town on its visual appeal.
“They had talked a bit about how Maple Creek is starting to walk in the Communities in Bloom program, and we were quite excited about it,” reported Councillor John Andreas.
The judging included tours of gardens, parks and streets and alleys, as well as the landfill. Judges took into consideration the town is still in recovery from the June 18 flood.
“We got feedback that after the flood... they were surprised that (the town) looked as good as it did,” said Mayor Barry Rudd.
Council noted the Communities in Bloom Committee and parks crew played an important role in preparing the town for the judging.
“A lot of people were out there cleaning up the town and went above and beyond,” said Councillor Barry Elderkin.
The town will receive the results of the judging from Communities in Bloom by the end of September.
Councillor Ellaine Hawrylak brought to council her concerns about the increased amount of vandalism occurring throughout the area.
“There are people in town that are quite concerned about it,” she said. “And I know there are people that, even if they saw it, they wouldn’t report it because they don’t want to get involved or are scared to get involved.”
Rudd said the destruction is at a point that residents are frustrated.
“They are getting carried away, because it’s nearly every night now,” he said.
Council would like to remind the public to call the RCMP or Crimestoppers if they witness any vandalism or other crimes.
“Crimestoppers is completely anonymous – you don’t even have to leave your name,” noted Hawrylak.
Council agreed to replace portions of the sidewalk surrounding the new Cypress Credit Union building.
The sidewalk and curb will require restoration along the corner of Pacific Avenue and Jasper Street following the Credit Union construction.
“Part of the sidewalk that’s been removed is the responsibility of the Credit Union or contractor of the building and part of that sidewalk needs replacing anyway (by the town),” explained Mark Caswell, town administrator.
About 1,200 square feet is to be replaced by the Cypress Credit Union, while 1,800 square feet is to be replaced by the town.
The project will cost about $21,000 for the town.
Council approved the performance of a water works system assessment on the town’s water system.
The evaluation will look at the infrastructure, age and condition of equipment to identify potential problems with the system.
“Performing this assessment is not optional – this is something that the Ministry of Environment requires the municipality to do every five years,” Caswell said.
The assessment may cost up to $18,323 for the town.
Council is considering options for removing a great deal of baby’s breath herb north of Maple Creek which may soon invade the cemetery.
Land set aside south of the cemetery for its potential expansion is overgrown with the aggressive herb.
“That whole field is almost solid baby’s breath,” Hawrylak said. “We are going to end up with that baby’s breath in the cemetery, and we’re going to really have to chop it down. It’s terrible.”
As cutting the plant would only promote its spread, council is discussing spraying or burning it.
The Maple Creek Slo Pitch league was granted a community event permit to host a beer garden for its tournament on Sept. 18.