Daycare savings expected

The town’s new daycare has offered many improvements for children and staff but the ongoing construction at the Jasper Activity Centre is limiting their ability to take part in outdoor activities, according to community and family services director Kathleen Waxer.

“The daycare is really enjoying the new space,” Waxer told council on Sept. 20. “But they’re very anxious for (the construction) to finish so children have full reign of the yard again.”

Coun. Gilbert Wall asked Waxer if the new facility would lead to greater efficiencies and ultimately save money in operating costs, since that was one of council’s reasons for establishing it in the first place.

“I think you will really see a difference already in this year’s budget,” Waxer replied.

Wall said he would like to see more specific numbers on the savings and asked Waxer to present such figures to council at a future meeting.

Fire lines being built quickly

The construction of fire-control lines in the forests to the south and west of the townsite is proceeding at a fast pace, council heard, thanks to more advanced equipment being used by the new contractor doing the work.

Corporate and legislative services director Verne Balding said that, after receiving its latest FireSmart grant of $115,000, the town hired Landmark Forest Management to build the new lines. The contract began Sept. 15 and Balding said the lines are already well underway.

“Landmark has one of those funky spider hoes,” Balding said at the Sept. 20 council meeting. “They’re just flying.”

Previous contractors relied more on “modified Bobcats,” he added, which were much slower at doing the work.

Jasper and Parks Canada have been working together for several years on the FireSmart initiative, using more than $1.1 million in funding from the Forest Resource Industry Association of Alberta to reduce wildfire risk.

Balding noted this is the eighth FireSmart contract he’s been involved with in Jasper.

Plant manager leaves Jasper for Casper

Finding and retaining staff continues to be a challenge at the wastewater treatment plant, environmental services director Ken Quackenbush told council on Sept. 20, with the latest blow being the resignation of plant manager Bruce Martin.

Martin, who worked in Jasper for the past two years, is leaving the town to take a new position at the operation in Casper, Wyo.

Quackenbush noted that Martin “made a very significant contribution to stabilizing the process and mentoring the crew” at the Jasper plant, and he will be difficult to replace.

In addition, the town is still looking to fill a level-three operator position at the treatment plant. That job has been vacant since the previous operator resigned about a year ago, Quackenbush said.

The municipality did recently hire a seasonal waste- water labourer, he added.