Joanne McQuarrie, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter | [email protected]
Jasper’s arena is set to reopen Dec. 1.
Renovations to the centre, including a new slab and boards, are on schedule to be ready by then, and council agreed to put up an extra $34,000 to reopen the facility at their regular meeting Oct. 20.
Yvonne McNabb, director of culture and recreation, emphasized that with COVID, "We need more people to clean stands, clean where people are putting their skates on (for example). It's going to take a lot more effort" to follow safety protocol.
Councillors scrutinized the added costs, with coun. Bert Journault describing the amount as “excessive”.
Coun. Paul Butler said while he's committed to opening the arena, "We have to be concerned about user hours and user fees.”
Mark Fercho, chief administrative officer for Japer, reiterated there will be extra costs for cleaning and lost revenue, due to decreased bookings, hence the request.
In terms of scheduling games and tournaments, and thus, budget estimates, McNabb pointed out Hockey Alberta's approach to the province's relaunch strategy, which includes diligent physical distancing, playing games in a cohort only, wearing a mask and washing hands.
As well, patrons are required to arrive dressed because dressing rooms will not be open.
Hours of operation are estimated to be 3:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends, subject to change.
Interim CAO appointed
A new interim CAO has been appointed for Jasper.
John Greathead, director of operations, was appointed as interim CAO following council's motion to rescind the appointment of Mark Fercho, who has served as CAO for over six years.
Fercho is moving to Cranbrook, B.C., to begin a position as CAO for the city on Nov. 2.
Council members thanked Fercho for the tenacity and dedication he has shown throughout his time with the municipality.
"In particular, Mr. Fercho has just never taken his foot off the gas since he announced he'd be leaving," coun. Paul Butler said, noting Fercho's help with the transition. "It is something to behold. Thank you again."
About Greathead, deputy mayor Rico Damota, said he is impressed with his leadership skills and ability to move forward.
"Welcome aboard, sir," he said.
Read more about Fercho’s departure here.
Compost compromises
Support for compost collection has been voiced at council meetings after a recommendation came forward that it be suspended seasonally.
"When I first brought it to council I was looking for a complete suspension from October to May, but have heard the will of council and the community," Greathead said.
Compost collection in the winter, he has previously said, is laborious and injurious to staff.
After exploring other options, Greathead said, "We found some paper bag liners that will fit into the bins. Hopefully that'll reduce freezing."
As well, a second staff member can be assigned to help with the heavy lifting of the bins. Greathead said public education needs to be ramped up so non-compostable materials aren't put into the bins.
And the service may still be removed if contaminants are noticed.
Councillor Jenna McGrath said the new options put compost collection "in alignment with Jasper residents' values".
Journault said, "I have concerns with getting the community to step up, in putting only valid products (in bins). Clearly education is needed there."
Greathead said he believes people want to do the right thing, and if contamination of compost bins continues, he will bring it back to council for further discussion.
Seniors Bus on a roll
The Alpine Traveller is “gaining momentum” in Jasper and its operators have asked for $10,000 in funding from the municipality to keep it full and running.
Jasper’s Seniors Bus was officially taken over by the Evergreens Foundation last year. It serves seniors and others with transportation to Hinton, trips with Community Outreach Services (COS) clients and helps the Rocky Mountaineer with any barrier-free transports that have been required.
Ornesto Tassoni, facility operations manager for Evergreens, told council this week that the bus regularly takes people to appointments - and noted wildlife tours were done on the bus this summer.
"We're just gaining momentum," he said about the varied uses for the service.
Kristen Chambers, chief administrative officer for the Evergreens Foundation, agreed.
"We're definitely getting a lot more momentum in the community," she said.
She requested the funding as part of council’s 2021 budget and told council the foundation is open to discussions about the potential of the service.
"The mixed use lends itself to that full community sense," Chambers said.
Councillors talked about the importance of the service to the community and how well it has gone so far.
