KAMSACK — In a recent meeting discussing the town council minutes from Sept. 25, Mayor Nancy Brunt provided updates on various matters of community interest and administrative changes. During the discussion, the mayor shared information regarding the town's recent developments and upcoming events.
One of the key highlights of the meeting was the discussion regarding the town's Handy Bus service. Mayor Brunt said that they are investigating potential adjustments to the bus seating arrangement to better accommodate wheelchair accessibility. The new Handy Bus, which was acquired earlier this summer, has presented an opportunity to improve the seating layout for enhanced efficiency and inclusivity.
Mayor Brunt said, “Originally we thought we were getting seats that would fold up against the wall which would make room for another wheelchair and the seats that we got, our solid seats. Crestline is the bus company that had the bus built. So they have to go back to their design engineers and see if we can replace what's called a solid seat with a folding seat and what cost is involved. Right now, we have room for two wheelchairs and one small wheelchair in the centre. If it's a full-size wheelchair, it's hard to strap in and strap it down. So, hopefully we can get a folding seat or a couple of folding seats on one side so we can fit more wheelchairs in. But we're just waiting for information from them.”
Additionally, the preliminary design approval for the Tetra Tech transfer station was mentioned, reflecting progress in waste management infrastructure. The Mayor noted that the transfer station plans involve three or four stations which are intended to replace the landfill.
Discussions are ongoing with roofing contractors regarding commercial heat tape installation at the Broda Sportsplex, with further quotes awaited to finalize the project.
Mayor Brunt said, “Still waiting for further quotes from other roofing contractors on that.”
She also acknowledged recent appointments and staffing changes within the town administration. An external headhunting company called Essence has been engaged to assist in finding a suitable chief administrative officer (CAO). The meeting confirmed decisions related to the CAO's remuneration and other administrative matters, ensuring a smooth transition and effective operations within the municipality.
Mayor Brunt said, “Essence is looking to try and find us chief administration, administrative officer CAO and so we just decided on the rate of pay, moving expenses and living expenses payroll accounts and salary changes.”
The town has welcomed new staff, including Denzel Kitchemonia, who has taken up a part-time term position as Recreation Director.
Mayor Brunt said, “We've hired Denzel part-time in a term position to fill in for Ben Sippel as Rec director. He is not doing the full job that Ben was doing. He's doing pretty much the recreation and that's about it, whereas Ben was doing community development as well. Ken Thompson is officially working as a bylaw officer as well as fire chief of protective services.”
In closing, Mayor Brunt expressed gratitude for the dedication and efforts of the town's staff and emphasized the importance of continued collaboration to address the challenges and opportunities faced by the community. “Sherise and Dana are acting as administration, Sherise Fountain is our acting administrator right now, and Dana Greif has been promoted to assistant administrator. They're both working really hard at their jobs and they're doing a really good job. We have two new staff in the front; we've got Amy Cote doing utilities and Chrissy Lillebo doing payables already. So they're both settling into their job really well. And then of course, Denzel is taken over as rec director and he's learning the job and he seems to be settling in not too bad.”
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