Ritchot’s council convened on the evening of Wednesday, June 19 to discuss a number of agenda items.
Council addressed concerns regarding the municipality’s water services.
“In consultation with the Manitoba Water Services board, our original ask, when we were looking at water needs for the municipality, not only included an expansion to the reservoir treatment area but also to bring more water north to St. Adolphe and Île-des-Chênes,” says CAO Mitch Duval.
Duval says that the municipality initially looked at installing another pipeline and twinning the line for more capacity to those areas. He says that the cost would have come to about $4 million and the job would have been labour-intensive.
Engineers have since determined that installing a booster station between Ste. Agathe and St. Adolphe along Highway 200 could provide the same capacity and be sufficient to meet future water demands. The cost would fall between $400,000 to $500,000.
A booster station, however, would require ongoing maintenance and lead to higher electricity costs.
Duval recommended that council formally request from Manitoba Water Services (MWS) the change from the original application, when they’d requested the twinned pipeline, as well as an extension of the completion date to 2020.
Whatever direction the RM goes, the cost of the infrastructure would be shared 50/50 with the province. Council voted in favour of tabling the decision until further conversations can take place with the engineers and MWS.
Council also addressed the need for a policy to be established regarding their participation in golf tournament fundraisers at the expense of the RM. Invitations to these events are frequent throughout the summer months.
Duval made a recommendation that council support three golf tournaments annually. These would include the Ritchot Chamber of Commerce and the Ste. Agathe CDI (Community Development Initiative). The third event would rotate from year to year between the Association of Rural Municipalities and the Association of Manitoba Municipalities eastern district. Council voted unanimously in favour of the new policy.
A request from the RM’s recreation director was then brought forward regarding new emergency doors for the Ste. Agathe Arena. The current doors are in disrepair, creating a potential safety hazard. Duval suggested that the recreation reserve could be used as leverage to apply for other funding to help with the project.
Councillor Janine Boulanger questioned why the Ste. Agathe arena doesn’t have surplus funds to cover the upgrades.
Councillor Curtis Claydon then reinforced the recreation director’s proposal, adding that the arena has been hosting larger events with more people in attendance, making safety a real concern. He suggested that any profit the arena does see is marginal at best. As well, they are faced with aging infrastructure unlike some of the newer facilities in the municipality.
Council voted in favour of the request. Mayor Chris Ewen made a suggestion that council meet with the recreation and asset managers to come up with a better plan for the future.
In other news, council assessed the May building permit report. A total of 23 permits were issued for a total construction value of $3.6 million. Around $15,000 was collected by the RM in permit fees. Comparing to May 2018, less permits were taken out this year, but the overall construction value is higher.
The RM has hired a new addition to its management staff. Thomas Thompson has assumed the position of Chief Financial Officer. He is a CPA with previous municipal experience and was hired to replace Lesley McKenzie.
A request was made by Rene Clement for a variance on the side and rear yard distances at 259 Leclerc Bay for the addition of an accessory building. Clement indicated that he’d adjusted his plan to meet the RM’s requirements. The request was passed by acclamation.
The next public council meeting will be held on July 17 with a time change from 7:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.