The Town of Castor and Paintearth County have signed a new recreation agreement.
Similar in structure to an existing agreement the county has with the Town of Coronation, the new document will see the two municipalities split operational recreation deficits 50/50, though any upgrades need to be negotiated separately.
The new document is retroactive to April 1, 2025 and runs until April 1, 2027, a two-year term.
"Things can be added, but both parties must be in agreement," said Coun. Cecil Yates, who was on the negotiating committee. "It was quite the discussion."
Facilities covered under the new agreement include the Castor Sports Park including ball diamonds, arena, curling rink, and swimming pool.
Because the Castor Golf Club is privately managed by a board which is independently supported by the two municipalities, it was not included in the agreement.
"I think it's a fair agreement," said Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Donna Rowland.
While the deal is agreed to in principle and signed by the town, the County will ratify it at an upcoming council meeting, potentially in early May.
Potholes
During council reports, CAO Rowland notified council that three pallets of a new cold mix had been purchased and pothole filling had been started on the truck route.
According to Rowland, the plan is to keep filling potholes in town until they run out of mix, then get more once budgets are finalized.
"When budget 2025 is set, we'll know how much more we can do," said Rowland.
Long-term, given the rough shape and heavy use the truck route gets, administration is tentatively planning to get it as filled in as possible and then use grant funding to have it microsurfaced in 2026 instead of doing sidewalks.
Coun. Kevin McDougall noted that he would like to see a longer-term plan developed for dealing with potholes and road surfaces in the community.
Ultimately, McDougall motioned to have administration develop a plan for the next three-to-five years and return it to council.
Fire Training
The Town of Castor has been approved for nearly $20,000 in fire training by the provincial government.
CAO Rowland noted that the funds can only be used for course costs and instructor costs, not per diems or travel.
"The Fire Department does have a list of courses they are hoping to take," said Rowland.
Resident concern
A resident wrote to council concerned about the dearth of local media.
They noted that with the demise of both the ECA Review and the merger of the Castor Advance into the Stettler Independent it seemed that there was a lack of awareness for local events in the community.
CAO Rowland noted that the town was working to keep the events page on the town website as updated as possible, however, she noted "we can only post what's provided to us."
"We've been encouraging people to share with us," said Rowland.
Coun. Shawn Peach noted that "quite a few" posters do go up in town.
The letter was accepted for information in a motion by Coun. Yates.
