Costing for the campground upgrades have come in significantly higher than anticipated, according to CAO Rowland.
The electrical work, the proposed shower house and the gravel pads for the campsites have all come in higher than initially priced out when the project package was first put together in 2021.
Due to the delay between the project proposal and grant approval and the inflationary issues causing the increases, Rowland recommended dropping the shower house from the project until "more financially obtainable options" can be found.
Rowland also recommended that council remove the gravel pads from the campgrounds and leave each site as a grass pad instead.
"I think we need to do gravel in there, in my opinion," said Mayor Richard Elhard.
Due to the increased costs, council needs to move, at minimum, $90,000 from reserves to complete the project.
To keep the gravel in at all the sites, the costs escalate up to $160,000.
"I think we need to leave the gravel," said Kevin McDougall, agreeing with Elhard.
Both council members noted that, particularly in the north campground currently getting work done, the campgrounds sit in low areas, and with the weights of modern-day trailers, having them sit just on grass pads would not be feasible.
"Can we look at doing (the gravel) ourselves?" asked McDougall
Rowland noted that she can find out about the cost savings of the town laying the gravel itself, but an added issue is timing.
Due to conditions set out in the federal grant paying for the project, all the work must be completed by March 31, 2025.
"We need to get the contracts awarded," said Rowland.
Ultimately, council opted to cancel the shower house, for the time being, and approved the transfer of reserves of up to $160,000 to complete the project, with the understanding that if cost-savings could be found by the town doing the work itself, that is what would happen.
Business license bylaw
Castor's town council approved an updated bylaw establishing the requirement for businesses to acquire a business license to operate within the municipality during its Sept. 23 meeting.
Chief administrative officer (CAO) Donna Rowland noted that the bylaw introducing the new requirements is an update of an existing bylaw that dated back to the 1980s.
"It's more up-to-date terminology," said Rowland.
While the previous bylaw primarily required hawkers and peddlers in the community to acquire business licences, the new bylaw requires all businesses operating within the community to file for one every year so that the town can have up-to-date information.
There is no fee for business owners operating in town who live within Paintearth County or any of the municipalities within it.
Business owners from outside the county are required to pay a fee; the fee for a one-year license is $200, though shorter licenses can be obtained.
A six-month license can be obtained for $100, a 30-day license can be obtained for $40, or a 24-hour license, mainly used for hawkers and peddlers, can be obtained from the town office for $25.
Bylaw 1100, the business license bylaw, passed a third reading in a motion by Coun. Cecil Yates.
Letter of compliance policy
The Town of Castor has adopted a new policy setting guidelines for providing letters of compliance.
Letters of compliance are often required during the sale of homes and businesses and let the buyer know whether or not the property follows the current Land Use Bylaw guidelines.
Under the new policy, the town will provide a letter of compliance upon written request, the provision of two original copies of a Real Property Report, and the applicable fees.
The Real Property Report must be under a year old; reports older than one year but newer than five years will be accepted with an affidavit signed by the landowner within 30 days of submission stating that the report is accurate.
