Stettler town council agreed to fund a proposed expansion to the Stettler Regional Child Care Centre after hearing a presentation at the council meeting on Tuesday, May 6.
The daycare sees about 150-200 children on a monthly basis.
“We are in a little bit of a slump right now,” said Chris Satre, who helped present the case to council.
Until April 2013, the daycare received a Quality Funding Grant, which came to $7,500 a year. However, this grant is no longer offered, which forces the childcare society to think of ways to get more funding.
“We have some money in the bank,” Satre said. “We don’t have a lot of money.”
The childcare society estimates that, if council agrees to assist with the project, the expansion would start in June and finish by September.
When the daycare was first built, the childcare society asked the town to mortgage a new space, and the society would pay the town back. Council acknowledged that the town was paid back quickly in that case. The childcare society asked the town for the same thing for the expansion.
Council approved interim municipal funding up to an estimated cost of $250,000 for the project, under the assumption that the society will pay the town back.
Tenders awarded
In other business, Director of Operations Melissa Robbins presented three tenders to council.
In the 2014 budget, council approved $150,000 to crush waste concrete and asphalt stored at the transfer station.
Fees to dump concrete and asphalt for recycling are $85 a load for single axle, $125 a load for tandem and $250 a load for end dump. The recommendation presented to council was to approve the fees, award the tender to Bettenson Sand and Gravel Co. Ltd., and to approve crushing concrete and asphalt up to $150,000. The motion to accept the recommendation was carried.
The town budgeted $125,000 for miscellaneous concrete replacement throughout the town. The recommendation presented was for council to award the tender to J. Branco and Sons Concrete Services Ltd. and to approve expenditures up to $125,00, plus GST. The motion was carried.
The third tender was for road rehabilitation. The tender is meant to cover sidewalk and roadwork rehabilitation in the downtown park, sidewalk replacement on 47th and 48th streets and sidewalk replacement on 45th Ave. and 57th Street. As well, the tender includes a budgeted amount for a patching program and pathway construction.
The downtown park is the only portion that came in over budget.
Council voted to complete the proposed sidewalk replacement, award the tender to Metro Paving and Roadbuilding for almost $1.8 million, and approved an additional $24,000 for the downtown park project.
Stoutenberg bids farewell
Tuesday’s meeting marked the last town council meeting of CAO Rob Stoutenberg, and Mayor Dick Richards gave a short speech at the end, stating how grateful the town was for his service, and that both he and assistant CAO Greg Switenky have learned from him and benefited from his presence.
Richards also acknowledged the winners of the World Rotary Curling Championships and presented them with a token of acknowledgment. On hand at the meeting were Brian Sribney, René Bernard, and Collin Georget, with skip Neil Connor missing.