Town of Stettler councillors discussed the final touches of the downtown park, located on Main Street, during their Sept. 15 regular meeting.
The park is almost completely finished, with the façade the last remaining aspect to be completed. The façade would cover the walls of the building on the side of the park.
Also up for discussion was the Carl Stettler memorial stone, which was moved from its out-of-the-way location to the park.
“Where it is (now) is absolutely awful,” councillor Al Campbell said. “It's almost an obstruction. Some day some guys leaving the bar will be rowdy and tip it.”
Campbell's opinion was initially shared by some councillors, but those opinions eventually swayed over to the other side.
“I was agreeing with Al,” councillor Sean Nolls said. “But it's good to put a face to the name. My big concern is some over-enthusiastic person trying a fear of strength.”
Councillors discussed maybe moving it to the corner of the park, where its back would be braced against a corner, or carving a likeness of Carl Stettler into its blank back.
“It can be tipped at the back too,” councillor Karen Sernecky noted. “I think a picture would be useful. I know a lot of people have stopped to read (the inscription).”
In the end, council decided to leave the memorial stone where it is.
Lee Penner, who appeared on behalf of the Beautification Committee, spoke about the plans for the façade. The least expensive option would be painting the wall, while the middle-ground option would see local artists' work portrayed on the wall. The most expensive and detailed option would see “shop fronts” build, three-dimensional structures.
Paying for the façade and the carving of the back of the Carl Stettler stone would run about $24,000, and it's money the committee didn't want to go to council for, so it looked at other options, Penner said.
One option was considering sponsorships, but council rejected the idea. With only two or three store-fronts in the plaza, it would be hard to be fair, Mayor Dick Richards said.
Richards noted that it's important that the façade pay homage to companies that were pioneer companies, the ones that helped build the community. While today's companies are equally important, it's hard to be fair to all of them when sponsorship would only feature one or two.
Council was in agreement to help the committee fund the rest of the park, though everyone wanted to be sure that the façades represented old pioneer businesses.
Gymnastics change
Council previously agreed to purchase $12,000 in used gymnastics equipment in a rent-to-own agreement with the Stettler Gymnastics Club, but it was revealed at council that there was a change in plans.
Instead of buying the used equipment, council agreed to buy brand new equipment at the cost of $19,000, with an immediate payment from the club to the tune of $7,000. No reason was given for the change, and the financial output from the town remains the same because the club could afford to make a down payment.
Off to AUMA
Council and town staff will be heading to the Alberta Urban Municipal Association annual conference, where they will meet with various governmental agencies to discuss the town's concerns, projects, problems and successes. Some of the meetings will discuss Stettler's flood concerns, road improvements, and RCMP coverage.