County of Stettler councillors voted unanimously at its June 10 council meeting to support local junior high rodeo athletes who are heading to the United States for a major competition.
Tori Brower (Gadsby), Beau Cooper (Stettler), Randon Ross (Botha)
Mikenna Schauer (Halkirk), Chase Skocdopole (Big Valley), brothers Jace Thorsteinson and JD Thorsteinson (Botha), Taiga Thorsteinsson (Stettler), and Hayden Warren (Big Valley) all qualified to compete at the junior finals in Des Moines, Iowa from June 21-27.
The competition hosts more than a thousand competitors from Canada, the United States and Australia.
County spokesperson Niki Thorsteinsson's daughter is one of the competitors heading to the rodeo finals and she said she is very proud of her.
"It's super duper competitive," she said. "The fact that so many local kids made it onto the team says a lot about the talent we have in the county."
Council voted in favour of supporting all the attendees with $200 each to help offset the costs.
Chicken bylaw doesn't fly
Only one county resident wrote in objection in response to the first reading and passing of the rural chicken bylaw, which would allow rural homeowners to house a small number of chickens for personal use, but it was enough to sink the bylaw.
Council voted 4-3 against the bylaw, with Greggory Jackson, Dave Grover, Les Stulberg and Wayne Nixon voting against, and Ernie and Joe Gendre and James Nibourg voting in favour.
Cemetery Services presentation
A delegation from New West Geomatics presented itself to council, explaining their geo-location and mapping software services.
The company maps cemeteries and gravestone locations, recording the name and dates of those who have come to rest in mapped cemeteries but also collects information relevant to each occupant, thus recording history that is passing away as some of the elderly residents of the county pass on.
After the meeting, councillors thanked the company for its presentation and said it would take the information under consideration.
County supports Town of Stettler grant request
A letter from the Town of Stettler requesting the county's support in an application to the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Grant was unanimously supported by councillors.
The grant application from the town is seeking the grant to refurbish and modernize the Stettler Recreation Centre, parts of which are more than 20 years old.
The grant program is a one-time program launched in celebration of Canada's 150th birthday and will see the federal government invest $150 million in community infrastructure over two years.