Halkirk’s village council has decided not to proceed, at this point, with a new sign for the entrance to the community.
The decision was made during the July 20 council meeting after council received a quote for a sign from Behrends Group with an estimated cost of just over $156,000. The proposed sign would be constructed out of metal in the shape of three tiger-lily blooms.
“I think we need to revisit this,” said chief administrative officer Tamara Sloboda.
“I was part of other municipalities that installed electronic signs that were half this price.”
One of the half-dozen spectators in attendance at the meeting chimed in that if the town were to move forward with this sign, it should be adorned with “stupid lives here.”
Mayor Thomas Schmidt, and the rest of council, agreed that the village didn’t need something so big and flashy.
Ultimately, Coun. Sherry Jamieson motioned to table further discussion on the entry sign until January of 2023.
Steno support
Village of Halkirk council has approved the continued support of the RCMP Steno position in Castor.
The position operates the a satellite RCMP office in Castor three days a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch.
Funded through a partnership between the village, the Town of Castor, the County of Paintearth, and the Town of Coronation, the satellite office allows people to file police reports or get criminal record checks done without having to go all the way to the main detachment office in Coronation.
Halkirk’s contribution to the position is $525 per year.
Off-leash park
An all but abandoned baseball field adjacent to the Bullarama grounds is getting a new lease on life.
Seeing as the area is fully fenced off, the suggestion was made to convert it into an off-leash dog park.
“We’re already paying to maintain it, why not use it for something useful,” said Mayor Thomas Schmidt.
Several people in the gallery viewing the meeting were both in favour and opposed to the repurposed use of the ball diamond.One resident was concerned about the idea due to parasites which can be found in animal feces, however ultimately was infavour of the conversion.
Others noted that the baseball field is usually used every summer for pickup baseball games when people host reunions; however, according to Sloboda that’s no reason not proceed with trialling the area as an off-leash dog-park.
“We can’t keep a piece of land unused because someone may use it twice a year,” Sloboda said.
“We’re trying to make it better for residents of Halkirk.”
In a motion put forward by Coun. Jamieson, council voted in favour of converting the field into an off-leash dog-park on a trial basis.
One of the village-owned garbage cans will be moved to the entrance as a repository for dog waste, and a supply of pick up bags will be provided.
It was noted that if residents do not clean up after their pets in the off-leash area, it will be a short-lived trial.
The trial will be reviewed in three months.