Stettler’s town council received a mid-year strategic plan update during an otherwise uneventful July 5 meeting.
The strategic plan the council worked through in the fall of 2021 identified five key areas that council and administration were to work on in 2022; according to the mid-year update the results on the work have so far been mixed.
Priority one of the strategic plan was for the town to create a parks advisory committee to review existing plans, new features, and ongoing maintenance and upgrades.
To date, this goal has been met successfully with the committee having been formed and the reviews started. To date the committee has only met once, but a second meeting is on the schedule for September.
While multiple parks have been reviewed by the committee so far, the ongoing work will include the revitalization of the “Tot Lot” near Fas Gas, sports field turf revitalization, and the creation of two new playgrounds among other areas of interest.
The second priority for council in the strategic plan was the Stettler Recreation Centre (SRC) expansion plan/multi-use facility.
A working group for this project has been established and SRC expansion plans are being reviewed as are funding sources for the project.
The next meeting for this group will also be in September 2022.
The third priority for Stettler council and administration was the cration of an office meeting space.
“This is coming together in a very chronological way,” said Town of Stettler communications director Lara Angus.
So far layout options have been identified and cost estimates are in the process of being acquired, but the remainder of the tasks, such as creating a budget proposal, and developing structural and technology components have yet to be completed.
The committee on this project has so far met three times and plans to meet again in August.
A fourth and fifth item on the council’s strategic plan, the marketing of Stettler as a Christmas Destination and Information and Technology upgrades have yet to be started.
The marketing of Stettler as a Christmas destination committee is set to have its first meeting in September once the Regional Board of Trade is done with its summer rush.
As for the Information and Technology upgrade item, according to Angus that item will be tackled in conjunction with the technology component of the new meeting room.
AHS Meeting
Following two gaps in Emergency Room hospital coverage in a relatively short period of time, Mayor Sean Nolls and chief administrative officer Greg Switenky met with the medical director and another high lever staffer in Alberta Health Services (AHS).
According to Nolls, AHS is scheduling a rotation of locums for the facility and that Emergency Room scheduling is now being done three months out giving them plenty of opportunity to plug holes in the schedule.
“(The medical director) assured us it was never going to happen again,” said Nolls, before noting that unforeseen circumstances do come up.
Nolls also noted that AHS is creating two new physician positions at Stettler Hospital and Care Centre to help with hospital coverage.
“She acknowledged the operations that happen here, how important we are with taking pressure off of Red Deer,” said Nolls.
To help with communication going forward, the AHS staff have promised to set up regular meetings with Nolls and Switenky, as well as County of Stettler reeve Larry Clarke and CAO Yvette Cassidy.