Tom Henihan
Express Staff
@SmokyRiverExprs
New regional fire chief attends council
meeting
The new regional fire chief Marcel Maure attended the Girouxville Council Meeting on January 13, to introduce himself to council and to hear any concerns that council may have.
Items that came up for discussion were Disaster Services Response, a matter that has been under consideration for some time but due to the turnover in fire chiefs recently this important matter has been constantly preempted.
However, Maure said they are working on it now and as part of the strategy Peace Region fire chiefs are also working on an agreement, so should something the magnitude of Slave Lake or High Level fires happen in the area, Peace River, or High Prairie fire department can be called in to help. The agreement will work on a basic cost recovery system.
“We are not in the business of making money, we are in the business of saving lives and to help each other out,” says Maure. “It is a community thing here.”
Another matter of concern is having a defibrillator in the Village of Girouxville, with the agreement being that the local bowling alley is a strategic site to keep the machine on hand. As a recent emergency involving a senior illustrated especially with the longer response time due to the Girouxville’s location, a defibrillator is essential to the community. At the time of the fire chief’s conversation with council, the matter of the defibrillator may have been resolved, but in any case, Maure promised to look into it and correct the situation if still necessary.
With all municipalities now onside with the Fire Department Regionalization, Maure also confirmed that the contract has been awarded for the construction of a new regional fire hall in Falher with the work slated to start in May and a possible completion date sometime in December.
Peace Region
Victim Services
Council has approved the request from Peace Region Victim Services for $2 per capita financial support with the total amount being $532.
Fire Protection
Services Agreement
Motion approved to authorize the signing of the Fire Protection Services Agreement.
ACTO Gas – Relocation of ground bed approval
ATCO engineering department has looked at the village to determine a suitable location for the ground bed. The current ground bed, which is located across from the campsite, is no longer viable. The ground bed is essential for the maintenance of gas lines to ensure they do not corrode and must have access to a power source. The new location at 5103 – 51st Street does not require removing pavement as it is positioned under the boulevard and ATCO has guaranteed when the work is completed the site will be restored to its original condition.
Heart River Housing Business Plan
Before supporting the Heart River Housing Business Plan 2016 – 2020 council will send a letter asking Heart River Housing to clarify what this plan means for Girouxville.
Girouxville becomes member of Peace
Library System
Following a talk by Jacky Hockey of the Falher Library at its December meeting, outlining the myriad resources and services available through membership in the Peace Library System, (PLS) Council approved a motion that Girouxville become a PLS member.
At a cost of $8.88 per capita at a total cost to the community of $2,361.23, membership in the PLS provides Girouxville residents with library services comparable to larger urban areas, with access to a full range of electronic services such as downloadable audio books, eBooks, digital newspapers and magazines plus music, movies and television shows. It also provides online tools to learn languages, produce a professional resume and practical matters such as home repairs and automobile maintenance.
There are also many resources for parenting and early childhood education such as Tumble Book Library, which offers animated eBooks for kids.
PLS Director, Linda Duplessis issued a news release welcoming Girouxville as the 39th member of the System. “By joining PLS, the Village has opened up a world of opportunities for its residents to find the resources and the information they need. It’s a simple matter of signing up at a library of their choice and then taking advantage of all their membership has to offer.”