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Council makes move toward household organics composting

The Town of St. Paul is moving forward with a plan to introduce household organics composting with a major purchase in the direction, at $314,574, to supply waste carts, compost carts, and indoor kitchen compost containers to residents.
One of the most enjoyed features of the 2017 Canada Day celebrations in St. Paul appears to be the addition of Orbis balls.
One of the most enjoyed features of the 2017 Canada Day celebrations in St. Paul appears to be the addition of Orbis balls.

The Town of St. Paul is moving forward with a plan to introduce household organics composting with a major purchase in the direction, at $314,574, to supply waste carts, compost carts, and indoor kitchen compost containers to residents.

The plan is to supply households with the carts so that they can separate organics from other waste, to be composted at the transfer station. The town is estimating this move could divert 40 to 50 per cent of waste from the landfill.

Coun. Ken Kwiatkowski expressed some reservations about making the purchase, noting the bins will cost thousands of dollars.

“We don’t know if the community is going to buy into this,” he said, adding he felt the town needed community input on the project.

CAO Holly Habiak noted the bins were part of the town’s plans to purchase an anaerobic digester and has applied for grants for this project, which she felt went hand-in-hand with the composting program.

“We’re applying for the grants with the understanding that we’re going to have an organics program in place,” she explained, following the council meeting.

Mayor Glenn Andersen questioned why Kwiatkowski was expressing reservations during the council meeting, asking him, “Do you not think this should have been discussed before the budget? It was approved in the budget, just saying.”

“I have nothing against this. I would just like to see what the public would like to say about it,” Kwiatkowski said, later saying his feeling was that the town was rushing through the process.

Coun. Judy Bogdan said while the town might not have done a formal consultation, there has been feedback, and “residents have expressed to me they would like to see more recycling,” as she added, “I have a feeling there will be support there.”

While Kwiatkowski voted against the motion, the rest of council voted to accept Rehig Pacific Company’s bid for the supply and distribution of waste carts, compost carts, and indoor kitchen compost containers.

The Town of St. Paul’s celebration of Canada 150 was a big success, agreed council, as they spoke about the June 30 and July 1 events held at Lagasse Park and the Recreation Centre.

Among the big hits were the Orbis Balls, which cost about $7,000 to rent for two days, and the fireworks. Ordinarily the local fire department takes care of the fireworks, but this year, the Town of St. Paul contracted a private company to run them, at a cost of almost $20,000, according to Habiak, who noted the County of St. Paul gave a $10,000 contribution as well.

“There were a lot of people timing that thing,” said Coun. Dwight Wiebe with a chuckle. Council agreed having outdoor events at Lagasse Park definitely added to the event, and Andersen said he thought that Canada Day festivities should be planned for Lagasse Park in the future, weather permitting, adding, “It’s a natural fit.”

“I’ve heard nothing but positives,” agreed Coun. Don Padlesky.

Councillors thanked the Town of St. Paul staff and administration for their help in staging the event, with Habiak giving a special mention to Sarah Burton, as she said Burton, amongst the town staff, “rose to the top” in helping prepare for the event.

Almost a month after the first-ever Centerfield Music Festival in St. Paul wrapped up, the Town of St. Paul looked at what worked and what didn’t in what is planned to be an annual event.

Habiak reported on the debrief with organizers at town council’s regular July 10 meeting, noting there was some concern over the impact of the event on the baseball fields. However, organizers did contribute funds to fixing the fields, said Habiak. As of last Monday night’s meeting, she said she didn’t have a total cost breakdown for how much the town spent on the event, beyond its $50,000 sponsorship contribution. The other item she noted was a request to see more food trucks available, if the event was planned again.

Habiak reported that the Town of St. Paul has hired a Director of Corporate Services, responsible for financial management and financial planning for the town.

She said Rod Griffiths, who is currently living in Edmonton, has several years of experience working for municipalities. Griffiths was slated to start working in St. Paul on July 19.

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