The regular council meeting of the Village of Canal Flats took place on April 26 – a Tuesday evening rather than the usual Monday evening, as April 25 was Easter Monday.
The Canal Flats Community Society had requested permission from council to acquire a liquor license for June 4 and June 5.
This request was made to the town council as part of the Canal Days event that is being put together.
The Community Society will be operating the beer gardens again this year during the festivities. Council passed this request.
The Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC)’s last meeting’s minutes were presented to council.
Eleven directional signs have been posted throughout the village to help direct to hiking trails, parks, boat launches and more.
However, the signs do not direct to the elementary school. EDAC brought the purchase of three additional directional tabs directing to the school to council, who approved their purchase.
Paul Marcil of EDAC was also approved by council to become a liason with the Ministry of Highways for the village.
Marcil will approach the Ministry of Highways about additional signage for the village.
In addition, village Chief Administrative Officer Brian Woodward was approved to be the head of the local public body for the purposes of the Freedom of Information and Protection Privacy Act.
EDAC’s meeting minutes brought up the green opportunities of solar panels being installed to the south side of the new village building and Civic Centre.
Council directed staff to check on what grant funding might be available for this type of project.
A zoning bylaw amendment concerning Tilley Memorial Park was given a first and second reading by council, with a public hearing date set for May 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Centre.
With the new concession stand, the Shore Side Snack Shack, taking root in the park, the bylaw needed to be amended.
“While reviewing the matter of allowing a concession stand in the park, it came to light that the lower land area in the park was inadvertently zoned to the WR-2 (Water Resource Community Zone), which only allows docks, boat launches, etc. when the new lake zones were established in 2008,” said Canal Flats mayor Bruce Woodbury.
“The foreshore, lake surface and lower park land area were previously un-zoned. The WR-2 zone should have only been applied to the lake surface and foreshore area at the park, not to the land area in the park. The land area should have been zoned to P-2 Public Parks and Open Space. The P-2 zone allows a range of typical park related uses, including a concession stand.”