Road Use Agreement Update

Montem Resources contacted the Municipality to request a road use agreement for their upcoming work and were advised that a security deposit of $34,400 would be required. If no damages were done to the roads, the security deposit would be returned at the conclusion of the project. Montem requested reduced security costs for a long-term hauling agreement (up to three years) for trucked in exploration equipment and indicated the $34,400 security requirement identified for the usage of 9.2 km of gravel and 3.8 km of asphalt haul route was excessive and asked to have securities reduced as they are a local tax payer. Montem then reached out to a Councillor and requested that they have a reduced fee. Heavy Truck Route Special Permits commonly referred to as Road Use Agreements are put in place to protect Municipal infrastructure, minimize publicly funded road maintenance for road use by industry, and by imposing specific restrictions, i.e. speed, time of day, etc., also work to protect the safety of all other road users. Most municipalities use Road Use Agreements (RUA) to make sure Industry is aware of the responsibilities and policies in place for movement on roads under their control. Road Use Agreements cover extraordinary use, which is likely to damage roads or to cause persons living on or near the road to be annoyed by dust, noise, traffic, or other nuisance arising from the users activity. Municipal roadways are designed for specific activities, which do not include heavy hauling or continuous hauling. During the hauling period the road is monitored for damage and repairs are completed by the user or at the user's cost. Securities are collected to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the road use agreement. Additional maintenance may be required for dust control during hauling operations. In addition to securities, some municipalities charge for road use by distance travelled, by duration of use, by weight of load being hauled or any combination of the above.

Following the use and completion of inspection resulting in the road remaining in satisfactory condition, the securities are returned to the user. Should the Municipality have to provide additional maintenance over and above what is regular as a result of use or haulage by a party in agreement, funds will be drawn from the securities to compensate. After some discussion, Councillor Ward moved to direct Administration to draft a Road Use Agreement Policy. The motion was carried.

Bulk Water Fill Station Cost Estimate

Council had requested that Administration explore a possible location and costs associated with implementing a bulk water fill station. Administration had advised at the time that provisions were included to allow a future fill station adjacent to Frank WWTP, however have investigated further and initial estimates show that it would cost approximately $200,000. This would include the meter, valve and backflow preventer along with a 3" overhead filling arm and control system. Additional features also could be considered and will be investigated if this project is approved. With the upcoming construction on the Frank WWTP, this work could be included within the scope of that project. Councillor Filipuzzi made a motion that this work be included in the WWTP project. A friendly amendment was made by Councillor Ward that this be done at the earliest possible stage. That motion was carried.

Hillcrest Ball Complex Fence

During our unusual wet season that is still going and possible frost issues, staff reported the fence posts that secure the fence to the ground are lifting and coming out of the ground in a few places. A fence contractor was brought in to look at this issue and reported that the posts are very shallow and are usually installed deeper. The combination of depth and environmental issues may be why the posts are coming up. The posts need to be pulled and re-cemented to a more appropriate depth. The contractor commented that this is a problem in certain areas in these fields and that they had done repairs in the other field a few years ago. Council all agreed that this was something that needed to be fixed. Following discussion, Councillor Ward made a motion that council approves up to $5,000 from reserves to repair the fencing at the Hillcrest Ball Complex. The motion was carried.

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