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Councillor's Corner
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| February 2008 |
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Welcome to 2008! I have noticed as I watch my children grow up, time doesn’t slow down. We are already into February and I for one am looking toward a warmer month. Spring is coming, right?
Over the last couple of weeks a few things have become quite obvious to me and I wanted to share these with you.
A person runs for election on town council for obvious reasons. They want to get involved in their community and feel that they have something to offer. And thanks to the electors I was one of those people. Once you are sitting on town council one tends to look at other communities to compare to ones own. I look at the facilities, the beauty of the town and the friendliness of the people, to name a few. One thing has become quite obvious to me and that is what we have to offer our community members and visitors and the current state of our facilities.
As a parent of kids in minor sports, we travel to a lot of other communities, Summer and Winter. I have had the opportunity to look at ball diamonds, arenas, curling rinks, etc. and one thing that has become quite clear to me is how our facilities compare. They are aesthetically pleasing to look at and the cleanliness and warmth is excellent. I have been to communities that seem much richer than us to be disappointed by the facilities and the staff that look after it. This does not mean that we can step back and pat ourselves on the back; we need to always be aware of our surroundings so that we can continue to be a community that can be proud.
It is not only the buildings that make up a community however; it is also the people who live here. I want to congratulate our children and parents for their welcoming attitude and positive behavior when other teams arrive here to play against them. Our officiating is always fair to the home team and the visitors equally and I want to thank them for that. Our children act with friendliness and respect no matter what is happening on the field, ice rink or gymnasium and that is due to the positive influence of our parents showing respect to those officials as they watch their children win or lose. It is always great to win, but it is even greater to lose with respect!
On this note, I would like to encourage all of the community to remember to thank the staff that look after our facilities with pride and come and watch our younger generation present Hanna as a friendly and respectful community. There is a Girls Basketball tournament being held at JC Charyk Hanna School on February 15 & 16 and minor hockey is hosting Bantam Provincials on March 28-30th. Come out and cheer on the home teams!
Submitted by Councillor Siverson
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| February 2008 |
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Welcome to 2008! I have noticed as I watch my children grow up, time doesn’t slow down. We are already into February and I for one am looking toward a warmer month. Spring is coming, right?
Over the last couple of weeks a few things have become quite obvious to me and I wanted to share these with you.
A person runs for election on town council for obvious reasons. They want to get involved in their community and feel that they have something to offer. And thanks to the electors I was one of those people. Once you are sitting on town council one tends to look at other communities to compare to ones own. I look at the facilities, the beauty of the town and the friendliness of the people, to name a few. One thing has become quite obvious to me and that is what we have to offer our community members and visitors and the current state of our facilities.
As a parent of kids in minor sports, we travel to a lot of other communities, Summer and Winter. I have had the opportunity to look at ball diamonds, arenas, curling rinks, etc. and one thing that has become quite clear to me is how our facilities compare. They are aesthetically pleasing to look at and the cleanliness and warmth is excellent. I have been to communities that seem much richer than us to be disappointed by the facilities and the staff that look after it. This does not mean that we can step back and pat ourselves on the back; we need to always be aware of our surroundings so that we can continue to be a community that can be proud.
It is not only the buildings that make up a community however; it is also the people who live here. I want to congratulate our children and parents for their welcoming attitude and positive behavior when other teams arrive here to play against them. Our officiating is always fair to the home team and the visitors equally and I want to thank them for that. Our children act with friendliness and respect no matter what is happening on the field, ice rink or gymnasium and that is due to the positive influence of our parents showing respect to those officials as they watch their children win or lose. It is always great to win, but it is even greater to lose with respect!
On this note, I would like to encourage all of the community to remember to thank the staff that look after our facilities with pride and come and watch our younger generation present Hanna as a friendly and respectful community. There is a Girls Basketball tournament being held at JC Charyk Hanna School on February 15 & 16 and minor hockey is hosting Bantam Provincials on March 28-30th. Come out and cheer on the home teams!
Submitted by Councillor Siverson
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| December 2007 |
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This past council meeting provided another large learning curve. Administration took the time to review some of the grant monies that a municipality receives and/or applies for. It is amazing how and where the dollars come from in order to provide the services and infrastructure to our community.
The town is one step closer to providing a new residential development. The first reading of Bylaw 939-2007 was given and provides authorization for the town to borrow dollars in order to develop the area. The costs have gone up astronomically since Wilkins Place & Donald Drive were developed, however we are in agreement that a new development is a great need in order for our community to continue to grow!
Congratulations to three members of our Hanna Youth Council who took their oath of office at the meeting. I am sure that Tanner Georgsen, Alana Wade and Hayley Crowle will provide excellent leadership for the youth of our community. We look forward to working with you in these coming years.
Mayor Collins, Council and administration had their annual Christmas party this past week and it was enjoyed by all. It is important that we take the time to thank the employees of the town for all of their hard work over the year. We look forward to continuing our working relationship with you all in 2008. The Mayor and Council wish to extend Holiday Greetings to all of you and your families.
Councillor Siverson
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| December 2007 |
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This past council meeting provided another large learning curve. Administration took the time to review some of the grant monies that a municipality receives and/or applies for. It is amazing how and where the dollars come from in order to provide the services and infrastructure to our community.
The town is one step closer to providing a new residential development. The first reading of Bylaw 939-2007 was given and provides authorization for the town to borrow dollars in order to develop the area. The costs have gone up astronomically since Wilkins Place & Donald Drive were developed, however we are in agreement that a new development is a great need in order for our community to continue to grow!
Congratulations to three members of our Hanna Youth Council who took their oath of office at the meeting. I am sure that Tanner Georgsen, Alana Wade and Hayley Crowle will provide excellent leadership for the youth of our community. We look forward to working with you in these coming years.
Mayor Collins, Council and administration had their annual Christmas party this past week and it was enjoyed by all. It is important that we take the time to thank the employees of the town for all of their hard work over the year. We look forward to continuing our working relationship with you all in 2008. The Mayor and Council wish to extend Holiday Greetings to all of you and your families.
Councillor Siverson
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| November 2007 |
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Our first Regular Meeting of Council took place on November 13th. For some of us it was an experience and not as scary as I thought it would be. Thank you to the town administration for not loading us down with so much information that we can’t keep it all straight. They have been extremely helpful with all the questions that we have!
A little tidbit of information for all of you is that Mayor Collins, many of the councillors and two senior administration members will be attending the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association conference in Calgary during this week. This conference provides an opportunity for elected officials and administration to gather information regarding new and innovative ways to provide services to our community, how to access grant funding that is available and allows us to network with other communities with similar backgrounds. There is also a special workshop for us newbies that will help us to fully understand our role in council. Congratulations to Pat Burns as he will be receiving an award at this conference for over 20 years of service in local government!
Have some of you been receiving telephone calls asking you to complete a survey for the Town lately? I know that we all tend to hang up on these callers; however, the Town has hired a company to provide a Needs Assessment and Facility Development Strategy in order to provide a foundation for the development of facility concepts such as delivery of services, needed programs and services, etc. We hope that you will willingly answer all questions asked with an honest response. This report, when compiled, will help Council to know what you see as important when making decisions for future development!
In the meantime, I encourage all of you to watch out for your neighbors, pick up the litter that always seems to be blowing around and say “Hi” to the kids. If we continue to work together and help each other out, Hanna will be an even greater place to live!
Councillor Siverson
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