I trust everyone has appreciated the recent snowfall; while you may not be a fan, it’s essential for this community and region to receive all the moisture we can get. It won’t be long until the spring is here and don’t get mad at me, but I hope it is a very wet spring.
The province has declared 2024 as a drought year prompting a call for all water users including municipalities to exercise water conservation wherever possible. Administration is working on a water conservation plan tailored to municipal operations. This plan is slated to be presented to Council for their review and input during the March 27 Council Information Meeting. Areas under investigation include:
- Decrease irrigation on all Town-owned properties equipped with irrigation systems encompassing sports fields (such as ball and soccer) and park/playground areas with underground irrigation. While irrigation for sports fields will be scaled back, it will be maintained at a level to ensure the turf remains healthy and conducive to safe play.
- Reduce the quantity and variety of flower plantings.
- The outdoor pool is scheduled to open as usual, while the spray park may have a shorter operating season but will remain functional. It’s worth mentioning that the spray park utilizes a recirculation system, ensuring its water usage is minimized for a facility of its kind.
- The Town will maintain its efforts to adequately water trees to ensure their health.
- We will explore the possibility of reducing residential outdoor water usage, ideally through voluntary means, without the need for mandatory enforcement measures.
Assessment Notices for 2024 have been mailed. Property owners are encouraged to review and comprehend their assessments. If there are questions or concerns please discuss them with the Town Assessor whose contact information is printed on the Assessment Notice. As attendance has been low in recent years, there will be no Assessment Open House scheduled for this year.
You may have already noticed the weekly Town of Hanna flyer in your mailbox. Following the closure of the Hanna Sentinel, this flyer will serve as the primary source of printed information for Town events, notices meetings, programs and more. Additionally, for statutory requirements, advertisements will be placed in the ECA Review.
To stay updated with Town of Hanna news and coming events, consider signing up for the Town of Hanna electronic newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. This newsletter is another valuable tool for sharing important updates and announcements. To sign up, please visit hanna.ca/first-to-know
You can sign up to receive the Town of Hanna e-news which arrives as an email in your inbox and is another tool used to promote Town of Hanna news. To sign up
While you are signing up, I also encourage you to enroll in the Hanna Alerts System. This automated system is a communication tool that provides important notifications for critical updates, public safety alerts or other information relevant to the Town of Hanna. This does not replace the Alberta Emergency Alert System,
Remember to reach out to me with any concerns, issues or topics regarding the governance and operations of the Town of Hanna.