By Kevin J. Sabo
For the Bashaw Star
Currently, seniors in Bashaw have had to leave the community in order to get COVID-19 vaccinations, when many would rather not, due to the pandemic.
The Bashaw Pharmacy has been unable to secure a vaccine supply, and instead has been instructed to tell patients requesting vaccines to go to a major centre, such as Stettler, Red Deer, or Camrose.
“Many residents are just not getting vaccinated because they just don’t want to go there,” said Theresa Fuller, the Town of Bashaw Chief Administrative Officer.
In a motion made by Coun. Darren Pearson, the Town of Bashaw will begin advocating to their MLA and supporting their pharmacy to make the vaccine available in the community.
Lagoon project
Coming in at a higher cost than earlier anticipated, the Town of Bashaw is moving forward with its plans to upgrade the sewage lagoon.
On the books since 2015, and originally priced out at $715,000, the tender for the project which closed Mar. 23, 2021 saw a winning bid of just over $900,000.
In total, 14 tender packages were sent to companies wishing to bid, with only two being returned. Nu Edge Construction submitted the bid ultimately chosen by council, while the other tender received came in over the million-dollar mark.
The discrepancy between the original price and the chosen bid can be accounted for because of increased labour and material costs, as well as more sludge accumulating in the lagoon over the last several years, which is going to take more resources to remove.
The project will be funded through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, the Alberta Wastewater Partnership Program, Municipal Sustainability Initiative Program, and capital reserves. If the project is not completed soon, some of the funding will expire, increasing costs to the town further.
The project is slated to begin July 1, 2021 and be completed by September 31, 2021.
Fire Department
Bashsaw town council has approved an amendment to Policy 23.30, the Firefighter Fund Donation Policy.
The new amendment will allow any funds raised by the fire department through their fundraising efforts to be deposited directly into the Restricted for Operating Fire Reserve by the Town of Bashaw CAO, without first coming to council.
The change is made to streamline the process, and any deposits made will be reflected in the Fire Department’s annual financial return.