All members of Clinton council were present for the meeting on March 24, which began at 7 p.m.
Clinton Minor Sports Association
Council deferred a decision regarding a request from the Clinton Minor Sports Association for use of the public fields at Reg Conn Park and Elliott Park for the purpose of youth recreational sports. A letter from the association asked for use of the fields between April 1 and June 30, and noted that a full COVID-19 plan would be in place, provincial guidelines would be observed, weekly COVID-19 checks would be required, no out of town visitors or games with other communities would be allowed, and children would be grouped in the same cohorts that they are in at David Stoddart School.
The letter also noted the need for normalcy in children’s lives and the isolation they are feeling as a result of COVID-19. “Having access to team sports will help make a difference to the communities [sic] struggling youth, to feel like they are part of a team again.”
Mayor Susan Swan pointed to the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the province, and suggested postponing a decision for two weeks to see what direction came from the Province. Coun. David Park agreed, and council advised staff to reply to the letter accordingly.
Street number signs
Further to discussions at previous meetings regarding the lack of visible street numbers on many residences in Clinton — which is an issue for first responders — there was a letter from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) regarding its reflective number sign program, which has reflective signs available for purchase for $15.
While this service is primarily available for rural residents in the TNRD’s electoral areas, the letter stated that if a municipality such as Clinton required a small number of signs, these could be provided for $15 each. If a large number of signs was required, the TNRD would be able to assist the village in pursuing a similar agreement with the vendor that supplies the signs to the TNRD.
Coun. Sandi Burrage, who first brought the matter up, said she felt the next step would be to see who wanted the signs. “We can’t force people to do it, but we can’t afford to do it ourselves.” She also noted the safety factor of having the street address of a property easily visible. Swan suggested a notice with the property tax bills to gauge interest, as well as notices on the village’s website and Facebook page, and Park suggested a staged roll-out at two or three different times.
Staff were directed to look into developing a plan to make residents aware of the opportunity to purchase reflective number signs for their homes.
Donation to Clinton and District Assisted Living Society
On Feb. 19, 2021 the village received a donation of $10,000, with the request that it be forwarded to the Clinton and District Assisted Living Society to aid in the construction of the seniors’ living facility currently under construction. Chief Financial Officer Mandy McKague explained to council that she required council approval in order to forward the money by issuing a cheque to the society, and approval was duly given.
Fitness room
A staff report noted that the fitness room operated by the Village of Clinton has been closed since March 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions. As of March 24, strict guidelines regarding minimum space per user and minimum distance between users meant only one person could use the room at a time. Sessions would need to be booked, with no walk-ins; contact tracing information would need to be obtained for each person; and an attendant would need to be hired to monitor occupancy and clean the room thoroughly after every use, which would take approximately 30 minutes each time. The room would only operate during normal village office hours.
The report recommended that the village refrain from opening the fitness room until the Provincial Health Order has been lifted and normal operations can resume. Burrage said that while it was unfortunate the room was closed, “We’ve gone this long with it closed and we can leave it a little longer.” A motion proposing that the fitness room remain closed was passed.
The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
All minutes and agendas for Clinton council meetings can be found on the Village’s website at https://village.clinton.bc.ca/. Meetings normally take place on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, and begin at 7 p.m. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14.
editorial@accjournal.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter