By Yvonne Dick
Highlights of the Ponoka County Council meeting for June 22 include rezoning applications, recognition of community financial needs, and planning for the upcoming fall elections.
In the rezoning department, Rod Jordan's land located at Pt. SW 3-44-2-W5 was approved for rezoning to country residential. According to CAO Charlie Cutforth, ìIt was a second parcel out of a quarter section which has one old building site separation off it already.î
The Lucky Hill Dairy rezoning was denied. ìThat was a 48-parcel multi-lot subdivision proposal for the northeast side of Gull Lake, and there was considerable objection to that,î Cutforth said.
Council supports new playground in Bluffton
The Hamlet of Bluffton may be getting a new playground thanks to the Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. ìThere was an old playground site that was getting decrepit and we actually pulled all of the old equipment out ó it was almost a liability, it wasn't in good shape,î Cutforth said. ìThe Chamber is looking at developing a new one.î
County council indicated to the chamber support would be there in the form of plans and funding should the project go forward.
Support to house medical antiques
The Rimbey Historical Society had a donation from the Rimbey Hospital of some antique medical equipment. Cutforth says, ìThey have now undertaken a small building to house some of this stuff, and they requested that the county contribute $3,500.î County Council approved the request.
Election details
Elections for Ponoka County and Wolf Creeks Public School board will be tied together this year as polling for both will happen in the same stations, at the same times, Cutforth said.
ìWe've been asked by the local school division if we would run their election on their behalf concurrently with ours, and council agreed to do that. They set some of the details ó as per the provincial legislation ó the voting hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and we did set advance polls.î
Election advance polls
The advance polls will be in Rimbey for divisions 3, 4 and 5 on Oct. 5; in Ponoka for divisions 1, 2 and 3 on Oct. 6. The poll locations will be announced after nomination day in September. ìElections in some of the divisions depend on who is nominated. Once the nomination day occurs then we'll know where we need to set up polling stations,î explained Cutforth.
The next Ponoka County council meeting is July 20.