The Town of Hanna council heard that the municipality will claim warranty on Main Street sidewalks that are in less than ideal condition after less than two years. The report was made at the Oct. 14 regular meeting of council.

As councillors were reading the regular manager’s reports Coun. Fred Crowle asked Director of Public Works Brent Olsen if the condition of some Main Street sidewalks had been noted; Crowle added he was concerned about the sidewalks.

Olsen responded yes, his department was aware of some of the sidewalks showing cracks and stated that the town has a two-year warranty for those sidewalks and they’re still under warranty. Olsen noted the town is working with the contractor and that the cracks will be repaired.

During discussion Olsen stated it was unclear what caused the cracking, although he observed that since the province began moving away from coal, a material called “fly ash” has been in short supply, and this material was previously used to strengthen concrete.

CAO report

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Matthew Norburn noted in his report to council that he is speaking on a regular basis with the Pioneer and Palliser Trail paving contractors.

Later in the meeting Olsen confirmed Pioneer Trail was completed by the day of the council meeting. During discussion it was noted the contractor will be placing a guard rail as well.

Norburn gave an update on the town’s talks with Prairie Land School Division on the acquisition of former school property. Norburn confirmed the trustees had approved the plan.

The CAO noted that he plans to discuss Hanna’s airport with Special Areas. “See if we can come up with a strategy to use that better,” said Norburn.

The CAO added that the town continues to monitor a former problem dog property to ensure there are no more issues.

Facilities report

Councillors examined the regular report of Kevin Olsen, community services facilities manager, which noted that the Hanna arena is fully booked for weekends this winter. It was noted ice was made in Sept. and arena use began Sept. 29.

Olsen’s report noted that the spray park was winterized Sept. 22. Mayor Danny Povaschuk added that the spray park seemed very popular because every time he drove by that area on a hot day it seemed to be very busy.

Community services

Councillors read the regular report of Community Services Coordinator Michelle Toews; during discussion several questions were asked about pickle ball activities at the Centennial Centre.

Toews clarified that drop-in pickle ball during the day is sponsored by FCSS, and is therefore free of charge for participants. However, evening pickle ball is not sponsored, and so user fees apply.

She also noted in her report the youth club is going to be busy over the next few weeks. “The youth club is hosting an evening of Mantracker at Fox Lake Park on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. for students in Grade 7 and above,” noted the report. “They will also be hosting their annual Pumpkin Parade on Nov. 1 in Hector King-Hunter Park.”

Hanna TV

Laurie Armstrong, director of business & communication, noted that since Oct. 14 would be the last regular council meeting before the municipal election she tabulated some numbers about the Town of Hanna’s YouTube channel.

Armstrong noted that from Nov. 1, 2021 to Sept. 25, 2025 Hanna’s YouTube channel hosted 9,700 livestream views of council meetings. She reported that on average viewers watched for about 20 minutes.

Councillors accepted the staff reports as information.