Town of Lumsden Meeting Highlights November 24, 2020
The Town of Lumsden Council met for its regular meeting on November 24. Due to COVID-19, Council held via Zoom. The Council will hold all meetings via zoom for the foreseeable future. All Councillors, Mayor Bryan Matheson and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Monica Merkosky, were present.
COVID-19 at the Highschool
Councillor Barber reported that the high school has switched to remote learning after six students and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, 150 students were notified by the Saskatchewan Health Authority as close contacts and required to self isolate for two weeks. He noted as this was half the student population, the school didn’t have a lot of choice but to close and shift to remote learning. He said that it took a day to get organized, and by the next day, students were learning online.
He praised the teachers and the staff, saying they have done a great job in preparing. He noted they are using Google Classroom and the kids are all familiar with it. He added the staff were very confident all would go well. He said that while he was not aware of any additional positive cases, it would not be unreasonable to expect that there may be more cases in the coming week. He noted it would not impact the reopening of the school on December 7.
He said that what they have learned from Saskatchewan Health and contact tracing is that it did not appear that there had been transmission within the school. There were six students across three grades, and two were very close contacts. Other than that, Barber said, there does not appear to be a linkage between those students. He said that people need to be very aware of the fact that there are lots of COVID-19 cases within the community, adding that he knows several people personally who have tested positive.
COVID-RINK
Councillor Barber noted that over the weekend, the rink had been closed to fans. He explained the closure was due to what occurred at the high school. The rink wanted to be closed to fans while they completed a deep clean of the facilities.
COVID-19 Heritage Home
Councillor Tumbach said that there had been one staff member who had tested positive at the Heritage home. He noted that all of the residents were tested, and none had come back positive. He added that the appropriate protocols are in place, and they are faring well. He noted that they were told pre-COVID they wouldn’t get help from the SHA. However, the SHA stepped in and helped Santa Maria, so he felt if they had an issue in their home, they wouldn’t be on their own. He added they cancelled the AGM and that meetings would occur over Zoom.
COVID- Administration Report
The CAO noted that the office has several people working from home as a result of COVID-19 precautions. She said everyone is masking in the office unless they are in their own office. However, if they leave their office, they wear masks. She said they are offering a $20 subsidy to staff for the purchase of masks. They are wiping down the coffee room and restricting it to two people at a time, allowing the staff to use council chambers for breaks with the same cleaning protocols. Due to staff shortages related to COVID-19 precautions, the office will be closed from November 26 – December 1. Staff will be available by phone or email. She noted they would see how long the office can stay open. She said that while it is not ideal for providing the best customer service for their residents, they will manage the challenges of COVID-19 as it evolves.
Public Works Report
The Public Works Manager & Utilities Superintendent, Jeff Carey, gave his report to Council. He reported that two staff have been taking regular training on wastewater management, which will continue for the future. On November 30, one staff member will regularly be at the wastewater plant as they commission the plant.
The Qu’Appelle Valley Nordic Ski Club (QVN) is a volunteer-based ski club that has a partnership with the Town of Lumsden. Public Works helped QVN by providing water to make snow. Due to limited snowfall in previous years, the club purchased a snowmaking machine; this year is the first year they will be making snow for their trails. The Mayor said he received a phone call from QVN thanking the town for the assistance they received.
Carey reported that they have had to move a significant amount of snow from the streets for the first time in nearly two years. He noted that they would be prepping the outdoor rink within the next week to start putting in ice, and as soon as they receive a window of cold weather, they will begin flooding.
Council meetings are open to the public via Zoom. The next meeting is on December 15 at 6:30 pm. Contact the municipal office in advance if you would like to attend.
*note- this was the status of covid at the time of the meeting. As covid precautions evolve, the information provided here may have also changed.
Jennifer Argue, Civic Reporter, LMT - Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Note: These reports are abridged for content