Village of Boyle council unanimously moved to take steps in turning Railway Avenue’s parking spots into parallel marking during their June 21 council meeting.
During his monthly report to council, superintendent of Public Works and Utilities Alex Neumann requested that council make a motion to change all of Railway Avenue’s parking into parallel parking.
“I know I brought this up once before, for various reasons,” Neumann said. “I think it’ll make a huge difference there for widening that up a bit.”
In his report attached to the council meeting agenda, Neumann said drivers “seem to be apprehensive when two vehicles meet and they have to navigate around the long pickup trucks.”
Coun. Mike Antal said it does make more sense to make the switch, as the street is currently a mixture of parallel and angle parking.
Council has a bigger problem on Main Street than Railway Avenue, Coun. Don Radmanovich said.
Boyle chief administrative officer Charlie Ashbey said it is tougher to do the switch on Main Street.
“I’ve talked to some businesses on Main Street, and everyone thinks, ‘Well, change one side fine but don’t pick my side,’” he said.
After some discussion, Mayor Bob Clark asked for a motion to send notice out to affected businesses on Railway Avenue.
“If they have any objections they can put them in writing and we’ll consider them at the next meeting,” Ashbey said.
Coun. Sam Assaf made the motion to give notice of the change to businesses, which passed unanimously.
“It’s not a bad idea. Athabasca is like that anyway and it’s tighter in Athabasca,” he said.
It looks as though a peaceful resolution might have been struck between the Village of Boyle and Mewatha Beach on the transfer of ownership and demolition of the old Skeleton Lake pump house.
After an in-camera discussion, Radmanovich made a motion to offer ownership of the pump house to the Summer Village of Mewatha Beach, conditional upon agreement that Mewatha will accept improvements on the property without liability to the village.
During their June 7 council meeting, council was made aware Mewatha Beach had said they would demolish the pump house and send the Village of Boyle the bill.
“We seem to be onside with one another now. Hopefully, that will be the end of that,” Ashbey said in an interview.
Council unanimously denied a request from the Boyle Farmers’ Market to allow an out-of-town fruit vendor to sell their product on Main Street on summer Thursdays.
The farmers’ market request was to allow Red Apple, an out-of-town fruit vendor, to set up tents outside of the Boyle Community Centre throughout the summer on Thursdays.
Radmanovich said he did not like the idea.
“We have two grocery stores in town that pay $30,000 a year in taxes. We’re giving these guys half a street to come and run competition all summer,” he said.
Ashbey said not only that, but the vendors inside who pay $10 would be made to think they are “second class” because Red Apple, the new vendor applying to set up tents on the street, would be paying $20 for a “prominent position.”
Clark said he feels the same way as Radmanovich, but the vendor could also purchase a peddlers’ license.
“I told the farmers’ market it wouldn’t even be up to you to charge them, because you’re not renting the street – you’re renting the community centre,” Ashbey said. “If they set up on the street, it would be up to us to charge them for a peddlers’ license.”
Antal made the motion to deny the request, which was unanimously supported.
