Where to Go, When You Have to Go!

If you've been following the Village of Beiseker's Facebook page, you might have seen that Beiseker is taking heat for one business refusing to allow visitors to use their washroom facilities.  One business is again being singled out repeatedly, as being rude and obnoxious to visitors wanting to use the washrooms. 

I've addressed this problem once before in this blog, but obviously it still persists.  Every summer, we get numerous complaints from folks who ultimately vow never to visit Beiseker again.  This latest complaint will probably be the first of many this year.

I don't have the answer for this problem.  Business owners have the right to dictate how their property is operated.  They have the right to limit washroom use to customers only.  But I believe that all of Beiseker suffers, as more and more comments about our "Unfriendly Village" pop up on social media and by word of mouth. 

We already have a public washroom at the Beiseker Campground.  A solution may be to build a another public washroom facility in Legacy Park, next to the Village Office.  That would be expensive and it would have to be cleaned and maintained by the Village throughout the year.  During the summer, we place a portable latrine behind the Information Booth in Legacy Park for "emergencies". 

Visitors may also use the washrooms at the Village Office during office hours.

But I wonder - is that all we can do?

Summertime Reminders

With the warmer weather coming, I'd like to just post a few reminders;

1. Grass clippings and garden waste do not belong in the garbage!  Please, either compost it on your own property or bring it down to the communal composting site behind the Public Works Building.
2. Extended camping is not permitted on vacant lots within the village.  We have an excellent camp ground for those campers who wish to stay here more than a day or two.
3. Off-road motor vehicles must stick to the 15km/h speed limit within village limits.
4. Large plastic items such as large toys and sandboxes cannot be recycled with the rest of the plastic.  Please check with the person at the drop off site before disposing of these items.
5. Most village streets have a posted speed limit of 30 km/h.  Let's keep all those kids safe!
6. All vehicles parked on public streets in the village must have a current registration and a licence plate. 
7. We do not have regular water rationing here in the village, but water is quite expensive when compared to places like the City of Calgary.  If you plan to water your lawn often, prepare for a higher water bill.
8. Summer Fun is a program to give the kids good things to do during the summer holidays.  Check with the Village Office (403-947-3774) for dates and times.

Let's have a safe and happy summer season.

Small Turnout at Town Hall Meeting

Our annual spring Town Hall Meeting was held at the Community Centre, last Monday evening.  The turnout was quite small, but the concerns raised by those present were much appreciated.

Here are a few points I noted:

• The Bassano Station is still a big part of any discussion around town.  We had to remind everyone that the Village government has very little control or power over that stalled project.  Still we continue to work to see if we can't get this eyesore cleaned up!
• The mud bog at the corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street is the result of an experiment gone wrong.  Public Works will be addressing the problem over the next few days.  Getting water to move from that corner has proven to be a major challenge.  Everyone has a different opinion as to what should be done there.  We'll keep working on it until we have a solution.
• Water flow and flooding was not such a big issue as I had expected this spring, however a few homes were severely affected.  Suggestions were made and remediation of these few spots will take place this summer.  The problem of the Village having to deal with runoff water from a huge portion of the County north of Beiseker was mentioned several times.
• It was brought to the attention of council that there is a sign in the Beiseker Campground noting "NO PITBULLS ALLOWED" even though we have no such bylaw to support that ban.  This sign will be removed.
• Concerns were raised over ambulance services into Beiseker.  These concerns will be investigated by village office staff.

Overall, a great meeting.  If you were unable to attend and you have an issue, please contact the village office at 403-947-3774 to voice your concerns.