Martensville City Council is expected to vote at its meeting March 15 on a proposal to institute a ‘public space recycling program’ in partnership with a private company.
The proposal, which could potentially net the city between $1,400 and $4,000 in revenue annually, was outlined at city council’s committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, March 8.
Martensville Recreation and Community Services Director Ted Schaeffer said the city was approached by Creative outdoor Advertising (COA) with a proposal to install about 10 recycling collection stations throughout the community.
The recycling stations would have separate receptacles for paper, bottles and litter, and would feature advertising of local businesses as well as the city’s logo.
The city would receive a portion of the advertising revenue. The amount would be dependent on whether the city or COA performs the collection of waste and recycling.
The recycling stations would be installed by COA at locations approved by city council. The company would also clean, repair and maintain the units and the immediate area around them.
There would not be any financial cost to the city for the program.
Currently, city public works crews collect waste and recycling at city-owned receptacles. Schaeffer told city council at the March 8 meeting that if the proposal is approved, city staff would have the capacity to include collection at any additional sites.
The company has a similar program in operation in the City of Saskatoon, as well as many other municipalities across Canada.
CIVIC CENTRE UPGRADE
Martensville City Council is considering a joint project with Great Plains College (GPC) to install new flooring in the city-owned Civic Centre building. The cost of the project would be shared by the city and GPC if it proceeds.
According to a report to city council at the March 8 meeting, GPC approached the city in June, 2021 to replace the flooring in the Civic Centre common areas, including hallways and entrance areas. At that time, city council approved the project in principle, but it did not happen because GPC was unable to proceed with the project.
Earlier this year, GPC obtained funding from the province for the project to be completed in 2022.
The Martensville Library, which is also housed in the Civic Centre building, may also participate in the project to get new flooring in the library and resource room. The library would share the cost with the city if it proceeds.
While the city had allocated money in its budget last year for the project, it did not carry it over into this year’s budget. If city council agrees to the project once it gets information on the final cost, it will have to determine the source of funding.
A decision will be made at a future council meeting after further information on pricing is available.