Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Executive Meeting Minutes Aug.12, 2015

Napatak Community Association
Executive Meeting Minutes
Wednesday August 12th, 2015

Attending: Maureen Bingham, Brendon Zarazun, Kona Guest, Laura Johnston, Laurie Thompson, Jody Watt
Regrets: Nicole L’Heureux, Tracey Fesiuk
Guest: Pam Sanderson

Action List:
Maureen will try to organize a meeting with NMS for Thursday August 20th. Laurie and Laura are interested and available to join her for that meeting. Topics include:
  • FireSmart Community - budget line
  • Ditch mowing and stump trimming, sewage lagoon road brushing
  • Roads - intersection with Hwy 2, bad section of main road, loop maintenance
  • Emergency preparedness process - cell phone contacts for weekends, poor cell reception at Napatak
  • Sewage Lagoon
  • Dog Bylaw
  • Tax revenue
Pam will start the paperwork to register our community with FireSmart. Brendon will jump in to help after his wedding and honeymoon.
Laura will contact Nathan Kustiak about grading loops, B side boat launch parking lot, and sewage lagoon road.
Laura will visit Jason Senga at Highways
Maureen will make two copies of key pages of Emergency Prep binder
Maureen, Jody, and Brendon will organize a mock evacuation in September. Maureen will put details in the newsletter.
Nicole will let Kevin Weatherbee know about condition of B side dock.
Maureen, Kona, and Nicole will plan two weekend work bees in the fall for beach path clean-up.
Laura will contact Kylie Berkatch about signs on road.

4.b. - FireSmart Community. Pam Sanderson joined the group to discuss the FireSmart Community program. She described the program and how it would work in our community. Pam is willing to get the ball rolling and to work with the executive to get the community on board. The FireSmart Canada rep in Prince Albert is Larry Fremont. Both Maureen and Pam have contacted him about our interest. Owen Price is in charge of the LaRonge area. Some of the key points include:
  • Need to register as a community with a FireSmart committee
  • $2 charge per volunteer to register
  • $21 per volunteer hour paid to community for FireSmart expenses
  • Weyakwin and Wadin Bay were FireSmart communities. Both survived raging fires.
  • Weyakwin uses firebreaks for quad/snowmobile trails

Motion - Brendon Zarazun/Jody Watt - We engage in developing a FireSmart Community at Napatak. - Carried.
Further discussion 
  • Maureen will ask Northern Municipal Services to set up a line item on the budget for this - including funding the $2 per registered volunteer so that we do not have to handle cash. 
  • Should create a  few model FireSmart properties as examples
  • The FireSmart committee will be comprised of the Napatak Executive Committee plus Pam Sanderson and Vern Eder. Other interested community members include Greg Rychlo and Boyd Krakowka
  • Pam will get started on the paperwork immediately. Brendon will be available in early September to help get this rolling. 
  • Muster point sign at Napatak sign. Need to organize a practice evacuation - probably in the fall. Evacuees would register at the sign on their way out.
  • Maureen will post info on FireSmart and on practice evacuation on Facebook page and in newsletter.
  • Pam was thanked for all her efforts and for sharing the information with group.

  1. Review Agenda - no changes
  2. Review Minutes - accepted as distributed
  3. Executive Terms - 1 year - Tracey Fesiuk, Laurie Thompson, Laura Johnson. 2 year - Jody Watt, Nicole L’Heureux, Kona Guest. 3 year - Brandon Zarazun, Maureen Bingham. Maureen reviewed the purpose of terms and stated she would like to use this 3 year term to mentor a new president.

  1. a. Roads
Grading - Nathan Kustiak has the contract to do monthly grading on the loops. He came out at the end of July but did not do any of the dead end streets. Maureen talked to him and he agreed to come back out to do that as well as the B side boat launch parking lot and the sewage lagoon road. He has not come back to do that. Laura will call him.
  • SaskEnergy is making a mess of the roads but is committed to fixing them as they go - once when they install the lines in the loops, again after they put the lines into houses, and again next spring after everything has settled.
Ditches - Brush has grown rapidly this summer. Need to mow ditches. Stumps left after brush clearing last fall a problem. Maureen will ask NMS to arrange to have brush mowed and stumps cut down. East side of Mistik also needs to be done.
Culverts - Laura has sent specs into NMS about 2 culverts already. She will send info on third one on Ategameg.
Signs - Issue with community member re: parking in Waskos cul-de-sac. There is a sign there but he has been particularly rude about enforcing it. NMS will send him a letter including a map to show where the parking ban is in effect. Also - one road sign appears to be supporting one of the port-a-potties from the army camp. It will have to be reinstalled after the port-a-potties are removed. Maureen has already asked NMS to arrange for removal.
Repairs - SaskEnergy to repair loops. Gravel to follow - next year.
Main Road - Maureen has asked again for repairs to main road in - especially first kilometre. Continued issues with people passing on the left on Hwy 2 while Napatak vehicles preparing to turn into Napatak road. Laura will meet with Jason Senga to discuss.
      c. Emergency Peparedness
Binders - almost done with updates. Maureen will take binder home and make copies for Brendon and herself. Jody has already sent updated pages to Sandra at NMS. 
Texts - some people not getting text alerts. They should check the settings on their phone - might be set to not accept group texts. Encourage people to share cell numbers as is the easiest and most efficient way to reach people. Can’t rely completely on that though because cell coverage not always good.
Phone fan out process - block captains should highlight names on their list that do not have cell phones or emails and try to reach them first unless only number listed is a long distance one.
Emails - Sasktel cutting off email access if Maureen sends too many in one day. Maureen has added emails to contacts so that she can use same app as used for texts to send emails. Encourage people to join closed group on Facebook - much easier to share info through there.
Practice Evacuation - will schedule a mock evacuation in the fall to test all of our processes. Maureen will give people advanced warning in the newsletter and on Facebook.
Sprinklers - lots of evidence throughout the north after this summer’s fires that sprinklers work. Looking at some options for getting a couple of big pumps to feed sprinklers on the outer edges of the community where access to water is not feasible for homeowners.
Fire Prevention - clearing the ground of combustable materials is key to preventing the spread of fires. Encourage people to clean the forest on their own property and that immediately adjacent to theirs. Bigger clean ups will be planned through FireSmart program.
      d. Boat Launches
Laurie talked to Henry Brown recently. He is back from up north and is committed to getting the gravel on the A side boat launch parking lot.
B side dock is in bad condition - sinking on the far end and holes in the boards. Nicole will let Kevin Weatherbee know it needs repairs or replacement.
      e. Recreation
B side beach - Waskos path and that end of main beach needs clean up. Permit ends at end of September so should organize a work bee in September. Can use quads and wheelbarrows to get trash out to trailers on the road or gather it up to be burnt on the ice this winter. Lots of burnt needles and debris from fires on east side of lake accumulated on beach this summer. People have been raking and shovelling it into the bush.
A side beach trail from Niska to the boat launch - Laurie has done some cleaning but lots more to do. Will organize a work bee this fall.
Both work bees would likely fit the criteria for volunteer hours for FireSmart.
      f. Sewage Lagoon and Brush Dumps -
Lagoon needs to be pumped out or dredged or both. Maureen will add this to meeting agenda with NMS.
Both brush dumps have been pushed back. Remind people to deposit brush behind the rock wall in the Sasktel tower site.
       g. Natural Gas -
Concern raised about Natural Gas line markers being on the road - snowplow might take them out. Laura will contact Kylie Berkatch about this.
       h. Bylaws -
Draft dog bylaw changes sent to NMS. Will discuss with them at meeting next week. These changes would bring our bylaw into line with LaRonge bylaw so we could use their dog pound. Once that is accomplished, we can contact the dog catcher to determine interest in an additional contract to serve our community.
No news on potential changes to zoning bylaws that would allow second residence on a lot and smaller cabins.
5. Newsletter 
- mock evacuation
- FireSmart program
- work bees - beach paths - both sides
- natural gas progress
- other topics that rise from meeting with NMS
6. Action List review - all done
7. New Business - taxes taking a long time to catch up with actual development. Will add to meeting with NMS.

Adjourned. Next meeting date not yet determined.