Bylaw Enforcement on Town Properties

Ideas on what to do to attract more people that wish to live in Bruderheim

By Walter Schneider

A few things about the state of the Town's properties

For us to be able to attract more families — families with children or planning to have children — to come to Bruderheim and settle here, a little extra is required.  As good as Bruderheim looks, it must and can be made to look better. 

Maybe that is what Bruderheim is doing, but one has to wonder.  A few years ago it had been decided to contract the public works department of the County of Strathcona to perform the maintenance work necessary to keep the Town's infrastructure up to par and operational.  The state of repair of all communities in the County of Strathcona is clearly visible to anyone visiting them, and it is impressively good.  It appears that Bruderheim's state and quality of repairs don't measure up to theirs and are substandard. 

The cleanliness of, and quality of weed control on, town properties make an impression on visitors.  It will leave a good impression on visitors to see grass cut, but it will also leave a bad impression to have them see weeds growing out of control.  The photo at the right is of the parking area east of the arena.  Are those dandelions being grown for extra income or to leave a good impression?

A first step to solve that would be to have someone go around with a weed trimmer to cut down the grass and weeds that the lawn tractor can't reach.  A second step should be to invest in a weed sprayer, or, if one is already available, to make good use of it.  By the way, the best time to spray dandelions is right after a rain, before they start to go into bloom and begin to spread their seeds, but of course, you knew that.

Dandelions are nice to look at when they are in bloom, but they set seed rather quickly and multiply into a pest that infests everything in town.  As nice as some people may think dandelions look when they are in bloom, we have too many of them growing on town properties.  It seems to me that the towns located in the County of Strathcona don't have a dandelion problem, while the Town of Bruderheim appears engaged in cultivating them.  That may not bother the people that have to keep them under control, but it will bother visitors that wonder why we have so many dandelions growing around here.

The photo on the left shows the guard rail that prevents people parking south of the arena from driving into and damaging the south-wall of the arena.  The grass has been cut between the arena-wall and the guard rail.  It doesn't show up all that well at the resolution of the photo, but that strip of grass grows a thick supply of dandelions.

Why wasn't the grass cut under and around the guard rail?  The guard rail shows a little better on the photo taken after the grass was cut.  Kelly Rudyk, the Chief Administration Officer of our town said that there was no great urgency in getting that done, as in July the Town will have a few summer students doing the required weed trimming around town.  However, why wait until July if it can be done now?  So, Leo Grenier and I did it.  And while we were at it we also trimmed the grass and weeds a bit around the whole arena and in the parking lot east of the arena.  Doesn't that look better?  Don't we all wish for the town to look better?

The lawn mower went by and cut some of the grass in front of the Bruderheim Board Room (west of the old curling rink), but that didn't help very much.  The mower of course couldn't get in between the planters that still contain the dead flowers (or are they left-over weeds) from last year.  In consequence, the dandelions have a ball.  Being on the south-side of a brick wall and in front of a large window that reflects the sun so nicely, they went to seed already without anything at all bothering them.  That's a whole passel of bylaw violations (3.5.1, 3.5.2, 3.5.6, and 3.5.7) right there, if anyone could throw the book at the Town.  Does that leave a good impression on visitors or even with residents?

Are there any volunteers that would like to pitch in and launch this year's beautification of our nice town by sprucing up the eye-sore in front of the Bruderheim Board room?  Anyone?
   I suggest a flower bed.  Now is the time.  I'll supply labour, pitch in for the material for a planter, help to pick it up, and will even supply a few gladiola bulbs that have already been started and a few geranium plants (a little small yet, but they will grow).  It may be a good idea to spray the few blades of grass that will be left over after the planter or flower bed has been set up — and right there we will have a good start for a publicity campaign to boot.  What do you think of that? (Call Walter at 796-2306)

___________________
Many thanks to Les Boyce, member of the Town Council.  He pitched in on the morning of June 2nd, by bringing out his lawn mower and a weed trimmer and by cutting and trimming the grass and weeds at the south- and east-side of the old curling rink.  It made quite a difference.

On June 3rd, Leo Genier and I spent a little over two hours cutting and trimming some of the grass and weeds around the Arena and on the west- and north side of the Arena.  Photos of that work and of a few other issues involving town property in that area are accessible by clicking on the photos shown below.

The next photo (also shown elsewhere in these pages) shows a view of the south-wall of the building used by the Bruderheim Youth Club.  I know, it would be too much to ask the members of the club to do something about those dandelions (after all, a lot of parents can't even ask their own kids to cut the grass or weed the garden for them), but, ultimately it is the landlord who is responsible for a property and its appearance.  The Town of Bruderheim is the landlord of the Bruderheim Youth Club.

Next Page: Sidewalks

Back to index page for Impressions and Ideas on how to make Bruderheim even better

____________________
Posted May 21, 2005
Updates:
2005 05 29 (Added rustic beauty)
2006 10 29 (reformated)