Jasper council has approved $250,000 from reserves for emergency repairs at the Activity Centre after mold and material deterioration were discovered in the basement.

Christopher Read, director of Community Development, told council on Sept. 30 that a remediation team discovered the damage in September while repairing a broken sprinkler head.

“The affected corner of the basement basically impacts the public change rooms, affecting racquet court users directly, and is adjacent to out-of-school care,” Read said.

He assured council there is no imminent danger to the public because the affected area is sealed off during remediation.

Insurance will cover the sprinkler head replacement, but not the additional repairs. The Municipality will draw the remaining $250,000 from its Annual General Capital Reserve, reducing the projected year-end balance from $415,000 to about $165,000.

Coun. Laurie Rodger asked whether the work had been competitively tendered. Read said the Municipality expects to save money because the contractor is already on site, and staff would have the estimate reviewed by other consultants or service providers.

“It seems like a lot for just a bit of drywall, but I guess that’s the world we live in these days,” Rodger said.

Read expects the repairs to be completed this year. He added that the affected area was not examined during recent renovations because of funding limitations.

Mayor Richard Ireland asked about the source of the leak, which predated the broken sprinkler head. Read said the investigation was included in the funding request and had already identified a long-term, slow leak.

Utility franchise fees

Jasper will increase its electricity and natural gas franchise fee rates by two percentage points, generating an estimated additional $114,350 annually.

Municipalities charge utility providers for the use of public property to deliver services. Providers recover these franchise fees from customers.

At a Sept. 30 meeting, Chief Administrative Officer Bill Given described the proposed increases as a relatively modest approach.

Electricity franchise fees will rise from eight to 10 per cent, while natural gas fees will increase from 19.1 to 21.1 per cent. Administration said the new rates bring Jasper closer to the average among comparator communities, where rates are 12 per cent for electricity and 33.88 per cent for natural gas.

Jasper last adjusted its rates in 2022. Coun. Ralph Melnyk supported the increase, saying gradual adjustments are preferable to larger hikes after several years without changes.

“I see increasing these fees every couple of years by a small amount as being a better way than to do huge increases and then let it sit for a number of years,” Melnyk said.

The Municipality expects to collect $704,291 in franchise fee revenue in 2027, compared with $589,941 if the rates remained unchanged.

Revenue previously peaked at $617,807 in 2023 before falling to $578,258 in 2024 following the Jasper wildfire.

Recovery update

A post-wildfire business support initiative has helped 23 businesses maintain 56 jobs, according to an Oct. 6 update from the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC).

The Commerce Continuity Initiative supports businesses through the commercial pop-up village, interim industrial park and construction laydown sites. All are at capacity except the out-of-town woodlot laydown site, which is nearly full.

Municipal recovery director Doug Olthof said the initiative has helped businesses remain operational, preserve local recovery capacity, support contractor staging and maintain jobs.

Of the eight pop-up village participants, four have returned to permanent premises and two have moved into expanded spaces. The status of the remaining participants requires clarification. Creative Space Between the Trees was the final participant, operating as a rotating artist space.

Coun. Kathleen Waxer said the pop-up village allowed two businesses “to evolve and continue on even stronger than they might have otherwise.”

The initiative is funded through March 2028, but Olthof said the pop-up village will close after next summer, having fulfilled its intended purpose. The interim industrial park and laydown sites will continue to form the core of the initiative.

Olthof also reported that 392 households, representing 743 people, are living in interim housing. Another 172 households, representing 250 people, are on the waitlist or have requested a different housing offer. He said turnover has increased as the visitor season ends.

Jasper employers can also apply through the Winter Dorm Room Nomination Program to house staff at Marmot Meadows. The first offers are scheduled for the week of Oct. 19, with leases running from Nov. 1 to April 15.

More than 56 per cent of properties destroyed by the wildfire — 211 of 374 — have received building permits or are ready for occupancy. These properties represent 454 housing units, including 305 replacement units and 149 net-new units.

“This is a pretty big accomplishment,” Coun. Wendy Hall said. “The Recovery Coordination Centre should be proud of that, especially considering where we were two years ago, even a year ago.”

Two additional major developments are under construction and will add another 108 net-new units to Jasper’s housing stock. Those units are not included in the figures above.

Peter Shokeir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter // info@thejasperlocal.com