Mayor Matthew Shoemaker and city councillors will spend less time attending receptions for recipients of civic awards, after city council decided this past week to combine five award receptions into one annual mega-event.
"Bringing all the awards together for one event will raise the profile for all awards," says Madison Zuppa, deputy city clerk.
"Savings would be realized in staff time for reception planning and consolidation of budgets for several events."
"Better pricing may be realized with a larger event rather than several smaller events. The cost of plaques for each award would remain the same. Sponsorship and partnership opportunities could be explored," Zuppa said in a written report.
The following are the five awards to be presented at yearly mega-receptions:
- Community Development Award
- Cultural Vitality Committee Community Recognition Award
- Municipal Heritage Award
- Sports Hall of Fame Award
- Walk of Fame Award
Zuppa said the Medal of Merit is organized through the mayor's office and won't be included in the mega-event.
"City Beautification, Christmas Lighting, and Hallowe’en Spirit Awards are announced seasonally in order to allow for community members to visit properties to admire displays/gardens. These awards would continue on a seasonal basis," Zuppa said.
"City staff would work collaboratively to align the nomination period and judging period for all city awards."
"Each award has a unique group of judges that will continue to evaluate submissions based on existing criteria."
During a 2021 review of boards and committees, opinions were divided on whether to axe the Walk of Fame Award, but the Downtown Association recommended it be continued.
The association also recommended that one larger reception might result in more visibility for all the city's awards.
Some other items of interest from the Jan. 9 city council meeting:
- councillors were advised that A&W is moving into the Serco DriveTest location at 150 Churchill Blvd. So Serco has been granted permission by the city to rent the northwest parking lot at Strathclair Park for commercial driver training. Most of the training will happen during daytime hours to avoid interfering with weekend or evening programming
- the city is looking into limiting the number of candidate signs used during municipal, provincial and federal elections. City staff have also been asked to investigate the possibility of requiring permits for election signs. Mayor Shoemaker said he opposes any limit on numbers of candidate signs because such limits "inherently advantage incumbents." Ward 3 Coun. Angela Caputo claimed to be the only candidate who has ever won a Sault Ste. Marie city election without using lawn signs
- councillors agreed to look into seeking Bird Friendly City recognition from Nature Canada. Ward 5 Coun. Matthew Scott said he's been hearing from people concerned about the certification program's emphasis on controlling stray cat populations, but he said "birds are better at getting rid of rats than cats are"
- a one-year pilot project allowing many White Pines students to use Sault Transit buses will extended to June 30, 2024. Consideration will also be given to further extending the program to students at other Algoma District School Board secondary schools, as well as to other local school boards
- solar-powered bus shelters may be in the Sault's future, thanks to a suggestion from former mayor and MP Steve Butland. Ward 4 Coun. Stephan Kinach said the change would allow lighting to make the shelters safer, and any excess electricity generated could be returned to the grid
- a $29,319,000 tender issued to Ellis-Don to build the new twin-pad arena has been increased by $142,383 for rubberized surfacing of the walking track. The money will come from the project's contingency budget