Fresh off the Labour Day long weekend, Wawa Municipal Council's set to hold a pair of meetings tonight.
First up will be a Corporate Planning Committee meeting, with items on the agenda including the presentation of a Firefighter 20-Year Exemplary Service Medal, a deputation from Wawa Minor Hockey Association President Peter Moore, and discussion on a proposed revised policy for arena ice rentals.
While the current policy mandates ice be ready for the public on the Tuesday after the Thanksgiving holiday, ice has usually been made in mid-September - the new policy would allow for a one-week "shoulder season" ahead of Thanksgiving, an attempt to compromise calls for earlier ice with the difficulty and costs involved in making ice amid warmer September weather.
The proposed policy also seeks to address cancellation issues, refusing refunds during the "Spring or Fall Shoulder Season" - otherwise requiring at least 24 hours notice of a cancellation for an event taking no more than 6 hours, or 3 days notice for events requiring more than 6 hours of ice time over a span of one or more days - while "no organization, group, or user will have ice times automatically reserved from one year to the next", though the Municipality will attempt to maintain consistency when possible.
It also mandates the Municipality to inform users groups of annual ice rental rates and charges once the Municipal Fees and Charges By-Law is approved by Council - or no later than July 1st - though it further emphasizes all users will be charged per the schedule of fees unless Council authorizes an exception.
Council will also discuss a report on engineering for the Connecting Link project, and monthly reports from department heads.
After the committee meeting, Council will hold a regular meeting, with items including a resolution to award consulting services for the Connecting Link project and a by-law adopting the proposed arena ice policy.
There are also two "in-camera" items on that agenda, both legal issues - one relates to a Freedom of Information request, the other about litigation or potential litigation relating to "summer projects".
Aside from the "in-camera" portion, tonight's meetings are open to the public, starting at 6:30 pm in Council Chambers.