WELCOME TO

COMMUNITIES IN BLOOM 2018

COMMUNITY PROFILE BOOK

ST. PAUL, ALBERTA

AUGUST 1, 2018

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Itinerary for Tour PG. 4

Welcome from the Mayor PG. 5

Municipal Information PG. 6

Tidiness PG. 7 & 8

Environmental Action PG. 9 & 10

Heritage Conservation PG. 11 & 12

Urban Forestry PG. 13

Landscape PG. 14 & 15

Floral Displays PG. 16

Thank You & Acknowledgements PG. 17

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ITINERARY FOR TOUR

10:00 AM Welcome & Introductions

Town of St. Paul Office – Council Chambers

10:20 AM Community Garden Tour - Dave Robinson

10:30 AM Lagasse Park Tour - Herman Poulin

11:10 AM St. Paul Transfer Station

11:40 AM Soccer Fields, Iron Horse Trail, Fish Pond

12:15 PM Lunch - Hampton Inn

1:30 PM Driving Tour – Main Street & Other Community Areas – Review Programs and Community Involvement

1:50 PM University nuhelot’ine thaiyots’i nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills

3:00 PM St. Paul Museum

4:10 PM Town Office - Debriefing

6:00 PM Supper - Tin Cup Restaurant & Patio

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WELCOME FROM THE MAYOR

Maureen Miller

Dear Communities in Bloom Judges.

St. Paul is a growing community with a population of 5,963. We are a multi-cultural community with strong historical roots in First Nations, Metis, French and Ukrainian cultures.

Our community contains numerous parks, and green spaces plus exceptional recreational facilities such as our swimming pool, arenas, Ag. Corral, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, golf course and Spray Park.

St. Paul also offers a local museum, a visual arts centre and numerous cultural groups.

As you tour our community you will see that our citizens, businesses community and leaders are extremely proud of our local organizations, parks and historical landmarks. To the town of St. Paul, Communities in Bloom strongly represents the life in our community and provides us with a setting for work, play and life which essentially makes St. Paul a real “People Kind of Place”.

We have many volunteers who dedicate themselves to improving our community through the downtown revitalization project, community gardens, and the banner project. Our Council realizes the value of the Communities in Bloom project and we believe that this project helps St. Paul by fostering civic pride, beautification, and environmental responsibilities.

In conclusion, I would like to thank-you on behalf of the Council for allowing

St. Paul to participate in the Communities in Bloom 2018 program. We also thank you for your role in promoting the unification of communities and the efforts to beautify and enrich all communities.

Yours truly, Maureen Miller Mayor, Town of St. Paul

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MUNICIPAL INFORMATION

Municipality: Town of St. Paul Population: 5,963 Parks and Recreation Budget: $3,589,260.00 Total Area: 6.86 km Total Parks and Green Space Area: 1.72 km or 25% of total area The Town of St. Paul is once again thrilled to be participating in the Communities in Bloom program. So far, 2018 has been a great year with lots of exciting events and initiatives happening in St. Paul such as Shiverfest, Centerfield Music Festival, Canada Day and Rock the Block. The Town of St. Paul has continued its tradition of hanging large, beautiful flower baskets along main street which are tended to daily by our Parks and Recreation Staff. In addition to the Flower Baskets, the banners that are hand painted by community organizations and groups also located on our main street give an extra “wow” factor to our main street. In October the banners will be replaced with banners from the Legion to honour veterans from our community. These will hang until November 12th and will be replaced with the annual Christmas decorations. Here are a few things that the Town of St. Paul has been working on in 2018 to improve our community. Upgrade to our Wastewater Treatment System.

Currently replacing the roof at the Clancy Hockey Arena

Parks and Recreation Staff installed 2 new Park Benches at the Fish Pond

in Iron Horse Campground

Painted new Pickleball court lines at the Kinsmen park as well as installed

an power outlet

Replaced several trees that were alongside Iron Horse Trail

Parks and Recreation staff repaired the Boardwalk at Lagasse Park

6 Shade Covers for Benches will be installed along Iron Horse Trail by Fall

Parks and Recreation Staff installed a Cradle to Crayon Art Display at the

Visual Arts Centre

A bench was installed at Lagasse Park on behalf of the MADD St. Paul

Organization

We are a small town with a big heart, St. Paul prides itself with a safe and caring Small Town Atmosphere and lifestyle. Nature surrounds St. Paul with many beautiful lakes and an attractive lakefront park space. Although a small town, St. Paul boasts itself with its variety of Recreational Opportunities. The people of St. Paul come together and take advantage of a Volunteering Spirit. St. Paul has a lot to offer for a Family Friendly place to live with its schools, recreational facilities, and walk-able size.

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TIDINESS

The Town of St. Paul and its residents actively participate in keeping our areas clean and tidy. With weekly garbage pickup and street cleaning by municipal employees and a community wide willingness to help dispose of garbage and waste to keep the Town of St. Paul a clean community.

By-Laws in effect to keep our community clean: BY-LAW No. 778: Waste Collection and Disposal or cited as “Garbage By-Law” Being a By-Law for the collection and disposal of garbage, ashes, rubbish and trade wastes. Outlines regulations for the Town and residents of St. Paul. BY-LAW No. 807: Nuisances & Pests A By-Law of the Municipal Council of the Town of St. Paul, in the Province of Alberta, to regulate nuisances and pests.

Every owner, lessee or agent of the owner, within the corporate limits of the Town of St. Paul, shall upon notification be required as follows:

1) Take the necessary steps to remedy untidy and unsightly premises;

2) To cut grass on private property including the grass on a boulevard which abuts or flanks a property occupied by an owner, lessee, tenant or agent of the owner;

3) To provide for the eradication of dandelions and noxious weeds or plants;

4) To provide for the removal or pruning of trees or shrubs, on private property or otherwise, that in any way interfere with or endanger the lines, poles, conduits, pipes, sewers, sidewalks or other works of a municipal or other public utility;

5) To provide for the elimination of animal, insect or other pest and diseases likely to be destructive or dangerous to trees, shrubs, vegetable or plant life or other property;

6) To demolish and remove a building, structure or erection that, in the opinion of Council is in a ruinous, dilapidated, unsafe or unprotected condition and as a result is dangerous to the public safety or health.

7) To fill and level any excavation or hole that, in the opinion of Council is unsafe or in an unprotected condition and as a result is dangerous/to the public safety or health.

BY-LAW No. 1202: Community Standards Bylaw A By-law of the Town of St. Paul, in the Province of Alberta, to regulate the conduct and activities in public places and on privately owned property and immediately adjacent parks.

Controls litter and noisiness, sets tidy standards for residents, outlines sidewalk and boulevard maintenance duties and helps preserve tidiness in parkland areas.

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TIDINESS

There are a multitude of organizations that have initiatives in place to keep our town tidy. Such as:

Dog bag stations located along trails with garbage cans located at

every park bench and playground

Parks and Recreation staff pick garbage in the green spaces and

boulevards prior to cutting the grass

Posters, advertisements and signage are not permitted on light

posts or on boulevards. Only on dedicated community poster

boards.

Champions for Change has Graffiti Clean Up Kits available for

businesses to use if required.

The local 4-Club does their annual highway cleanup along Highway

29.

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ENVIROMENTAL ACTION

Town Council has authorized the formation of the Citizen’s Advisory Waste and Recycling Committee. The purpose of this committee is to make recommendations to Council regarding waste and recycling programs. It will consist of two councillors, two town staff members and three members of the public.

The Town of St. Paul is continuously looking for ways to improve our environmental sustainability and reduce our carbon footprint.

Following Initiatives with the Town of St. Paul:

Use organic chemical recommended by Health Canada when spraying

Tent Caterpillars

A local group of volunteers called the 2nd Harvest Project collects

imperfect produce from grocery stores and turns it into soups, stews

and salads that are then distributed to the local food bank, schools

and Crisis Centre.

The Next to New Store takes household donations from the

community; preventing gently used items to be thrown away.

St. Paul Bottle Depot operates year round encouraging residents to

return refundable beverage containers.

St. Paul Transfer Station recycles cardboard, mix paper, newsprint,

office paper, general household waste, electronics, paint, tires, grass

clippings, garden waste. Will also accept fridges and freezers.

The Town owns and operates the Water Treatment Plant, which

treats sewage water and then releases it into Upper Therien Lake.

Water release is closely monitored and meets the parameters set out

by Alberta Environment.

Edible Planters have been set up by Champions of Change and set out

in various locations around the Town by the Parks and Recreation

Staff.

The Community Garden association rents out plots of land for

interested residents. They also take compost materials from the

community.

The hanging baskets the Town purchased and maintain contain water

reservoirs that reduce water consumption by 30%.

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ENVIROMENTAL ACTION

St Paul’s wastewater treatment plant also known as “Pollution Control Center” is a mechanical secondary treatment facility that was originally constructed in 1976 with a single reactor. Over the years the facility underwent upgrades to increase its capacity and improve treatment processes. The existing treatment process currently consists of an onsite lift station with three submersible pumps, basket screening, parshall flume for volumetric flow measurement, two package activated sludge tanks, two sludge holding ponds, a detention pond, various underground controls structures and an outfall to the Upper Therein Lake. The 2008 upgrades also included the installation of a new standby generator. The plant currently operates in contact stabilization mode as this provides a higher treatment capacity (higher BOD rating) than the extended aeration mode.

Upgrades to the wastewater treatment system will also ensure sufficient treatment capacity to meet current and projected sewage flows. Based on the review of the existing treatment system, several upgrades have been proposed. In general, the following upgrades to the wastewater treatment system have been proposed:

Increase Lift Station Capacity Upgrade of Pre-Screening Grit Removal Addition Modifications to the activated sludge process

Addition of a pre-anoxic zone for total nitrogen removal Existing sludge digester to be converted into aeration

chamber for additional biological treatment. Phosphorous Reduction through Chemical Precipitation (Alum Feed

System) Disc filtration Ultra Violet (UV) Disinfection Improved sludge management processes by addition of the following

Sludge thickening Aerobic sludge digester Sludge dewatering for disposal straight to landfill.

Electrical and Controls upgrade

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HERITAGE CONSERVATION

The Town of St. Paul is a community that is rich in culture and diversity. We see a great value in preserving and sharing the traditions and practices of these cultures. There are a number of buildings, structures and other locations throughout St. Paul that hold heritage significance. The Town shall encourage voluntary conservation by property owners of identified cultural heritage resources. Recently the town of St. Paul has purchased a Metis and Treaty 6 Flag that will be displayed at the Landing Pad. In 2014 a “Spirit Bear” as renovated at Racette School. The St. Paul Museum is very active in presenting local history that lies within or community. With countless articles, artifacts and stories that showcase the cultural diversity within St. Paul, visitors are able to explore the history of the Town. The St. Paul Museum also offers fun events for every holiday and season. The Tourist Information Centre, more familiarly known as the UFO Landing Pad, displays endless information regarding UFO behavior, sightings and background. Cultural monuments and historical sites are generously scattered throughout the community.

The Banner Project spearheaded by Champions for Change involves local artists to create banners to be displayed on our main street. This highlights our community’s heritage and diversity. FCSS organizes an annual Heritage Festival which showcases the French, Ukrainian and First Nations cultures through a variety of activities and displays. St. Paul hosts the prestigious Lakeland Finals Rodeo event every year, where many of our organizations, businesses and community members get involved to celebrate our western heritage. The Town of St. Paul has built a historic site commemorating the CN Railway that ran through until the 1970’s. The old CN Rail Road Grade is now called the Iron Horse Trail.

On February 6th the Town of St. Paul joined for a symbolic walk we are calling “We Walk Together. The common goal is to create welcome and inclusive communities, where residents, employees and visitors are not at risk of racism, discrimination or social exclusion.

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HERITAGE CONSERVATION Lead by the Mannawanis Native Friendship Centre and Tribal Chiefs office, a number of community organizations came together to plan a week of events from June 20 – June 27th. These events focused on celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day, St. Jean Baptiste and Multi culturalism Day. Fifteen activities took place during that week that included many different ceremonies, feasts, talking circles, awareness activities, music and dancing from many cultures. Many people from St. Paul also participate in the Saddle Lake Pow Wow which happens at that time. St. Paul was a stopping point along the Long Lake Healing Horse Ride held June 20th. This 50km horse ride started at Kehewin Cree Nation and ended at Blue Quills with a ceremony and a horse dance. St. Paul has a wide range of churches/centres where different groups worship and rejoice in their beliefs. The churches include; Bethel Family Worship Centre, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Our Saint, United Church, Alliance Church, Mannawanis Native Friendship Centre Society, Paroisse Cathedral St. Paul

Cathedral Parish.

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URBAN FORESTRY

The wide variety of trees found throughout St. Paul make up a healthy urban canopy while providing a visibly appealing component to the area.

The Town of St. Paul operates a Tree Nursery that is located at the St. Paul Golf

Course.

The parks throughout the community are well shaded with trees while green

spaces are decorated with a variety of wide spreading evergreen trees.

The Town has a policy which requires new housing development in St. Paul to

have 10-12% green space per subdivision.

When the Service Canada building was being constructed the green space in

front of the building was maintained and the plans for the building shifted so that this area could be preserved along main street.

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LANDSCAPE

St. Paul has a wide variety of parks, recreational facilities and green spaces making the community visually appealing and engaging.

The Walking Trail which runs alongside of the Iron Horse trail provides walking

and bikers with a safe and scenic path to enjoy.

Recreational facilities in St. Paul include: soccer fields, baseball diamonds, 18 Hole Golf Course, tennis courts, football field and track area, swimming pool with an indoor fitness center, 2 hockey arenas, curling rink, skate park and a Recreation Centre to hold events. St. Paul also has 2 campgrounds available for visitors to enjoy.

There are 16 parks within walking distance of residents. Lagasse Park along Lakeshore Drive is our most Scenic Park along the waterfront. A Splash Park was built in 2013 with an outdoor gym added in 2014. It also is equipped with a beach volleyball court, basketball court and two playgrounds.

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LANDSCAPE

Welcome Signs (East & West end) have been updated and will be continuously

updated yearly.

St. Paul not only has a number of recreation facilities but we also have an abundance of programs that relate to Health and Wellness. These include the Thrive on Wellness projects, Parent Link Programs, Healthy Foods Only Menus (Boys and Girls Club) and Healthy Vending Machines in public places.

Boys and Girls Club has a garden tower where they can grow vegetables all year long for their food program.

Raised beds can be found all across the community including group homes, senior residences and at Portage College.

Seasonal landscaping is done throughout the year. Parks are regularly maintained. When necessary damaged trees, flowers and shrubs are redone quickly and efficiently.

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FLORAL DISPLAYS Floral displays are found all over Town. The Town of St. Paul puts forward a considerable amount of time and energy ensuring that the community is filled with vast amounts of floral displays. The town continuously makes improvements on the quality of flower displays and encourages the addition of more beds, baskets, and planters throughout the town.

St. Paul’s main street is annually lined with bountiful flower baskets. The town

further expanded on this by hanging baskets at both reunion station and the iron

horse campground (both located near the soccer fields). Alongside the flower

baskets hang banners painted by local groups. “The Banner Project” was started

four years ago and has successfully brought more attention to St. Paul’s main

street.

When entering St. Paul, visitors are greeted by welcome signs which are

surrounded with flower beds primarily maintained by town staff.

Many of St. Paul’s key attraction spots- The Landing Pad, Lagasse Park, St. Paul

Golf Club, and the main entrances to the town are dressed with a number floral

displays.

Each of the signs at the parks have been landscaped with wood chips, shrubs and

flowers and have been taking care of by Parks and Recreation Department.

Edible Barrels, containing a mixture of flowers and garden vegetables are placed

around the storefronts of local businesses. This project was campaigned by

Champions of Change and the 4H Club and the barrels are maintained by the

Parks and Recreation Staff.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Town of St. Paul would like to thank all those involved in the preparation for the Communities in Bloom program, as well as the St.

Paul community for helping to keep our town “A People Kind of Place”.

A special thank-you goes to the staff at the Town Recreation department who work tirelessly each day to keep our town facilities running and the

town in tip top shape.

Finally, we tip our hats to all those in our community that work so hard to plant flowers, shrubs and trees and who take that extra few moments to pick up stray garbage, cover up graffiti, pull weeds and generally show

they are proud to live and work here.