At the Aug. 15 policies and priorities meeting, the mayor presented brothers Austin and Kevin Waldron with congratulatory certificates for completing the Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award recognizes 14-25 year olds for participating in community service, learning new skills and participating in physical recreation. There are three levels that can be attained, gold being the highest and requiring the most commitment.
In addition to handing out the certificates, Judy Dahl also conducted a quick question-and-answer period with the recipients in front of the gallery.
While working toward his gold-level award, Austin said activities such as coaching football and volunteering kept him busy and out of trouble. He added that he discovered a love of hiking while completing the program's Adventurous Journey.
Kevin said they participated in many of the activities required for the award on a regular basis and the most difficult part was going on the adventures.
Austin is currently a wrestler for the University of Regina Cougars. He will soon become teammates with his brother. Both have earned athletic scholarships.
Earlier this year, the two young men had the chance to meet Prince Edward in Calgary while receiving their awards.
Olds' Anthony Focker was expected to receive his certificate at yesterday's council meeting.
A man came before the committee asking if it would consider an exception to the Community Standards Bylaw allowing him to park a 70-passenger school bus on his property when he substitutes for another driver.
Resident Orville Ulry spares for drivers for both the Red Deer Catholic and Chinook's Edge school divisions. He said that means driving out into rural areas to pick up the bus and driving back into town to do the route.
Once finished, he has to take the bus back out into the country to drop it off, pick up his own vehicle to return home. In a letter to the town, he said that's an extra 40 kilometres on the bus.
He proposed an exception allowing him to keep the bus on his driveway, saving the school divisions the cost of wear and tear on the buses, additional fuel and reducing his environmental impact.
A few on the committee objected to the idea.
"I do not support allowing school bus parking in residential areas in our municipality," said Wade Bearchell.
Bearchell said it's not fair to make such an exemption for the school boards but not truck drivers. He added that Orville could park the buses at school sites in town.
Mary Anne Overwater agreed.
"We spent a lot of time on the community standards bylaw. I don't know how we can turn around and say the school division can park on roads when others can't."
