Infrastructure project will likely cost less than expected

Details

Published on Tuesday, April 12, 2016

By Eoin Devereux

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

Neepawa Town Council Meeting

Tuesday, April 5

A Winkler based company has won the bidding war for a massive infrastructure upgrade in Neepawa. Dig-All Construction was selected for the nearly $1.1 million project, which involves installing a new trunk sewer to address high volumes of effluent being generated by the town. 

In total, there were 13 bids received for the work. Dig-All had the lowest bid, at $605,400 plus tax. That number was significantly less than the estimated cost. The contractor was contacted to ensure they were satisfied with their bid. They are comfortable with that number and eager to start. Neepawa Council has decided to set aside an additional $100,000 to ensure all costs will be covered. 

As part of the upgrades,  Neepawa had received $400,000 from Ottawa. The provincial government and the town each matched that contribution. 

Westlake asks for support

Westlake Employment Skills and Services has brought forward a request for funding. Representatives Loren Huck and Nancy Jo Moller made a presentation to Town Council, on Tuesday, Apr. 5. They noted that cuts to Westlake’s funding from other levels of government have created a $20,501 shortfall.  They noted that Westlake serves 490 residents from the region per month, with 303 of those individuals from Neepawa.  They asked for $12,690 to assist with the shortfall. That amount was chosen as it covers the percentage of Neepawa specific people (303 of 490) who are using their services. Town Council has taken the funding request under advisement  

Neepawa & Area Fair

Neepawa council has approved temporary street closures for Saturday, May 28, to accommodate a parade. The Neepawa and District Chamber of Commerce is organizing the Neepawa and Area Fair from May 27 to 29.  As part of the festivities, the Chamber wishes to include a parade, which would start at 11:00 am at the Yellowhead Centre. The parade route would then travel south down Mountain Avenue, turn left on Davidson Street, right on Brown and then west on Hamilton to the Budz n’ Bloom Day Care parking lot. The Town has approved the request, as well as the application for a liquor permit, to allow for a beer gardens at the fairground location.

New signage nixed

A variance request for a new commercial advertising billboard on the Esso/Tim Hortons property has been rejected by Council. The proposed 10’ x 20’ sign would have been located in the median strip between the Tim Hortons drive thru and the west-end of the Neepawa and Gladstone Co-op parking lot. 

Representatives with the Co-op spoke against the proposal, suggesting its proposed location may create problems with snow removal in the parking lot during the winter and with the greenhouse structure that is built on that section of the parking lot in the summer. Council voted unanimously against the request, which was brought forward by Pattison Outdoor Advertising.

Taxi by-law finalized

Town Council has given approval to its new by-law for the licensing and regulation of taxi services within the town limits. A by-law was already in place, but needed some slight changes in its wording to ensure its regulations and requirements were up to date. 1st Call Taxi, based out of Brandon, has been in operation in Neepawa since early January.

Other Council discussions

The financial plans for the Neepawa’s 2016 budget will be revealed to the public on Tuesday, Apr. 19 at 6:00 pm. 

With national census day scheduled for Tuesday, May 10, the town’s economic development officer recently attended a meeting to promote and prepare for this year’s census. Support for newcomers regarding the census was discussed at the gathering. Assistance will be provided through Settlement Services.

The 2016 Neepawa and Area Business Survey has been completed and a report will be made public following its release to the Chamber of Commerce and Town Council.

The Town of Neepawa is exploring the creation of a revamped website. To date, 16 proposals for the new site have been received.