Neepawa Council Debrief: Citizens Get a Say

In the first half of this week’s Council meeting, they hear from a pair of delegations on separate issues. One proposes a new environmental program and the other calls attention to a growing safety concern near the high school.

Former Mayor Adrian de Groot addressed Council about urban forest management and a possible public tree planting program. While the public works department already does sustained tree planting in the community, this proposal would encourage residents to purchase trees from the town to plant on their own property. The town, in turn, would use their purchasing power to acquire bulk numbers of trees in varieties that are suitable for our climate and make them available to residents at a discounted rate. At this point this is just a proposal. If the town goes forward with any such program, information will be made available at that time.

Local artist and school bus driver Brad Mummery brings a safety concern to Council’s attention. In 2019, the provincial highways department installed a crosswalk across Mountain Avenue next to Hospital Street for use by students of the middle school and high school. The location of the crosswalk was chosen against the recommendation from both the town and the school board, and according to Mummery has been causing both traffic issues and safety issues for students due to limited sightlines and the volume of traffic at the beginning and end of the school day. A petition is currently circulating in the community regarding the concern, which has already been signed by many community members as well as all bus drivers who service the middle and high schools.