Neepawa Council Debrief: Prioritizing Safety Concerns

Before proceeding with business at this week’s Neepawa Town Council meeting, Deputy Mayor Murray Parrott offers his condolences to the families of those lost in the devastating traffic accident near Carberry, Manitoba, which is less than 30 miles from Neepawa. He commends all the first responders for excelling under difficult circumstances, including the crews from Neepawa and area who assisted at the scene.

We start this week’s meeting with a public hearing regarding a proposal to construct a duplex on a plot on Fourth Street zoned for single-family residential. There is some opposition to the proposal from the public, largely around property values and increased population density. Council also expresses concerns about the proposed front-and-back design of the duplex and offers suggestions for alternatives.

Many services that Neepawa residents rely on, including snow removal and garbage collection, are only available on the main streets and are unavailable, or not prioritized, in back alleys. A front-and-back design, while visually appealing as it would appear from the street to be a single dwelling, would require a level of service at the back that the town would be unable to meet.

In Council reports, Councillor Sisley runs down the Town’s plans for Canada Day, including the last minute addition of a fundraising barbecue for the Neepawa Handi-Van. Councillor Pottinger commends the organisers of the Filipino Heritage Month celebration and promotes the recreation department’s scavenger hunt, which will run until July 6. Councillor Kostenchuk briefs Council on the Home Assistance Neepawa and District AGM, including a rundown of the significant events that have taken place over the past year. Kostenchuk also celebrates the fact that this year marks the one millionth dollar that the Sayward Estates Fund has granted towards healthcare projects in the community through the Beautiful Plains Community Foundation.

Manager of Operations Denis Saquet updates Council on ongoing paving projects, including the upcoming street patching, tennis courts, and proposed speed bumps on Davidson Street near the public pool. As well, there was some interest from a museum in the old wind vane at the airport, which dates back to 1941 when they were equipped in all Commonwealth training bases, however it was discovered that many of the parts had already been scavenged after it was decommissioned in 1995.

CAO Colleen Synchyshyn reports on correspondence from a concerned citizen about safety issues on Main Street, which is the name for Provincial Highway #16 as it runs through town. There are several mature trees that are obstructing sightlines as local avenues connect with Main Street and in particular, the corner of Fifth Avenue and Main Street has been the site of several minor accidents, including a recent one that prompted the letter.

The operations department will do a full safety analysis, however town staff have already investigated in person and corroborated the concerns raised. Council also brought up the Functional Plan from 2004, and suggested that we move forward with some of the plans that it laid out. The full functional plan, called the PTH 16 Neepawa Functional Design Study November 2004, can be found on the town website.

Finally, Council discusses the sale of two lots in the industrial park east of town. CAO Synchyshyn elaborates on the land quality of the various lots in the park and explains why those two are being packaged together when normally they would not be.
Also covered were the installation of a new digital reader sign at the Yellowhead Centre, correspondence from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, an application to the Storefront Improvement Program, and the regular financial report.