Looking back - 1996: Struggling Amaranth school faces closure
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- Published on Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Photo courtesy of the Cecil Pittman archives. Mountain Ave., Neepawa, looking south. The building to the right sits at the location of the former Co-op store.
By Cecil Pittman
Neepawa Press
80 years ago, Friday, Nov. 6, 1936
Wednesday, Nov. 11 is a dominion holiday, although the Retail Merchants Association in Winnipeg is trying to balk it, supplying a doubt to other towns as to whether or not the day should be observed as a holiday. One local store has taken the lead by announcing that it will observe Armistice Day and close doors and other businesses are expected to follow.
70 years ago, Thursday, Nov. 14, 1946
A farmer-pioneer of the Oakbank district in Manitoba has encouraged the thrift habit among all his 21 grand children by buying a $100 Canadian saving bond for each of them. He is R.W. Edmonds who has farmed in the Oakbank district for 60 years. He came to this country when he was 22 years of age from Devonshire, England, where his father before him was a farmer.
60 years ago, Thursday, Nov. 6, 1956
Reverend Elmer G. Anderson, president of the Neepawa Ministerial Association, in a letter to Neepawa Town Council read at the regular meeting Monday night, stated that this association wished “to record a unanimous disapproval of any arrangement for activity at our arena which would commence before the hours of 2 p.m. Sunday.” The letter was written in connection with a report in the Neepawa Press last week stating that the Neepawa Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, which assumed operation of the arena rink on Nov. 1, proposed to conduct figure skating classes commencing at the rink from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. each Sunday. All members of council were present for the meeting, as was J.A. Davidson, town solicitor.
50 years ago, Friday, Nov. 11, 1966
Work got underway this week at the site of the new Manitoba Telephone System exchange building in Neepawa. Located at the corner of Hamilton and Brown, the new building is slated for completion sometime in 1967. It will provide automatic dialing equipment for the town.
40 years ago, Thursday, Nov. 11, 1976
Fire completely gutted the Big M. Manufacturing Ltd. building at the corner of Mountain and Brydon at approximately 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9.
Fire chief Gerald Parrott estimated the damage at $100,000. The business was owned by Morris Maes of Neepawa, who was renting the business from Mrs. Isabel Gillespie. The contents of the building were partially covered by insurance, however, the coverage wouldn’t even come close to meeting the loss in equipment alone, Mrs. Maes told the Press on Wednesday.
30 years ago, Thursday, Nov. 10, 1986
The future of the Beautiful Plains Agricultural Society (BPAS) summer fair is in jeopardy. This is the message the BPAS board of directors is now bringing to public attention.
Personnel problems could eventually lead to the fair’s demise and a ‘For Sale’ sign erected on the fair grounds, or at the very least, a fair with a changed format.
BPAS president Bruce Bremner said the society just can’t seem to get enough people to work on the executive to organize fair events.
If that doesn’t change, Bremner said, “The fair as we know it could die.”
20 years ago, Monday, Nov. 12, 1996
With an enrolment of only 28, Amaranth school in under review for possible closure in the coming school year.
“We’re reviewing it, but it’s not necessarily closing,” said Turtle River School Division Superintendent Joe Mudry. “In January, we’ll meet with parents and that will give the board an indication of what they want to happen.”
“If parents want the school to stay open, they’ll have to support it.”
Mudry said the kindergarten to Grade 6 school had been dealing with dropping enrolments for a number of years, as more parents opt to send their children to nearby schools in Glenella and Alonsa.
10 years ago, Monday, Nov. 13, 2006
A local producer is objecting to a proposed update of the Neepawa and Area Planning District development plan, claiming it will give area councils and the planning board too much power.
In a sharply worded letter to the editor, published in the Oct. 30 edition of the Neepawa Press, Weldon Newton criticized the development plan by-law, which has already been given a second reading. “Agriculture uses have to be number one in the area,” Newton said.
“I’m concerned the ease at which new subdivisions will be allowed will lead to conflict.”
Newton – who farms 2,400 acres and runs a 90 sow farrow-to-finish operation with his brother southwest of Neepawa – said the last thing struggling farmers need is to have more controls imposed over them.
