Neepawa Town Council - Tuesday, Dec. 5
- Details
- Published on Thursday, December 14, 2017
Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner & Press
The Town of Neepawa’s new snow removal contracts are signed, sealed and delivered. On Tuesday, Dec. 5, council approved the agreements with two local companies, P. Baker and Rob Smith and Son. The deals with those companies will result in the town being split into two snow removal sections, with Mountain Avenue serving as the mid-point. Pat Baker will clear snow from the west side of Neepawa, as well as Mountain Avenue itself, while the east side will be handled by Rob Smith and Son.
Both contractors have been made aware by the administration of the contract’s snow removal expectations and schedule requirements. The hope for this arrangement is that using two companies to remove snow will ensure it’s done as quickly as possible. As well, should one or the other be unable to fulfill the work on a particular day, the other could be a back-up.
During the discussions on the new deals, councillor Murray Parrott indicated that he was pleased to see this plan moving forward, as it has been a suggestion for many years. He added that it’s nice to see the snow removal will be done this way. Councillor Darryl Gerrard echoed similar remarks, adding that he was receiving compliments from within the community of the improved snow removal this year. The financial details on the agreement were not released publicly.
New speed zones
Neepawa has new speed limits near school zones. In 2013, the provincial government changed its regulations and allowed municipalities to set their own speed limits around schools.
Council approved the installation of a 30 km/h speed limit near Hazel M. Wellington School and Neepawa Area Collegiate. New signage will be put in place near the schools, clearly marking where the limits will be implemented. Those revisions to the speed limit will then be effective early in the new year.
Mayor’s report
Mayor Adrian de Groot thanked the public for their support in relation to the CP Rail Holiday Train on Sunday, Dec. 3, reporting that initial attendance estimates are well over 1,500 people. De Groot also added that the response from CP Rail officials was also very positive, as they were ‘overwhelmed’ by the numbers, and encouraged the town to put in an application for 2019, when the train would once again travel along a route that passes through the community.
Misc.
Neepawa’s north end water project into the RM of Rosedale is ’99 per cent complete’. It recently went through water and pressure tests, which it passed. The town can now move ahead on the installation of internal plumbing for four private properties in the area who selected the option of having access to the system.
A new accessibility plan has been approved. The need for such a contract is due to the mandate from the province for all municipalities to upgrade their accessibility standards in five key areas: customer service, employment, information/communication, built environment (structures) and transportation. The mandate for this is to be phased in across the province by 2023.
As part of the process, a public forum was held in Neepawa on Nov. 20, to layout the requirement and get feedback from the community. With the passage of that plan now complete,Neepawa, with guidance from the province, will move forward on implementing the requirements of accessibility heading into 2023. Details on the accessibility plan can be found in the notices subhead on the Town of Neepawa’s website.
