It has taken a while, but plans to put up a Holodomor monument in North Battleford are once again moving forward.
If all goes well, a location will be approved at August's city council meeting and the Holodomor monument will be in place soon afterwards as the first monument approved under the new Monuments and Cairns Policy of the city.
The issue of the Holodomor monument was back before city officials at their monthly Parks and Recreation Committee meeting Monday.
At that meeting, Paul Kardynal representing the Ukrainian association told the committee about his organization's plans to put up a Holodomor statue in the city.
The statue would be in remembrance of those who perished in the 1932-33 Ukraine famine, a famine engineered by the Soviet Union.
The organization made the same request to council last year, with Central Park originally pitched by the association as a potential site.
However, a decision was put on hold as the City worked on completing a monuments and cairns policy. The policy, which guides the installation of commemorative structures in the city, was approved at the April 14 council meeting.
The Battlefords Ukrainian Association's application is the first one under the new policy. The first step in the process was to submit their proposal to the committee.
A form is to be filled out to evaluate each proposal and see whether it fits the definition, and to determine a site. At the meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Bill Samborski indicated the Holodomor proposal should have no problem meeting the definitions and requirements set out.
"It's not a matter of trying to decide if it fits. It's a matter of just applying policy points to it and then the committee will come back for a recommendation for a site," said Samborski.
The exact location must still be determined. Central Park near the library does not appear likely at this time, with Samborski indicating a master plan was being devloped for that area.
He did suggest placing the Holodomor monument in the park area between the Allen Sapp Gallery and the Don Ross Centre.
That area was being contemplated as a "flag and cultural corridor," said Samborski. He noted a Holodomor monument at that location would be "statuesque" and visible to traffic coming into North Battleford from the highway.
The idea is also to increase more human traffic on the path there between Chapel Gallery and Allen Sapp Gallery and could be included as a destination for schools on visits to those destinations. .
In any event, a final decision on a site has not been made yet. Samborski pledged discussion between the committee and the Battlefords Ukrainian Association on a site will continue.
Samborski indicated his preferred timeline is to take a site recommendation to the August meeting of city council, and then have the monument up "before the snow flies."
