MELFORT — Melfort council unanimously passed a motion designating a stretch of Saskatchewan Drive as Veteran’s Way following a push by Melfort Communities in Bloom.
Veteran’s Way will begin at the south side of Melfort on Highway 6, following through Saskatchewan Drive to the entrance of Highway 41.
As a designation rather than a renaming, the designation will affect street signage, but it will also officially remain Saskatchewan Drive.
Glenn George, Melfort’s mayor, said that this difference means businesses along the route won’t have to change their addresses – something which would have caused the city to choose a different street.
“We would put it on Highway 41A or something like that where there’s no businesses. We wanted this right downtown,” George said.
“I think it’s just an absolutely great thing. I’m kind of biased towards Communities in Bloom since my wife is one of the two driving forces behind there and I think it’s a fabulous idea.”
Creating and installing the signage along the route is estimated to cost the city about $5,000.
In an April interview, Melfort Communities in Bloom’s Peggy George told the East Central Recorder that this was another way to remember veterans.
“There’s lots of talk about remembering and let’s not forget, and it’s all done in a couple days in November and then we move on and we forget about it again.”
Communities in Bloom is also partnering with the Melfort Legion to install streetlight banners with photos of specific veterans who have a connection to the city. The banners are planned to be installed in October and remain up until winter holidays.
According to the city, there are 684 registered veterans from Melfort.
