The new location for the Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) bus depot in Weyburn will be at the Zippy Mart at 1610 First Avenue NE, starting effective Tuesday, May 31.
The new location for the Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) bus depot in Weyburn will be at the Zippy Mart at 1610 First Avenue NE, starting effective Tuesday, May 31.
Don Mickalishen, owner of the Zippy Mart, said that the staff have been busy making minor renovations and preparing for STC training to take responsibility of the bus depot.
"We are not quite sure of the space requirements that will be required, but we have taken some space to devote to the freight aspect, and a waiting area for passengers," said Mickalishen. He added that the new freight doors and equipment for STC bills of sale have been installed at the Zippy Mart.
"There might be more renovations made to the Zippy Mart once we have the depot, and know all the requirements," explained Mickalishen. "It will be an adjustment, but we are confident that it will be a workable location for the new bus depot."
There was a lot of work involved finding a suitable new location for the STC bus depot. "We of course had to look at all the zoning concerns in the area, and ensure that it was a good location for both the Zippy Mart and the STC," said Doug Mulhall, manager of community services for the City of Weyburn.
A proposed location at the Co-op Food Centre had been rejected by city council in January, because of zoning concerns from the neighbourhood. "We were quite pleased when the proposed location at Zippy Mart met all the requirements, and had no concerns from the neighbourhood," said Mulhall.
Staff at the Zippy Mart are going to start their STC training in the next few weeks. As the Zippy Mart is open seven days a week, they will be offering extended hours of operation from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. "We are hoping that we will be a good representative of the STC," said Mickalishen.
The STC bus will come into town on Highway 13 (First Avenue), and they will access the Zippy Mart by turning at 18th Street and turning onto the service road. "We expect them to come to our location via the back alley," noted Mickalishen.
The new freight doors for the STC bus drop off are located on the west entrance of the Zippy Mart, where the bus will be able to park in a lane that connects the back alley to the parking lot. Mickalishen noted that that lane is hardly used, and it will allow the bus to stay for the 20 minutes required for unloading of freight and passengers.
"It will be up to Zippy Mart and STC on how the bus enters the property, and for them to work out a plan that is the least disruptive. There could be some fine tuning to the access of the property once the STC bus depot is in place," said Mulhall.
He added that the city had requested the bus come off the highway on 18th Street, because the intersection at 16th and First Avenue was much too busy, and too tight for the bus length. The STC bus will also leave via 18th Street, or if required will head down further to a new road being developed off the service road that will be called 20th Street.
"We are pretty much prepared for the STC bus depot, and have all the signs and computers installed. We will be retaining the same phone number," added Mickalishen. Residents who require more information can contact either the bus depot, which will remain at its Shell location until May 31, or call the Zippy Mart.
