The Weyburn Youth Center board will meet with representatives of the Weyburn Agricultural Society and the Weyburn Oil Show board to show them whether a set of temporary fencing being donated to them will be adequate to meet their concerns for securit
The Weyburn Youth Center board will meet with representatives of the Weyburn Agricultural Society and the Weyburn Oil Show board to show them whether a set of temporary fencing being donated to them will be adequate to meet their concerns for security for their needs.
The issue of fencing around the Youth Center arose when the centre took down the fencing this past summer, causing concerns on the part of the Ag Society and the Oil Show board, and the three parties brought the issue before city council on Monday evening.
All three groups spoke to council in turn, with the Ag Society and Oil Show both asking that a permanent fence be rebuilt around the Youth Center.
Brian Hopfe, executive director of the Youth Center, said they understood the fence was theirs, that the city had given them the materials to put it up. It was taken down partly because it was in disrepair, and because Hopfe had taken in a seminar where it was felt such a fence was counter-productive and should be removed.
He told council the Youth Center has seen very positive results from taking the fence down, including increased usage by youth and by families, and the police indicated they've had far fewer calls to the Youth Centre since the fence came down. Neighbours have also commended the Youth Center for taking down the fence, and grandparents have said now they feel more freedom to come and watch their grandchildren there.
"It was encouraging to me to hear people say they feel they can come out as a family to enjoy the park," said Hopfe.
He added a company has donated a set of temporary fencing to them which can be put up when events like the Weyburn Fair and the Oil Show are put on.
While both the Ag Society and Oil Show cast doubts on how well a temporary fence would work, Coun. Rob Stephanson suggested that the temporary fence be put up and all three parties gather to look at it and judge whether it would sufficient to meet all concerns or not.
Council voted 4-1 in favour of this move, with only Mayor Debra Button voting against, as she felt that taking down the fence without any consultation with either the Ag Society or the Oil Show was in "poor taste".
Speaking for the Ag Society, Tyler Metheral said their view is that when a neighbour's fence is taken down, the decent thing to do is to put it back up, and this is what they are asking for from the city.
He said they have to have that part of the exhibition grounds secure or else they won't make any money when they have an event like the Fair on. The society questions the quality of the temporary fencing, and whether it would be adequate to meet their concerns or not.
For the Oil Show, Trevor Pandachuk and Morley Forsgren spoke.
"Our concern is liability," said Pandachuk. "With all the equipment on the grounds during an oil show, if someone climbs up on a rig and gets hurt, it's our liability."
He added the Youth Center is the source of the majority of the security problems the show has had to deal with, including tampering with the fence and keeping people out of the grounds during the show, and during the lead-up to the show.
In response, Hopfe noted that this temporary fencing would be no different from the fencing put up at construction sites or around well sites, and said it should work for the fair grounds as well.
He told council the centre will have the fencing within three weeks or so; once it has arrived, a time to set it up and inspect it with the three parties will be set.
Council approved an application for the Wor-Kin Shop and SARCAN depot to be built at a new location at 1800 Ebel Road, the city's new industrial park area just off 16th Street.
A number of conditions will be put on for this location, including adequate parking for the buildings, which will be separate facilities.
The land is currently zoned as medium industrial, and a subdivision will be required to separate the office and day program building from the salvage yard (recycling) building.
The facility is a permitted use for this zoning, but municipal and provincial standards must be met for the facilities to operate. The office/day program building will need to have 14 parking spaces, and the recycling and custom workshop will also need 14 parking spaces.
To address any concerns of flooding, the main floor of all new structures must be built half a metre above the 1:500-year flood elevation. This location is an alternative to a previous location on First Avenue NW which was first being considered for the day program building.
