News and notes from the Sept. 9 regular meeting of Estevan city council.
Prior to the meeting, the members of council presented certificates of recognition to the groups involved in the Warm Welcome Shelter - St. Paul's United Church, the Salvation Army, Estevan Ministerial Association, United Way Estevan, Tim Hortons (Fourth Street location) and the Days Inn Estevan.
Council granted the United Way Estevan permission to paint their logo on sidewalks in the downtown corridor on Sept. 29.
The logos are to serve as a reminder of the United Way's upcoming telethon on Oct. 6 at the Estevan Legion.
The City recently received a welcome letter from the provincial Ministry of Highways informing them they would provide an additional $328,155 towards the Highway 47 rebuild project.
Initially the province had committed to $1.35 million, however the cost of the project has grown since that commitment was made. The extra funding from the ministry will cover roughly half of the cost increase.
According to the letter, the cost of the project is $3.62 million.
Council approved the appointment of Becky Conly and Lynn Chipley to the Leisure Services Advisory Board.
The building report for August was presented at the meeting and it noted the City issued 11 permits worth a combined value of $1.41 million throughout the month.
The bulk of that total came from two industrial permits, which had a combined value of $750,000.
For the year, the City has now issued just over $24.2 million in permits, which is just slightly ahead of the pace set in 2012.
City manager Jim Puffalt noted there are still a handful of major projects underway that could send that total much higher. If those projects don't get underway in 2013 he expects they will begin in early 2014.
Council approved the sale of two parcels of land to an Alberta company for $1.13 million.
Located in the area behind Walmart, the land will be used for commercial purposes.
"It hasn't been totally decided yet but I believe we are looking at a strip mall going in there, a restaurant and some type of commercial developments, we haven't been privy to the exact ones yet," Mayor Roy Ludwig said.
"One of them is going to be a fairly large business and depending on how large that business is, we may be looking at a restaurant or some other types of businesses going in alongside it."
Council gave approval to a rezoning bylaw that will allow the construction of a duplex at 1805 Third Street to proceed.
It was noted a couple of objections were raised about the project, primarily about parking and the look of the new structure, but the members of council who were approached said they were able to allay any concerns of homeowners in the area.
Council also gave first reading to a rezoning application from a Saskatchewan-based numbered company that has purchased land along Kensington Avenue to build a new hotel.
According to the proposal presented at the meeting, the company has purchased the lot on which Advance Lumber and Building Products is currently located, with the intention of building a 119-room hotel.
The land in question is zoned for industrial purposes and would have to be rezoned to a commercial arterial/highway zone to allow for a hotel to proceed.
Councillor Chris Istace said he had concerns about the proposal, noting that traffic in that area is already a major issue and feared that adding a hotel would make the situation worse.
With council approving the first reading, there will be a chance to address those concerns and others. Members of the public will also be given the opportunity to express any worries they might have.
Approval was given to the leisure services division to purchase a point of sale system for Spectra Place and the entire leisure centre.
Council has previously expressed concern about the proper accounting of sales and inventory at the leisure centre and it was recommended that a POS system might help address the matter. As well, it's expected the POS system will allow for faster and more accurate service to patrons of Spectra Place where there have been issues with long lineups for concession items.
