WEYBURN - Weyburn City Council approved a land transfer property for the former Haig School property, with the plans to create another multi-use park space in the community.
“When we look at our long-term plan for the city, we see a need for more park spaces and for us it is a great fit for what is already there at Don Mitchell Park,” said Mathew Warren, City Manager.
The land transfer was between South East Cornerstone Public School Division and the City of Weyburn. Haig Elementary was closed in June 2021, and the school division initially put the school property up for sale. They did not receive any qualifying bids for the property.
Cornerstone applied for Emergent Funding from the Province of Saskatchewan Ministry of Education to have Haig Elementary School demolished in the spring of 2022.
The School Division then requested offers for the school property, and the City of Weyburn saw great potential futures uses for the property.
“When we identified the space as being available, the City of Weyburn did a review of what we could do on the site,” added Warren. “We really see use of the ball diamonds, as minor ball currently uses that space. There was also potential for a cricket pitch, and other new amenities such as an outdoor rink, community gardens, or maybe a park where people can ride their bikes.”
“There are many different opportunities that we can do moving forward and that space is perfect for these plans,” said Warren. “We are excited to have this property for future use.”
It will be a multi-year plan of transforming the property into a multi-use park space. “Year one, in 2023, will be maintenance. We need to look at the site, prep the site, and start some long-term plans,” noted Warren.
It is six acres of land with lots of space for new amenities, so Warren noted that there is potential to discuss with business and community groups on sponsorship opportunities, and create another community space that benefits everyone.
