By Greg Nikkel
Two of Weyburn’s historical buildings are being looked at by the city’s Facilities Advisory Committee, city council heard at their council meeting on Sept. 26.
The committee is getting a utilization study done for the roundhouse, which is over 100 years old and is currently in use by the Public Works department. Formerly used for the railway, facilities manager Greg Button was asked to research additional historical information along with the study, which is expected to take about six months to complete.
Engineer Sean Abram explained the committee was looking into possibly replacing the building, but wants the historical information about the building first to determine if it has heritage status.
The committee is also looking at restoration work for the historic water tower, which was built in 1909. Facilities manager Button noted there are many boards that are loose or rotting and need replacing, plus a paint job is needed for the structure.
He is looking for a contractor who is familiar with wooden water towers, and will check with Humboldt and Kerrobert, which both have similar water tower structures, to see what companies they used to repair or restore their towers.
The committee was also informed of a problem with the wheelchair ramp area at Crescent Point Place, where a ramp and viewing area is provided in one of the corners so they can watch hockey games. Coun. Dick Michel said there is not enough room for users to leave the ramp without everyone having to move, which is inconvenient for those who use the area. Facilities manager Button is working on a possible solution to the problem, and will bring a recommendation back to a future meeting.
Council was told that about 90 per cent of the budgeted facility projects for 2016 are completed and were within the 2016 budget, with the remaining projects to be finished before the year-end.
At the city’s water treatment plant, the furnaces need to be replaced after they failed in the spring. A request for proposals was made for the supply of two boilers with an air handling unit to circulate the air in the plant, and two proposals were received.
The first proposal was from Marquardt Mechanical of Regina, in the amount of $262,800, and the second one was from Don’s Plumbing and Heating of Weyburn in the amount of $79,687.
The recommendation was to go with Don’s Plumbing’s proposal, and they indicated they could have the new heating system in place by mid-October.
Coun. Mel Van Betuw asked if their proposal will be adequate as there is such a large discrepancy in prices, and Abram said from the information supplied about the boiler system, it will be adequate, and the boiler system is expandable if that is needed.
An issue with the location of the LED sign at the corner of Third Street and Highway 39, adjacent to the Indian restaurant, was raised, as the city wants the sign to be removed to a different location.
The city has received many complaints about its current location, especially about how bright it is at night. The company which owns the sign, Canadian Digital Network, asked to reposition it on that same property so it was facing the traffic more directly, but the recommendation from planning and development officer Drew Bakken was to refuse the request, as it is felt the sign will interfere with traffic signals and be a distraction to drivers on Highway 39 at its current level of brightness.
A company representative appeared at the council meeting and suggested a dimmer can be put onto the sign which would dial down the brightness when the sun goes down to 20 per cent of its daylight brightness, or even as low as five per cent, as is done with similar signs in Regina and Saskatoon.
The representative added that if a solution can’t be found for the sign to work in this location, they will remove and leave Weyburn.
Coun. Rob Stephanson suggested that a two-week trial be held with the dimmer in place, so staff and council can see how well that would work prior to the next council meeting which will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
“It’s going to have to move, one way or another. If we can get it closer to the legal requirements, then I’d be willing to at least look at it,” said Coun. Stephanson.
A letter from the Nickle Lake Regional Park board was received, asking for the city’s yearly grant to the park to be doubled from $5,000 to $10,000.
The letter, from board treasurer Lisa Loustel, explained that their costs are rising, “and we are experiencing extra operational costs to maintain our park.”
The request was referred to the council’s retreat, which will be held in November after this fall’s civic elections, where the matter will be discussed as part of the budget deliberations for 2017.
Coun. Nancy Styles noted that funding for the Tatagwa Parkway will also need to be discussed there, since the government cut all funding for the park system in their spring budget.
“This is an ongoing thing the city has had with Nickle Lake,” said Coun. Winston Bailey, who chairs the Nickle Lake Park board, adding their costs to have the water supply to the park tested has been increasing.
Mayor Debra Button said she would like to see more information about the park’s finances when the discussion is held about this request.
