It has been confirmed, the Time to Twin committee members in Estevan and Weyburn are ready to take their program to the next level, which in this case, means a public forum.
Marge Young and Lauralie Ireland, two of the most vocal and active members of the Time to Time group, said they don't know what kind of reception is in store for them, but they felt it was time to see if there is any kind of public support or renewed interest in the idea of twinning Highway 39 and Highway 6 (south) from North Portal to Regina.
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 21 in the Days Inn Plaza in Estevan, starting at 7 p.m.
"Yes, we're nervous, we haven't stepped into anything like this before," said Young.
The public session has been set to follow the committee's scheduled meeting with Saskatchewan's Minister of Highways and Infrastructure, Don McMorris on May 14. There will be four committee members plus MP Ed Komarnicki making the trip to Regina on that day.
"It has come this far, we are at a place now where we have to ask ourselves 'where do we go from here?' We're beating the drums for twinning and some people have come forward to say they're backing the idea, but we need something more now," said Young.
Interest in the project is growing in the social media platforms that the Time to Twin committee is operating, but they are hoping that with a face-to-face public forum, there will be some people out there who will bring some constructive ideas to the table.
Young said that Spectra Credit Union CEO Tim Schroh has agreed to act as moderator for the event.
"We don't want it to become a meeting where people just get up and complain about how bad it is. We know how bad it I;, we'll need to hear some suggestions as to what can be done about it," said Young, adding that the ideas promoted will probably come from the general public and maybe from the politicians. The invitation is wide open to include elected officials and public administration types at all levels.
The agenda for the meeting is being set and Young said she expected it will not be a lengthy one, but hoped it will be fruitful in terms of helping the committee establish a target which could ultimately lead to a commitment from the provincial government to set a date for the building of a four-lane highway from North Portal to Regina.
"It's still is, and will always be about safety, social and economic needs. We've lost 55 people on this piece of highway already," said Young. "It's time for us to do a little brainstorming, time to find out what can be done to move it forward, or find out if the people are even interested in moving it forward," she said in conclusion.
