WEYBURN – Weyburn city council approved submitting an expression of interest for the Urban Highway Connector Program from the province, to mill down and repave a portion of First Avenue and King Street.
Under the program, there are levels of grant support depending on how much work is needed and the importance of the street or highway. This route, as a part of Highways 13 and 35 passing through the city, is considered a Level 3 in the UHCP agreement, and would be eligible for up to 70 per cent funding from the government.
City engineer Jennifer Wilkinson explained they would submit this as two projects. The first is to mill down and repave First Avenue from Government Road to 10th Street, and priority two would be to mill down and repave King Street from First Avenue to Fifth Avenue North.
“These areas are showing significant surface damage, and have not had any major work done in the past 10 years. The city does a pothole patching program on both roads every year. We want to repair the surface before we see damage to the sub-base and base,” said Wilkinson in her report to city council.
Coun. Dick Michel said while the road work needs to be done, he had misgivings as in his opinion, the City should reroute truck traffic around the city and not encourage it to go through the city.
“There’s a way to do that,” he said, pointing out that truck traffic “goes right through the city at increased speeds. I struggle to say yes to this thing, because of the truck route.”
Mayor Marcel Roy pointed out that Estevan put a truck bypass in to reroute trucks out of the city, and the result is a lot of traffic goes around and doesn’t stop in the city any more.
“This is the best solution that we’re getting,” he said, and noted the city is getting complaints about the quality of the roads.
“We have to wait for the government to give us the money, and that’s the best we can do,” said the mayor.
“I think I agree with both of you,” said Coun. Mel Van Betuw. “We’ve been in conversation with the province as far as the truck route. I think we do have to use their help to repave it in the meantime. It’s getting worse and worse, at a huge cost to us.”
The UHCP program promotes the safe and efficient movement of people and goods through Saskatchewan cities. It also provides an open and consistent framework to support the municipal management of urban highway connectors.
The 16 cities in Saskatchewan control urban connector highways within their boundaries, connecting highways that go through the city.
Under the program, the municipality making the expression of interest has to meet the terms and conditions of the program, hold an open tendering process, manage the construction of the project, fund the municipal share of the project, and fund the ongoing maintenance and operation costs.
• In other council business, council gave second and third reading to a bylaw amendment to give a new contract zone for Fido’s Doggy Day Care on Queen Street.
The previous contract zone which allowed the business to operate there had run out so a new contract zone was needed. This one will not expire as long as the business remains to operate in that location.
• The owner of Cedar and Vine Design, Joanne Beach, in the former Signal Hill Arts Centre building, is applying to change the zoning designation for the building from residential to a Mixed Use designation, to the Signal Hill Heritage Mixed Use Direct Control District.
The changes are being requested to facilitate the development of several different commercial uses in the building, along with a couple of residential units.
The proposal is for commercial uses on the first three floors, with studio space, retail, and a potential coffee shop or similar use. They are also looking for a couple of residential units in the building, including changing over the former caretaker’s unit to a rental unit.
Council gave first reading for the zoning amendment, and for the amendment to the Official Community Plan, and it will come back to the next council meeting on Sept. 12 for a public hearing and for second and third readings, if council decides to approve this request.
