At the regular Esterhazy town council meeting on Wednesday, councillor Marty Pfeifer told council that he’d like to see the ball get rolling on the development of some land that the town has started prepping for future commercial use on the west side of Esterhazy along Highway 22.
In total there are 57 acres available for use, with the town pushing some bush and moving some topsoil on four acres in that area recently as a starting point.
“Over to the west of town when we decided to clear all that land, that sure created a lot of questions, and I think that was a positive thing,” said Pfeifer. “Talking the last few days about commercial development, that’s one way of getting taxes lowered is getting more businesses in here . . . More businesses are going to bring more people, which is just going to be a snowball effect. So my question is how come we haven’t done any surveying or anything to see what it’s going to cost to get the plumbing in the ground? We just cleared the land and that’s it. Why didn’t we go a little further?”
Planning and Economic Development Director Tammy MacDonald said some initial engineering would need to be done on the land to ensure it would be viable for services and infrastructure, and that the land would need to be rezoned, as it is currently zoned as future urban development land.
“It’s definitely a budget item and we need to make sure it gets included in the budget,” said councillor Maggie Rowland.
Councillor Tenille Flick said she was worried the town could end up sinking money into developing the land, and then have it sit empty like some other areas in town, such as the Sylvite subdivision. She thought it might be more prudent to leave the land until the town were approached by someone interested in it, and then move forward then.
Councillor Earl Nickel said he feels the town needs to do some work in that area so that they have a plan moving forward such as what the lot sizes are, where the roads will go and what the elevations will be.
Councillor Randy Bot said he’d like to see the town make a proposal at some point to the hospital board to have the new hospital located in that area, as he thinks it would be an ideal for the new hospital.
Councillor Vern Petracek asked MacDonald if she could start working on getting some quotes together for the cost of engineering the land so it can be readied for future development, and it was agreed to secure quotes.
Update on ICIP application for water treatment plant
Acting Administrator Mike Thorley gave a brief update on the progress of the town’s ICIP (Investing In Canada Infrastructure) grant application for Esterhazy’s new water treatment plant.
The town of Esterhazy’s application has been recommended to the federal government by the provincial government as one of the projects that should receive funding under the program. Under ICIP, the federal government would pay 40 per cent of the cost of the project, the provincial government would pay up to 33.33 per cent, and the town would pay 27 per cent.
Thorley says the project is currently undergoing the climate lens assessment portion of the application. Climate lens assessments are a federal requirement for many projects under ICIP.
These assessments are intended to encourage behavioral change and incorporate consideration of climate impacts into the planning of infrastructure projects
Thorley said the climate lens assessment should be completed by the end of May.
The town of Esterhazy has also included a regional component of their application, with the hope that the town’s new water treatment plant can be used at some point to provide water to other municipalities and Mosaic’s K3 mine. The town is already in talks with Mosaic about providing water to K3, and Thorley said at the meeting Wednesday that they have been able to provide Mosaic with a rough estimate of the cost of piping water to K3.
Town to enter into contract for rink rentals through spring
Rec Director Brenda Redman told council that two groups had come forward asking to use the Dana Antal Arena from April 1 to May 16. She said the rentals would bring in about $25,000 worth of income for the town. She said she’d like to see a contract in place for the rentals, and, with spring coming and the additional rental time at the rink, would also like to look for a part-time worker for the rec department to help with the extra work.
Council passed a motion to rent the Dana Antal Arena for seven weeks based on a the renters signing a contract, and on a part-time worker being found to help out the rec department.
The rink is being rented by two groups working together to put on some spring hockey clinics and practices.
Library will be muster point
Council received a request from Esterhazy Housing Authority to use the town’s library as a muster point for Daisy Hill and Sumner Place residents in the case of an emergency. Council passed a motion to ensure that the muster point was included in the town’s EMO plan, and also to ensure that in the case of the emergency, the residents needed someone to supervise them on the way to, and at, the muster point, to ensure everyone arrives safely.
Town says no to commercial sign on empty residential property
Planning and Economic Development Director Tammy MacDonald told council that she had had a request from a Yorkton business to place a sign advertising their business on a vacant residential lot in the Sylvite subdivision.
“Are they actually building something there or just dropping a sign off?” asked Mayor Grand Forster.
MacDonald said the lot has not been sold to anyone, but the business owner said there might be someone interested in it.
Council noted that if a contractor were doing work on a lot, such as building a house, and had a sign up, that would be fine, but other than that, no advertising would be allowed on the vacant lot.
Food truck must be self contained
Council discussed a request from Timeout Eatery to put a portable food trailer on the grounds near the pool on a seasonal basis, and to leave it there for the season, with the option of having it hooked up to water and power.
Council discussed it and noted that the food truck would need to be a self contained unit in order to be in compliance with the town’s bylaw.
Two new appointments to EDC
Planning and Economic Development Director Tammy MacDonald told council that several people had put their names forward to join the town’s Economic Development Committee.
Council passed a motion to add Vern Petracek and Syd Sveinbjornson to the committee.
New rec board member
Rec Director Brenda Redman said that Simone Tucker has asked to join the Esterhazy Rec Committee, and council passed a motion to approve her being added to the committee.
Housing authority chair will not seek reappointment
Council received a letter from the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation regarding nominating a chair for the Esterhazy Housing Authority. Former chair Michael Bewcyk has stepped down and will not be seeking reappointment, and a nomination for a new chair is required. One of the current board members has been recommended for the position, which will leave a spot on the board vacant.
Rec Director Brenda Redman told council she would be interested in sitting on the board, as her mother resides in one of the housing authority properties.
“I just see so much of a need that the seniors have, and they definitely need a voice on that board,” she says.
Council was unsure if it would be a conflict of interest or not to have Redman sit on the board and decided to check into it.
