Neepawa Council Debrief- Part 2: Project Progress, Feb. 17, 2023

The episode covers the second half of Neepawa's Town Council meeting on February 17, 2023. In the first half of this week’s Council meeting, there were presentations from a few community groups who are seeking grants in this budget year. In this second half, we begin with reports from the sitting Councillors.

Councillor Nadeau gave an update from the Yellowhead Center, which is looking forward to hosting the Viterra Men’s Curling Championship in a couple of weeks. They have also mandated the use of helmets during public skating for anyone under the age of 18.

Councillor Sisley reports that the operational review of the Yellowhead Centre has now begun and is currently in the data gathering phases. Residents are reminded to respect the facilities down at the Flats, including the ice surface, equipment, and washrooms, and to report any damage and vandalism to town staff. She also reports that the Handivan’s Facebook page is now live and sharing information about the services the Handivan offers.

Councillor Gerrard indicates that the finance committee has met to begin the review of grant applications for this year, which will be brought to the Council as a whole later on for decision making. Finally Deputy Mayor Parrott reports on the public meeting on the new hospital which was held last week by Shared Health and Prairie Mountain Health.

Manager of Operations Denis Saquet reports a mercifully quiet month for the department, with some routine servicing and oversight of ongoing projects. Residents are reminded once again to not put grease down household drains, including toilets, and that putting hot water down the drain after it does not actually help and just moves the problem further down the line. While there is no dedicated grease collection facility in town, it can be put in the trash in sealed containers.

The Viterra Manitoba Men’s Curling Championship is coming to the Yellowhead Centre in February, and the organisers have asked the town to declare it an official community event so that they can receive a Community Events Liquor Permit. The permit allows some special considerations, including allowing for the presence of minors at the event serving alcohol and for ticket sales to take place at the door.

Finally, the town is proceeding with a new cemetery database. This is a project that has been in the works for many years, and involves digitizing all the records and converting the current maps to make the cemetery much more searchable for residents and visitors. Internal staff have been working to prepare data for transfer, and the town will be engaging a company for both the software and the GIS - or geographic information system - mapping of the cemetery.

Also covered in this half of the meeting were the financial report, the date of the 2023 tax sale, the RCMP quarterly report, a resolution to support next year’s farm and leisure lottery, and an updated cemetery bylaw.