On August 19, Niverville’s council unanimously approved a subdivision request by Sunset Estates. This proactive move paves the way for a fourth school to put down roots in the community sometime in the future.

The location lies within the Highlands West development. Developer Len Peters says that once a sale is complete, infrastructure such as water and sewer will already be underway. He anticipates that this could happen as early as next spring.

According to CAO Eric King, land for new schools is generally purchased by the school division themselves, using funding supplied by the province when a school has been approved.

As of yet, neither council nor the developer have indicated which division has been inquiring about building a school here.

Across the highway, in Fifth Avenue Estates West, council also approved a request by developer Cornell Friesen for the closure of one public road and the opening of a new one.

The new road, Ridgemont Drive, will run east to west between Mulberry and Krahn. Ridgemont will serve as the primary access and egress road for a new development to begin just north of Centre Street.

According to Mayor Dyck, this roadway change will prevent the addition of intersections along Centre Street where traffic volumes from the school and CRRC can already be high at times.

“We’re just trying to limit the number of vehicles coming onto Centre,” Dyck clarified. “Especially after times of big events so that we don’t have a bottleneck.”

Mayoral Musings

Mayor Dyck used part of the meeting to address some thoughts he and council have been entertaining in recent months.

With the new school year just around the corner, Dyck says, he has had the opportunity to consider the gaps in vocational education in Niverville, as well as ways in which council might address those in the future.

He hopes to work alongside school divisions, addressing ideas for trades and other vocational options outside of the typical school curriculum. This may even involve workshops offered to school-age children through the CRRC.

Infrastructure and energy have also been on council’s mind.

“We were very happy to have members of Manitoba Hydro in town, as well as members of the provincial planning branch, to look at what Niverville’s energy needs are and will be going forward so that Niverville can remain open for business,” Dyck said.

Over the coming weeks, council also hopes to entertain a visit by the minister of health.

“We’re looking to expand upon our clinic,” Dyck said. “It’s full. We want to speak to the minister about that. If we’re to grow, where can we grow?”

Dyck believes there are expansion options, possibly at the current location. Creating a secondary satellite location may also be on the table.

Beyond space, council hopes to engage the minister on an expansion of services, such as diagnostics. What the province’s financial role in this could be remains unclear. Dyck says that a hybrid model may need to be considered.

Finally, a lack of sufficient daycare spots has been weighing heavily on council’s mind.

“If we’re going to be a place where people can raise families, we need a place where they feel they can move to,” Dyck said. “My question for council this next year is, ‘What role does a municipality have to play in ensuring that there are daycare spaces for those that want to come and live here?’”

Other Agenda Items

Other items on Tuesday’s agenda included parking restrictions which are about to go into effect.

A ten-minute parking bylaw will soon be established at 21 Main Street, home of Growing Minds Childcare and Atelier Cycle. This restriction will apply during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

A one-hour parking restriction will also soon be in effect along Drovers Run between Mulberry and Krahn.

Finally, parking will be eliminated along a stretch of Cambridge Way where visibility is less than ideal.

In terms of financial outputs, one major expenditure was noted at Tuesday’s meeting involving approximately $55,000 in splash park upgrades. King says the repairs should help curtail future breakdowns like they kind they’ve experienced so often in the past couple of years.