At Niverville’s council meeting on Tuesday, March 5, Mayor Myron Dyck lauded town staff for their involvement in the Triple A Bantam Provincials held at the Niverville Arena over the weekend. He also welcomed the Great Canadian Dollar Store, officially open for business on March 1. Dyck was encouraged to hear that the store received more than 120 applications for jobs. They’ve provided employment for 11 residents in the region, which will make a valuable contribution to the local economy.
Council voted to award a contract to the Royal Gate Training and Consulting Company of Winnipeg, which submitted a tender of $3,000 plus taxes for the development of Niverville’s 2030 Vision and Strategic Plan (VSP). The consultant was also the facilitator on Niverville’s 2020 VSP, performed in 2010, and comes with the benefit of already being familiar with the community. Two tenders were received.
“In 15 years from now, [this will be] our target,” says CAO Eric King. “We had a 2020 target… It gave a vision of [our recreation needs]. That’s how the Community Resource Centre came about.”
King says that the resulting document, which will include survey information gleaned from residents of the community, will allow town staff to create an action plan for another ten years of development.
Niverville’s two electronic speed signs will be undergoing an upgrade shortly to include a Bluetooth function that will allow town staff to collect and record data. To date, the signs have only served as a speed deterrent.
Town staff will be able to download the data to their devices for monitoring. Information collected is expected to help council not only monitor speeds on a particular street, but also determine the times of day that speeds might be higher. This could aid the RCMP in knowing when and where to set up speed traps. It would also provide the data necessary to determine where speed bumps would be beneficial.
“It gives [us] the ability to make some decisions,” says councillor Kevin Stott, “whether it’s for infrastructure or policing.”
The total cost to install the Bluetooth upgrades will come to $2,356 plus tax for both signs.
Council sent out an RFP for on-call services from local contractors who can assist the Public Works Department with equipment and operators during times when additional help is needed. Council will be awarding contracts based on their hourly rates and the quality workmanship provided by the company.
As council prepares to move to their new administrative building on Bronstone Drive in early May, a motion was made to deem the existing building at 86 Main Street as “surplus” in order to move forward with an RFP for sale in the near future.
A revision was made to the town’s back lane policy to allow developers to purchase a portion of a back lane bordering their development. Council has the option to sell the lane for the cost of legal and administrative costs plus one dollar.
Similar to last year, council has again agreed to cover the $750 cost of workshops being held at the Garden Show on April 15. The Niverville Community Gardens committee, an offshoot of Communities in Bloom, is responsible for this annual event. The committee has set its sights on a new pavilion and other additions to the public gardens located on the Heritage Centre grounds. Proceeds from the event will go towards these additions.