Answers aplenty at Minnedosa Town Hall meeting

Town & Chamber of Commerce reveal strategic plan, community updates

By Eoin Devereux Neepawa Banner & Press

Minnedosa has unveiled its future plans of prosperity for within the community.

On Feb. 1, about 75 citizens gathered for a Town Hall meeting at the Community Conference Centre. The purpose for the get-together was to hear an update on a strategic plan that’s been in the works since September of last year. As well, part of the evening was set aside for sharing information on a proposed assisted living facility, the proposed 9th Avenue S.W. subdivision and an update from Cenovus Energy (the former Husky Energy). All of this is part of a renewed effort by Town officials and representatives with the Chamber of Commerce to keep citizens in the loop on the local matters of significance.

Strategic plan

The final report on the strategic plan was presented to council in mid-January.

Mayor Ken Cameron said that it had to be pared down, somewhat, to a manageable and attainable list over the next five years. He noted that it is a ‘living document’, so it could change and evolve as time goes on. The priorities listed are focused upon:

• Improved municipal governance and communication with ratepayers;

• Market the community to generate economic impact;

• Implement asset management program;

• Build the financial plan and identify both short and long term capital requirements;

• Address the need to preserve land and river, while minimizing impact of flooding;

• Expand hosting opportunities; and

• Bring together community groups to collaborate on key initiatives.

News on MREC

Mayor Cameron then shared details related to the Minnedosa Regional Event Centre (MREC), the new arena/entertainment complex being built on the town’s northwest side.

Cameron said construction is moving along well and that they are currently awaiting a revised schedule to get a better idea on the completion date. As it currently stands, it appears as though the major construction could be finished by late May to early June. An official grand opening gala will likely be set for the end of August or start of September.

During a Q & A session later in the evening, a question was asked related to the arena costs and the debt levels to be incurred on it.

Minnedosa CAO Jim Doppler stated that the original estimate for borrowing was $1 million and that they were still on target for that amount. Doppler did add, however, that until the construction is done, they can’t say for sure, as there are perhaps additional operating costs that could be part of the construction. The initial cost set aside for the complex was $8,632,000. The expenditures are now at $8,667,000, which Doppler said “For a project of that size is pretty good and well managed financially.”

What about the old arena?

As for what will happen with the Minnedosa District Arena, all options are on the table for what to do with the building and/ or the land. Meanwhile, everything of value at the existing arena will either be transferred to the new building or sold. All proceeds from any sales will most likely go straight into paying down the debt or to the operational costs of the new facility.

9th Avenue subdivision

Another topic of interest was related to an expansion of available housing with town limits. One potential option is the creation of a new subdivision along 9th Avenue S.W. Mayor Cameron said addressing the housing shortage has been a priority issue for many in the town.

“A bylaw has been passed and we are working with a project manager right now to prepare the tender docu- ments,” stated Cameron. “And our goal is to have the documents out and ready to go, put the tenders out and have construction begin this summer.”

Cameron added that they are also pursuing a request for quotations (RFQ) from real estate firms to begin the process of moving forward with the sale of lots.

Assisted living facility

Councillor Grant Butler shared information in connection to a new assisted living facility. Butler stated they’re in the process of forming a board, that will consist of representation from the four local rural municipalities (Harrison, Oakview, Minto-Odanah & Rosedale) and the Town of Minnedosa. A first official meeting of this new board should take place in mid to late February.

Other items of note

There were several other revelations shared during the Town Hall meeting, including:

• Cenovus Energy reaf - firming its support to help with the construction cost of a running track at the Minnedosa Regional Event Centre;

• Minnedosa confirming it will host Doug Griffiths, the author of 13 Ways to Kill Your Community. Griffiths’ book offers practical, implementable steps that can be taken to bring a distressed community back to life;

• Minnedosa will host an Economic Development partners tour on Feb. 22 and 23;

• New stop logs for the dam at Lake Minnedosa have been purchased. Last week, 13 of those new logs arrived, putting them at about 2/3rds of the way to a completely new stock. The Town is also having ongoing discussion with the province about raising the lake levels; and

• Questions from the public related to the new arena (as previously stated), local jobs vacancies and availability, and flood preparation for the spring.

After the meeting concluded, the Banner & Press spoke with mayor Cameron on the evening. He said that the Town, as well as the Chamber of Commerce, were all very pleased with how the evening turned out.

“I’m happy with the questions we received and the response from the public in general. This is the first [Town Hall Meeting] we’ll done as a new council, and I hope it’s something we’ve be able to continue. We want to be as open and transparent with the community as possible and ensure they know what’s going on with the community. Community development is huge and we’ve got to go about the right way.”

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