Creighton town council is considering following Flin Flon’s lead by compelling residents to mow the ditches and boulevards adjacent to their yards.
Ald. Shirley Owen raised the concern and the possibility of a new bylaw at council’s Wednesday, August 12 meeting.
“Concerns have been brought to our attention that many residents are not cutting or maintaining their ditches / boulevards at the front of their property,” read a report presented by Owen.
Owen then said council will “have to maybe look at a bylaw to enforce this,” but the public discussion went no further than that.
Her report noted that in its next newsletter, the town will thank residents who properly maintain their ditches and boulevards.
Across the border, Flin Flon established a bylaw compelling residents to maintain boulevards in 2011.
Upgrades ordered
Council awarded tenders for the repair of the Sportex roof and the beautification of vacant land along Creighton Avenue.
Council hired Saskatoon-based Western Urethane to upgrade the Sportex roof, removing all loose coating and repairing any damage before covering the surface with a primer membrane.
“We want it done before snow flies,” Mayor Bruce Fidler said.
The town will pay Western Urethane $88,750 plus GST.
Council also contracted Don Holmes Trucking to landscape along the portion of Creighton Avenue between the Creighton Super Stop gas station and the nearby green space.
Fidler said the work, already in progress as of the meeting, would include removing trees, rocks and rubbish – “basically cleaning up” the area. After the area is leveled, grass would be planted.
“[We’re] just greening it up,” he said.
Council will spend $22,584 on that project.
Crime drop
As part of his regular address to council, Creighton RCMP Sgt. Mark Svaren commented on the combined 12 per cent drop in crime in Creighton, Denare Beach and Sturgeon Landing in 2014.
Referencing a Reminder article on the decline, he said certain types of crimes increased while others decreased, with the overall result being fewer crimes.
Svaren also pointed to the statistic showing that Creighton RCMP charged 281 people last year – 127 more than in Flin Flon.
“I was once told statistics can be used to prove anything, even the truth, but I think an overall drop in crime rate along with that many charges being laid speaks well to the guys and girls that are on the streets there from our office,” he told council. “And I personally thank them and I think the credit goes to them for some hard work, especially when we were shorthanded [due to staffing issues] for a good portion of that year. That shows that they were still pretty dedicated.”
Slow-speed Internet
Council’s efforts to secure faster Internet service for Creighton received added fuel.
In an email to council, resident Dianne Christianson asked the town to “please address how we as Sasktel customers pay the same amount for less service (internet) in our community as compared to the rest of Saskatchewan.”
Fidler said slow Internet speeds are an issue council deals with “every chance we get” as residents are “not getting the actual high-speed that we should be getting.”
“We’ll add that [email] to our other list of many [people] that have concerns,” he said, adding that council has been pushing for faster speeds for seven or eight years.
“We don’t feel [SaskTel is] supplying the service that they say they are and we’re not happy with it.”
La Verne Hinzman, a former councillor who attended the meeting as an observer, said Creighton is supposed to get 4 mbps service but only gets about 1.5 mbps.
Fidler said other communities in the area receive faster service, but added there are “many around in the North” that do not.
Internet speeds are a political issue in Saskatchewan because Internet provider SaskTel is a Crown corporation.
New fire truck
Council reviewed meeting minutes noting that the Creighton Fire Department’s new fire truck is estimated to be delivered around the third week of September.
The truck, worth nearly $375,000, will replace an aging model that is now about 30 years old.
Council has spent the past four years setting aside cash for the truck. The town will continue to have two fire trucks and one rescue unit.
Business opportunity
Council reviewed a letter from Flin Flon-based Investors Group asking about relocating to the Creighton Recreation Culture and Tourism office on Creighton Avenue.
“We would require two separate office spaces as well as an entry greeting area / administrative work area,” wrote executive financial consultant Blayne Hyska and associate consultant Chad Trumbley.
The men asked council to contact them to discuss the matter further.
Council had no comment on the request, referring it to the General Government Committee for further review.
