CONSERVATION CAMP
BASEBALL PROVINCIALS
Youths enjoy various activities
A8
A11
Estevan hosts tournament
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Wednesday, August 15, 2018
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Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
Issue 16
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903
summer
win!
Two people injured in rollover Two people were injured when a semi-trailer unit rolled over near the Roche Percee Valley on Aug. 8. Members of the Estevan Fire Rescue Service, Estevan RCMP and Estevan Emergency Medical Services were called to the incident, which occurred on Highway 39, near the crest of the hill that is east of the CP Rail crossing. The semi, which was headed west, left the road and came to a rest on its side north of the highway. The two male occupants of the semi escaped the truck and were treated at the scene with minor injuries. No dangerous goods were on board. Fire Chief Dale Feser reported that the semi was carrying a frozen food product. “We had to isolate the vehicle’s electrical sources so that way we didn’t have an ignition hazard, as there
was leaking fuel coming out of the fuel cells,” said Feser. Minor leaks also came from the truck’s engine. No environmental damage occurred due to the rollover. Feser said it wasn’t going to be an easy scene to clear, because the vehicle was loaded with the frozen food, and the product would have to be offloaded due to the structural damage sustained by the trailer. Both lanes of traffic on Highway 39 remained open that night while emergency crews remained on the scene. The following day, the Estevan RCMP returned to the scene to assist with traffic control while a tow truck company removed the semitrailer unit from the ditch. Traffic along Highway 39 was delayed and down to one lane for approximately 1 1/2 hours. A cause of the rollover has not been released.
Firth officially named city treasurer Trudy Firth was officially named as the new city treasurer at Monday night’s meeting of Estevan city council. Firth joined the city’s staff in 2015, and was named the financial controller in August of 2016. Her appointment as treasurer took effect of Aug. 1. After she became the controller, she was handling more responsibility. And at meetings in recent months, Firth had been referred to as the city treasurer by Mayor Roy Ludwig. Jeff Ward had been the last city treasurer. He was hired for the post in 2013, and after he was hired as the city manager in 2015, he handled both the city manager and city treasurer posts. Ludwig said Firth had
Trudy Firth done a stellar job as the controller over the past two years, and Ward had recommended that Firth been promoted as the treasurer. “That shows a lot of confidence, not only from him but of course from council, and we know that you’ll do a fantastic job,” Ludwig said to Firth.
Let’s go Riders Bryan Fleck and his granddaughter Addison Fleck enjoy their afternoon at the Rider Block party in Bienfait on Aug. 11. Bienfait was selected as one of six communities in Saskatchewan to host the Rider Block Party. For more see page A3.
Council rejects tenders for water intake project By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The project to shift Estevan’s primary water source from Boundary Dam to Rafferty Dam has hit a setback, but it’s still going to proceed. Estevan city council rejected the tenders that came in for the water intake project during Monday night’s meeting, as all of the tenders were significantly over-budget. The intake project will shift the city’s primary water source from Boundary Dam to Rafferty Dam, which is expected to result in a cleaner source of water. The lowest bid was from Kelly Panteluk Construction Ltd., at more than $14.5 million. The engineering firm contracted out by the city estimated a month ago that the project would cost $10 million. The provincial and federal governments have committed to each funding one-third of the costs of the water intake, to a maximum of about $8 million. Shane Bucsis, the manager of the water division for the City of Estevan, said there were three main
reasons the project came in over-budget. The first was a requirement through the environmental assessment for the project that work be completed from Oct. 1 to March 31. It’s costs more to complete the work during the winter months. There are also issues related to the depth of Rafferty. “Our engineering estimate was really off on what it would be to set up an intake that low,” said Bucsis. Finally, there is no competition for pipe right now because of consolidation in the pipe manufacturing industry. The cost of pipe has gone from $180/metre to $233/metre. “When you’re dealing with 14 kilometres of pipeline, that adds a great cost to the project,” said Bucsis. The city is looking at several options for the next step, including splitting the project in two, as a pump house associated with the project could be completed separately. The city has also considered approaching the Ministry of Environment to see if the environmental assessments could be eased, seeking more money from the other levels government,
Shane Bucsis discusses the water intake project tenders at Monday night’s council meeting. and looking at different design overall to reduce the cost. Bucsis stressed this project will still go ahead, but it could result in a longer timeline. The intake project was expected to be completed next year. City manager Jeff Ward said the city has been in contact with the province, since this is “unchartered
territory” for the city. It’s believed the city will have until 2021 to complete the intake project. “We do have some legwork to do to see how we’re going to make this work, and I know Shane has been hard at work already,” said Ward. Also, now that the city has rejected the tenders, A2 » COMPANIES
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