Council Discusses Request for New Dog Daycare and Multiple Tax Abatements at Committee of the Whole

Shanine Sealey, Martensville Messenger

Martensville City Council held their monthly Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, February 14th, which began with a public hearing regarding a new Boarding Kennel and Dog Daycare that submitted an application to operate at 928 8th Street South within an existing industrial complex. The request was to utilize two bays of the building to operate within, as well as an outdoor play area. The request was submitted by Ashlee Schmidt for her business Wag Swag & Daycare, which would provide dog daycare, online retail, grooming and kenneling and has plans to begin operation as of March 15, 2023. Council was provided with information regarding the business and had a chance to ask questions to Schmidt. This item will be brought back to an upcoming Council meeting for formal approval.

The next item on the agenda was a delegation from the local RCMP with an update on statistics from December 2022 and January 2023 compared to the previous year. For the month of December, there was an increase in total calls received from 98 to 114, and January saw a decrease from the previous year, going down to 106 from 124.

Another delegation took place, this one from Steve Smith and James Dietrich, who were representing the Martensville & District Kinsmen Club regarding a proposal to have a lift installed at the Martensville Sports Centre to provide access to the second floor as there is currently nothing in place.

The February 14th meeting also included requests for two separate tax exemptions within the community, the first for a new building construction at 80 Rutten Court from AJ Williams Consulting who are proposing a 4080 square foot building with potential tenants already secured for the two bays. This would be the first development for this sub-division. The total investment for the property would be approximately $900,000, which would make them eligible for a fouryear tax abatement through the City of Martensville Economic Development Business Incentive Bylaw. Construction for this project is expected to begin in the coming weeks, with completion planned for this summer.

The second application was from the owners of Centennial Plaza, who plan to build a 10,000 square foot building on the property at 301 Centennial Drive North. The new construction would exceed $1.2 million, which would make them eligible for a five-year tax abatement. Construction is scheduled to begin in June, and will provide approximately 25 jobs.

Council also discussed a request from Meister’s Taxi, a company currently licensed in Warman that provides services including food and other deliveries, airport trips, medical appointments and entertainment outings. The business, which consists of one driver, with one vehicle, consider themselves a 24-hour service with required online bookings between 12am and 6am, and is looking to expand services into Martensville by receiving approval from Council for a license to operate within the community. This topic will be brought back to an upcoming meeting for formal approval.

The next City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 21st at 5pm in Council Chambers at City Hall. Meetings can be attended in person, or virtually. More information can be found by visiting www.martensville.ca.

Editor/Office Manager: Shanine Sealey ssealey@martensvillemessenger.ca

Editor/Ad Design: Jocelyn Ottenbreit jottenbreit@martensvillemessenger.ca To

Snow Removal this Winter – What You Need to Know

The Snow removal program aims to reduce hazards in the community, ensure roadways for emergency vehicles, and provide access to goods and services in the community.

Our crews strive to deliver excellent service, however sometimes weather can be unpredictable, and snow and ice control activities may vary. Every reasonable effort will be made to promptly remove snow and ice and create safe driving and walking conditions. There are ways you can help to ensure to keep streets clear and safe

- Do not shovel, blow, or push snow from private property onto the street – this causes snow ridges on your driveway when our plow cleans our street.

- Do not plow or pile snow on streets or hydrants – this can block access to manholes, water valves, and access to water in case of emergencies.

- Clear your driveways in advance of the city’s snow clearing operations - this helps our operators clear your street more efficiently as well as more clearly see driveways to avoid ridging.

- Do not park your vehicle in an area where it could obstruct snow removal procedures - this hinders our operations and could result in a snow ridge blocking your vehicle in place.

- Do not leave large piles of snow at the corners of driveways – this snow can be caught by a raised snow-gate blade and topple over into your driveway or the street.

-Prevent snow from piling up on the front of your driveway by moving it near your tree/lawn areas behind your walkway.

Watch for posted areas for Snow Removal - In case of snow and snow removal, crews need to have roads cleared of all vehicles on posted streets. If you are going out of the City over the holidays, please have your vehicles off City streets. Vehicles left on the street per the traffic bylaw are ticketed and towed (to a non-posted area).

Stay Clear of Sanding Trucks - Crews apply a mixture of salt and sand on our streets and intersections to ensure safer driving conditions. If you are near or behind the sanding truck you are reminded to stay back 15m to allow the truck to disperse materials and to prevent materials from potentially hitting your vehicle.

Information on general program procedures and the City’s Priority Map is available online at Martensville.ca.