NEEPAWA BANNER & PRESS MARCH 12, 2021 9
Pre-Kindergarten program cancelled at Turtle River School Division By Kira Paterson
Neepawa Banner & Press
Kindergarteners-to-be at Turtle River School Div ision ( T R SD) w i l l have to wait a little longer before getting the chance to check out their future classrooms. The division’s a n nu a l K i nder g a r t en Here I Come ( K HIC) program, normally held in April, has been cancelled this year due to the pandemic. History of the KHIC “KHIC is a special early years program that Turtle River first developed over a decade ago,” explained TRSD superintendent, Bev Szymesko. “We offer students in our division the equivalent of 10 full days of learning at school prior to entering Kindergarten.” She noted that the program gives pre-Kindergarteners the chance to get acquainted with their school, their c l a s s r o om s a nd t he i r teachers. “We have found that the sooner we can get students in our buildings, the greater the success they will have in school,” Szymesko added. She explained that this program is meant as a complement to daycare or nurser y school programs, as well
as helps kids who haven’t been in other programs grow socially before starting Kindergarten in the fall. An unfortunate decision T he ca ncel lat ion of this year’s K HIC was announced by the divi sion on M a r. 3. “A s Manitoba Public Health reg u lat ion s reg a rd i ng the spread of COVID-19 continually change and cause uncertainty to rules and scheduling, it is simply not sensible to run this limited time frame program,” the written notice stated. “The time that students would be in the 10-day program would be monopolized with implementing safety precautions and cancellations. Additionally, our instructor would be placing themselves, as well as all of our families and students at risk by moving between communities and schools, potentially spreading the virus.” Szymesko added, “It is really unfortunate and d isappoint ing t hat we have had to suspend the KHIC program this year. But we look forward to it continuing again next year, anticipating some normalcy to return by April 2022.”
Changes to apartment complex approved Neepawa Town Council - Mar. 2, 2021
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner & Press
A new 36-unit apartment complex planned for Neepawa has received approval on a few amendments to its plan. The five storey complex (four above ground and one below, but facing outward on the hill) proposed for the intersection of Mountain Avenue and Cameron Street has been given permission to increase the maximum height of the building from 45 to 50 feet. As well, the setback for the north and south boundary of the property will be altered from 15 feet to 4 feet 10 inches. Lastly, the number of required parking stalls has been reduced from 54 stalls to a proposed 40 stalls. (43 stalls in total, with three required to be allocated to existing commercial use). The project applicant, Foresight Real Estate Ltd brought the request forward to Town Council on Tuesday, Mar. 2. Councillors had a few questions, including the potential impact the changes could have on water drainage in the area, especially during construction. They also wanted clarif ication on standard sidewalks around the facility. A d m i n i s t r at ion i n formed council that both issues have been looked at.
Alonsa Go-Getters 4-H club update
By Aloyse Good Alonsa Go-Getters 4-H Club
Hello everyone, this is Aloyse Good, reporting for the Alonsa Go-Getters 4-H Club. We had an organization meeting in October. It was decided that there would be three different projects: beef, canine and trapping. We decided on our executive. President: Colter Cherpin; Vice President: Emmalee Turko; Secretary: Sheridan Cherpin;
Treasurer: Ella Davis; eZine scanner: Riley Gamble; News Reporter: Aloyse Good; Beef Leader: Lindsay Cherpin; Trapping Leader: Cam Anger; Canine Leader: Sherry Gamble. Due to the pandemic, all of our meetings will be done virtually. We had our speeches virtually and Colter Cherpin came in first for juniors, Emmalee Turko was first for the cloverbuds. They will be competing at provincials later this spring. Good luck!
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The Town has consulted with a drainage consultant. There are also plans in this year’s budget to deal with all hillside concerns, including those of home owners on the east end of Cameron Street, located at the bottom of the hill. The requested changes to the plan were approved by council later on in the meeting. Vacant lot on Main Street A home owner on Main Street has brought up concerns about the state of a vacant lot near their property. They expressed frustration over the lack of work done over the last few years and the amount of thistle growth that occurs on the property. The vacant lot titleholder informed the home owner,
in a previous conversation, that they were waiting for installation of water and sewer before starting any type of development. At the meeting on Mar. 2, council told the property owner that the Town was still waiting for a plan of proceeding from the lot owner, so that they could then commit to infrastructure. They also noted that because the lot is privately owned, there is not much they can do within the town’s bylaws to facilitate action. As for the issues with thistle growth, administration noted that their records indicate the lot owner had trimmed the weeds and the grass “a few times” last year. They asked the nearby property owner to inform them quickly, if issues occur this year and they would notify the lot
owner that maintenance of the property is required. Misc. • Another lot on the former CN property has been sold, as lot nine has been purchased for the sale price of $45,000. There are currently just five lots still available. • A subdivision of land on 4.4 acres of Gill Drive has been approved. The decision effectively creates three separate parcels moving forward. • Two separate agreement have been approved for the control of nuisance birds and beavers for the year ahead. Chad Campbell will look after the humane trapping of nuisance beavers with the municipality, while Jake Birch and Danny Nugent will be in charge of looking after the situation with nuisance birds.
SafeSAFE Chainsaw Handling and CHAINSAW Maintenance HANDLING AND MAINTENANCE
VIRTUAL CHAINSAW SAFETY TRAINING WORKSHOP SATURDAY, MARCH 20TH, 2021
Time: 9:00 am – Noon Registration Fee: FREE – Space is Limited! Online: To be hosted on Zoom
Session details will be forwarded once registration is received.
This Workshop Focuses On: ➔ Safe Chainsaw Use and Maintenance Support for this project has been provided by the Conservation Trust, a Manitoba Climate and Green Plan Initiative delivered by the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation.
REGISTER
REGISTER FOR EVENT FOR EVENT SPACE IS LIMITED Space is Limited Whitemud Watershed District Phone: (204) 476-5019 Email: wwcd_admin@mymts.net
Whitemud Watershed District
204-476-5019 wwcd_admin@mymts.net