The Battleford West project continues to make steady progress, with new paving and more new trees highlighting the latest improvements to the development.
In addition, several houses in the Telegraph Heights subdivision now have a finished appearance compared to last year, when they were still under construction.
The progress on the site pleases Battleford West developer Dean Kupchanko, but doesn't satisfy him. In speaking with the News-Optimist last Wednesday, he made it clear he wants to keep on selling lots and moving forward with the development that has gone on since ground was broken at Battleford West in the spring of 2008.
"It's pretty exciting to see how far we've come in three years," said Kupchanko, who expects to see a much more rapid pace over the next three years.
Fifty per cent of the lots are now sold, he reported. There are "thirty-six lots installed and eighteen sold," said Kupchanko. "Three more houses will be starting this summer that we know of right now."
The paving of the courts and main entrance of Telegraph Road was completed in the middle of May.
As well, 200 pine trees have been planted recently to line the area around Telegraph Heights. It consists of 100 trees going in both directions from the entranceway to Telegraph Heights alongside Highway 40.
"The pines we planted right now because they have to be planted in the spring," said Kupchanko. They were planted just last week.
He adds they plan to plant a second row to go in between the pines later, to make it a double row of pine trees. As well, he is planning to add more spruce trees this fall.
A total of 26 14-foot Colorado Spruce Trees are already up. All of the 50 elm trees that have been there for three years survived the winter.
The result is that the whole area now has a more "filled-in" and more comfortable place to live compared to two years ago when construction first started, said Kupchanko.
The work in the area has not gone unnoticed. At Battleford town council June 6, Mayor Chris Odishaw mentioned the work that was done, noting in particular the paved roads that were now in the area.
The six houses on site are near completion, he said. Three houses are already occupied, one being the two-storey Battleford West show home on Steele Court. Just outside the show home in the yard, several new Swedish Aspen trees are now flourishing, planted last fall.
Three more houses are being built - two will be occupied by the owners while the other one will be up for sale.
Kupchanko expects more lots will be snapped up because the Battlefords, he says, is running out of lot inventory. "Compared to what has been sold over the last four years it's at an all-time low," said Kupchanko.
Many of the lots available since 2008 at Fairview, Riverbend Property, in Battleford and Battleford West have already been snapped up, Kupchanko said, pointing to a shortage of lots in the Battlefords region either later in 2011 or in 2012.
There are also plans to put up more fencing along Telegraph Road, as part of the design guidelines for the neighbourhood. That ornamental iron fencing should be going up either this week or next.
Kupchanko sees big things ahead for the future of the Battlefords West subdivision, particularly with the twinning of Highway 4 around the corner.
First tender for that construction will be sent out by the town June 20. Kupchanko thinks there should be enough time for that twinning to be done by this fall.
"I think people, in the next two years, will see a transformation in the town of Battleford like most people can't even imagine," said Kupchanko.
Among other things, he expects to see traffic lights at the Highway 40 and 22nd Street intersection and at 29th Street close to where the Esso station currently is.
That will open up the highway/commercial/retail project called Battleford Towne Square. Kupchanko said his company is in the process of attracting tenants to that area now, although no deals are completed yet.
Another major project is construction of a service road from 29th Street, following Highways 4 and 16 to a new intersection on the Yellowhead Highway. Kupchanko said Kramer CAT company has bought a 150-acre parcel there to subdivide out for their own use, with plans to build a full-blown Caterpillar dealership at that location.
"It will anchor this new development on the highway," said Kupchanko, who expects to see commercial development spring to life early next year at Battleford West.
