WILKIE — I was fortunate to attend the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association Conference in Saskatoon along with councillors Alex Majewski and Clarke Jackson, as well as Administrator Lana Gerein. This is a good opportunity to connect with those from other municipalities and find out what is working or not working in their communities. There are many innovative ideas out there and these ideas are recognized through the Saskatchewan Municipal Awards. The Town of Biggar won second place for their Downtown Revitalization Project. Congratulations to their council and staff.
Also, at the conference, I received an Honorary Service Award for serving on town council for 24 years. Councillor Alex Majewski received an Honorary Service Award for serving on town council for 33 years and Administrator Lana Gerein received a Meritorious Service Award for her 26 years working for the Town of Wilkie.
Town council is currently finalizing the 2023 budget and I will be able to share some highlights of the budget later on. We currently have vacancies in our Public Works Department that we are trying to fill but fortunately, we will be fully staffed with a pool manager and lifeguards for this upcoming season.
The Public Works Department has started the spring back lane pick-up. A reminder that residents may take compost material such as leaves and garden waste to the transfer station at no cost as well as small amounts of tree branches and shrubs. There is also compost that is ready to be used that is free of charge to the residents as well.
Some details for our upcoming fun-filled day on June 17. The full day will include a parade, a barbecue, a car show, Minor Ball Day and other activities. There is a pool fundraiser in the evening at the SaskCan Community Centre. Watch for details in the coming weeks.
We have selected the builder for our new swimming pool. We received two tenders and after going through the proposals we selected Western Recreation and Development Inc. They have built many Saskatchewan community swimming pools and we are thrilled that they will be building our pool. The building of the new swimming pool will start in August 2024 and will be completed by July 1, 2025. This means the old pool will be open for two more seasons. There will be a public meeting in the future and details for the new swimming pool will be discussed.
