WEYBURN – A petition from residents of a condominium at the corner of Government Road and First Avenue was presented to Weyburn city council, protesting the level of traffic and noise from heavy truck traffic. The petition had 20 signatures from the Sunset Estates condo, and was rejected by the city clerk for being invalid on a number of points, including that the petitioners asked the city to act outside of its jurisdiction by rerouting truck traffic outside of the city’s boundaries.
In the cover letter for the petition, Don Duriez from the condo board said, “We are all disgusted and fed up with the abusive traffic noises perpetrated by the constant heavy trucking industry, and the proximity this building is situated at the busiest intersection and bordered by two main highway, Highway 13 and Highway 35. This building is too close (setback) to these highways!”
The request to council was to reroute truck traffic to Range Road 2142 over to Highway 39, and use Township Road 090, four kilometres north of the city, to Highway 35, westbound to Highway 39.
In addition, they wanted their taxes lowered to compensate the residents for the noisy intersection and the proximity of the condo to the two highways.
In her report to council on the petition, city clerk Donette Richter said the petition is invalid for a number of reasons, including that in order for the city act, a petition must have at least 10 per cent of the city’s population, which in this case would be 1,087 signatures. This petition had 20 name on it.
In addition, there were no witness signatures and the residential address of the petitioners was not included, as per the regulations for a petition set down by the provincial government.
Richter also noted that city council cannot pass a bylaw or resolution that is outside of the scope or authority of council. The request to reroute truck traffic would require the traffic to go into the RM of Weyburn, which would require consultation with stakeholders and the municipality involved.
Development officer Janine Fletcher also indicated that the claim of the building’s setback was checked, and it is at a proper distance from the intersection.
She suggested that if any resident or group wishes to submit a petition to the City, they should check the rules for petitions on the Government of Saskatchewan or City of Weyburn website, which sets out all the parameters and would avoid having a petition rejected for being insufficient.
• In other city council business, council approved a new program for sanitary sewer cleaning, including awarding a contract to Vortex Plumbing and Heating as the City’s official provider of sewer cleaning services.
Under this program, a resident can request the services to do sewer line cleaning, and if it’s eligible, it will be paid for under the City’s Water and Sewer Service Connection Fund.
The City made a request for proposals for the provision of this service, and received three bids, all from local companies. The other two companies which put in bids were Don’s Plumbing, and Larry’s Sewer Service.
Of the three bids, Vortex had the lowest rate of $333 during business hours, or $388.50 for non-business hours, with a one-year warranty. The other two bids had higher rates, and both only provided a three-month warranty.
The service will include the use of a camera for video inspection, said engineer Jennifer Wilkinson, and the City will pay for the service if the blockage is on their side of the line. According to the information provided, the homeowner is responsible up to six feet past the home’s foundation, and the City is responsible past that point.
In addition, the camera inspection will determine if a blockage is due to the homeowner’s negligence, and if so, they will be responsible for paying for the cleaning of the sewer line.
The City will award the contract to Vortex for a three-year period, which had some councillors concerned as this is a new program for the city.
Wilkinson noted that they will be actively seeking the feedback of homeowners after they use Vortex’s services, and if the company does not perform the work satisfactorily, the contract can be cancelled by the City.
