Effective the Week of April 23, 2012 the Town of Wadena will commence using BACK LANES for Garbage pickup and will be using the following schedule:
Mondays – All areas East of Main Street
Tuesdays – All areas West of Main Street
Wednesdays & Fridays – All areas commencing at 1:00 pm
Compost is now being picked up by Mallard Diversified Services. For further information call: 338-3322
The Town of Wadena is requesting tenders from the supply and instillation of 500-600 feet of Commercial Eavestroughing, as well as end caps, downspouts and heat tape at the Wadena Recreation Centre.
The project will also include the repair and/or replacement of some eavestroughing at the Wadena Curling Club. Debris removal and landfill fees are the responsibility of the contractor.
Specifications and further information are available by contacting the Wadena Town Office at 338-2145
Tenders must be submitted to by 4:00 pm Thursday, May 4, 2012:
Town of Wadena Box 730 Wadena, Saskatchewan S0A 4J0The following are the notes taken from the Regular Town Council Meeting held on Monday, March 5, 2012:
The bleeding bottom line at the Wadena Aquatic Centre will see some relieve in the 2012 season.
During a regular town meeting Wadena town council approved an increase to the rate that will bring the revenue to 49 per cent of the expenditures, which is up about five per cent from 2011.
The motion follows some extensive research by Wadena’s Director of Recreation and Community Development Travis Fogg. In presenting the pool’s financial statements for the years 2008 to 2012 he showed that on average the pool is losing in excess of $76,000 a year.
While an increase is inevitable when a facility is losing that much money, Fogg took it one step further and approached neighbouring rinks to see what pool patrons are paying in those communities.
While Wadena families were paying $140 for a seasonal pass, families in Foam Lake and Wynyard were being asked to pay $160 and $150. In fact, in all categories Wadena’s fees were much lower.
After some discussion council agreed that while they do not want to make sure that swimming continues to be an affordable sport, the rest of the taxpayers cannot be expected to bear the brunt of the costs of operation.
As a result all fees charged at the Wadena Aquatic Centre will rise when the pool opens this spring. For example a family pass that used to cost $140, will now be $160.
The town of Wadena has determined that ground movement was the culprit behind the hydrant leak that occurred at the corner of Hwys. 5 and 35 near the Bargain Shop.
During a regular town meeting last week Town Superintendent Brian Hayes said it was easy to see the problem once they got the area dug out.
“Basically the hydrant had pulled away from the water line that was feeding it because no pipe restraints were used when it was installed. Probably when this hydrant was installed pipe restraints were not commonly used, but we have pipe restraints on it now and it is well thrust-blocked so we shouldn’t have this kind of problem again,” Hayes said.
Hayes says the hydrant is a prime example of how the town’s infrastructure is aging.
“Our infrastructure is going to need a lot of TLC in the future. If we are going to stay ahead of the problems we are going to have to get very aggressive on a valve and hydrant replacing program,” he said.
Starting April 1, Anna Karmark will join the office staff at the town of Wadena.
Karmark was chosen from a pool of applicants after it was determined that additional office help was required, if the town were to keep abreast of the every-changing administration requirement.
Karmark will work on an “as needed” basis.
Several local representatives have joined the District Development Appeals board that will hear appeals for the Wadena News readership district.
The group held a meeting on Feb. 24. Leonard Borowski will represent the RM of Emerald, Harvey Bowers the town of Wadena, Jim Hornford, the RM of Elfros and Cliff Gryba, the RM of Lakeview. Lori Fleming will serve as the secretary.
By: Anne Sanderson – Wadena News
The following is the information included in the March 2012 Issue of Did You Know, from the Town of Wadena.
For a complete copy of the Did You Know – March 2012 Issue click HERE!!
The Town of Wadena Parks and Recreation Department is now accepting applications for the following positions:
For more information click on each of the positions listed.
The following are the notes taken from the Regular Town Council meeting held on Monday, January 9, 2012
The deteriorating of Wadena’s fire hydrants is becoming a costly consideration for the town of Wadena.
During the last regular meeting of Wadena town council on Jan. 9, Wadena’s superintendent of public works Brian Hayes, says crews have been out on a couple of occasions to conduct repairs.
The first repair occurred on Dec. 22 when crews were dispatched to repair the hydrant at the corner of First St. NE and Second Ave. by Wadena Elementary School. Hayes says they noticed the hydrant was leak during their fall check.
“We attempted to turn the valve off so as to isolate it for winter so we could replace it in the spring, but when it started to leak we decided we had better replace both the valve and the hydrant. This is a very important hydrant to have working at all times because of its close proximity to the school,” Hayes said.
Hayes said the next hydrant on the list to be fixed is located at the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue by the Wadena Co-op Store. Hayes says it has been causing problems since this spring when staff noticed water, sand and dirt spewing up between the hydrant and the valve when they were flushing the lines.
“We did try to shut it off, but it kept leaking so we are going to try again. If we can’t get it shut off we are likely going to have to replace it too,” Hayes said.
Hayes says he plans to budget to replace three hydrants with year, which when combined with their inventory on hand will mean that they are upgrading a total of six.
“I am also budgeting to replace six mainline valves. This program works hand in hand with the hydrant replacement program because it allows us to isolate the hydrant while we are working on it, without having to reduce the water supply for residents in that area,” Hayes said.
The final step to improve the state of the town’s hydrants is to implement a vigorous exercising program, in which town employees will regularly open and shut the valves. Hayes says he will bring figures for the next council meeting regarding the cost of implementing such a program and provide an outline of the advantages of doing it.
The Wadena Aquatic Centre may be getting a permanent defibrillator.
Administrator Dianna Lee advised council during the last regular meeting that Lorne Wozniak of Rose Valley has indicated that he would like to use the funds raised from the Scott Wozniak Memorial Fishing Derby to help communities in the area purchase medical equipment. After some discussion it was agreed that the defibrillator would be best utilized at the swimming pool to eliminate the need for moving the town’s mobile unit back and forth from the curling rink.
The Christmas break proved to be a great time to continue some upgrades to the appearance of the Wadena Recreation Centre.
Travis Fogg the town of Wadena’s Director of Recreation and Community Development says that Rink Caretaker Morgan Helgason, put another coat of rubber-matting refinisher on the mats in the dressing rooms.
“I also had Waterworld Industries come and check out the heaters over the stands. They are fixed them as good as possible for now – we will have to do a complete cleaning in the summertime,” he said.
In other rink-related business Fogg says that Zumba Fitness has started in the upper auditorium. The current plan is to run twice a week for at least 10 weeks and then continue in the spring as well.
Fogg says January will be a busy month with 18 games scheduled, one minor hockey tournament and the Quill Plains Regional Figure Skating Competitions being held on Jan. 21 and 22.
The Wadena Arts Council has qualified for $271.25, which represents the final 25 percent of their allocation from the Saskatchewan Lotteries Grant.
By: Anne Sanderson, Wadena News
The following is the information included in the December 2011 Issue of Did You Know, from the Town of Wadena.
Click Here to get the complete copy of the Did You Know.
The Town of Wadena will be offering a Tax Pre-Payment Plan for the 2012 property taxes.
We will be accepting eleven (11) post-dated cheques (January 15 to November 15) which will be based on the 2011 tax assessment. If the mill rate increases, this adjustment will be added on to the December 15 cheque requested.
For further information, and to register for the pre-payment plan, please call the Town Office at 338-2145 by December 28, 2011
The following are the notes taken from the regular Town Council meeting held on Tuesday, November 22, 2011.
The town of Wadena is continuing to address the problem-areas that were identified during this year’s spring melt.
During a regular meeting on Nov. 22, Wadena’s Superintendent of Public Works Brian Hayes said that he still has some work that he would like to get finished before freeze up.
“The plan is to finish dredging the creek bed between First Avenue and Highway #5 and between the CNR tracks and Frontier Trail,” Hayes said in his report.
The dredging is only one of many items that needed to be completed in accordance with the weather.
Hayes says the public works crew has replaced 14 curb stops, with priority being given to the ones they know are not working.
“We also assisted Terry Neilson in installing a new sewer and water service on Sixth St. NE,” he said.
The launch of the 2011-2012 season at the Wadena Recreation Centre has gone fairly well, according to Travis Fogg, the town of Wadena’s Director of Recreation and Community Development.
Fogg says the only major problem that they have encountered was having to replace the starter on the Zamboni. He says the machine was down for a couple of games before they could get it fixed, but thanks to several volunteers, the games were able to proceed.
Mervin Sunshine has completed the work required on the roof of the Zamboni room and Fogg is confident that the work will alleviate any further problems with snow accumulation.
“The snow should slide off the new roof much better than it did in the past so we should not run into similar problems We will also be keeping a better eye on it,” he said.
The town did not receive any tenders for supply and install of new eavestroughing at the rink, so Fogg says he is going to wait a while and issue the call again in January.
He says the rink schedule has been finalized for the year and so far it is looking like the facility will be used pretty steadily. Rose Valley Minor Hockey has rented the ice every Sunday morning for four hours until the end of the month or whenever they are able to get their natural ice installed.
Not much seems to have evolved in terms of finding a new source of housing for the community of Wadena.
During his report Fogg said that the company who was interested in building a tri-plex is continuing to try to drum up some interest, but to date there has not been much progress.
Another individual has expressed an interest in coming to talk to the town about another affordable housing option and a local developer has said he is willing to complete his project, once he can be certain there is enough interest.
The town of Wadena has received cheques totaling $9,063 to compensate for the damage that occurred several years ago when utility lines were punched through a culvert on Jim Headington Way.
During last week’s meeting, the town of Wadena’s administrator Diana Lee said that SaskTel paid $2,063 and Western Underground $7,000, which was the amount the town had agreed to accept in an earlier resolution.
Wadena town council are continuing to move forward with plans to eventually pave Pierce Avenue.
During Monday’s meeting Lee noted that the quote for General and Resident Engineering came in at $19,000. This will be in addition to the $26,800 which had been previously quoted for the town’s portion of the project.
The long fall has resulted in a number of building projects which continues to add to the overall bottom line of the annual building permit report.
During the month of October, permits were taken out for projects valued at $2,275, which brings the year-to-date total to $1,711,415. This number does not include development permits which were issued for projects valued at $5,250 or a building permit requested by Stantech Engineer for a project in the crawlspace at the Wadena Elementary School which is valued at $964,172.
Donna Levring has resigned from her position as EMO coordinator for the town of Wadena.
Levring says that while she has enjoyed the position immensely, she is finding that due to her current commitments as President of the Horizon Teachers’ Association she just does not have the time that is needed to do the job justice.
Levring has agreed to stay on as a volunteer, should an emergency arise.
By: Anne Sanderson, Wadena News
The following are the notes from the Regular Town Council meeting held on Tuesday, October 18, 2011.
Groups utilizing the Wadena Recreation Centre will get at least a year reprieve when it comes to paying higher ice fees. During the regular council meeting, council discussed the hourly rates and decided against implementing a 5% increase for 2011-12.
While local groups who utilize the ice are paying substantially lower fees than those being charge by neighboring communities, the town does benefit from the fact that the same people volunteer in the rink kitchen. Wadena`s Director of Recreation Travis Fogg says he has talked to recreation directors whose communities rent out their kitchen and the income derived from rent is paltry when compared to the sizeable amount that is raised through the efforts of the Wadena Rec Centre Auxiliary.
Although it will not play a role this year, it is interesting to hear what other communities are charging to rent their ice facilities. Some of the number circulated were as follows; Melville – $63.70, Eatonia – $75.00, Esterhazy – $66, Biggar – $60, Tisdale – $79, Delisle – $118.
Fogg says the town is definitely going to miss the income derived from the Wildcats Senior Hockey Team. “Just from the Wildcats alone we are going to lose about $5000,“ he said.
Although it was initially looking like there was going to be a lot of vacant ice time, Fogg says the Wadena Minor Hockey Association has now been able to ice a team in every age group, and two in Novice.
The Wadena Skating Club originally thought they would have to reduce their ice time as well, but they have recently secured the service of a high-qualified traveling coach from Esterhazy to teach their senior girls. Unfortunately, due to her schedule, the lessons will have to occur during school hours, which is something new for Wadena skaters.
In other rink related business, Fogg says the artificial ice went in without a hitch, “Altogether, it took two of us about 24 hours. Our skating took play on October 15.
Wadena RCMP Sgt. Kurt Kamotzki met with council last week to give them an in person look at the equipment that is providing details about the speed limit habits of Wadena motorists. Kamotzki said Wadena is on of the few detachments to have the unit, which is actually the size of a small briefcase that obtains power from a motorcycle battery. The battery has an approx lifespan of 48 hours and the capability to generate and store data on a computer chip that can be removed and downloaded onto a computer, Kamotzki says the machine can even be used in -20 weather and is already providing police with valuable data in determining which areas of town are most likely to have speeders.
Perhaps the most effective feature is that the unit is barely visible unless people area actually looking for it. We get a lot of complaints but when our officers go and sit there they quite often come back and tell me that there are not any speeders. Basically, this unit ensures that our surveillance isn`t tainted by the fact that most motorists automatically slow down when they see a police cruiser.
Kamotzki says that officers have put the unit up in various parts of town, the most recent of which was Pamela Wallin Drive in the vicinity of the Wadena Recreation Centre Park. The unit can pick up speeds for approx 1 km, which gives police a good indication of what is happening on streets where police may not always be present.
While Wadena RCMP detachment is one of a very few, if not the only one, to have the equipment, Kamotzki expects its popularity will increase once other detachments become aware of the value of being able to use technology as an intelligence tool.
Wadena Town Council is very interested in obtaining more reports of the data that is being produced. Recently they viewed the data regarding the speeds of vehicles passing the WES and were extremely surprised to discover that perhaps the idea that speeding is a huge problem may actually be a misconception.
Yet another senior housing project has been put on hold. Toric Contracting, the contractors interested in erecting a 3 plex, have recently advised the town of Wadena that their project will not be going ahead. Basically, they have decided to put it on hold until at least next year because they were unable to get a financial commitment from any of the potential purchasers.
Wadena Town Council is looking at their available commercial lots to see what they have to offer when a potential business person approaches them to ask for visible property. The discussion came about when an individual recently approached the town about opening up a new business and asked for a list of property visible from the highway. Lee says she went through their inventory, she realized that there is actually very little available in the commercial and industrial areas. As a result, she has recommended that council take a look and be ready to provide some input about a potential location for development.
By: Anne Sanderson, Wadena News
