The proposed expansion and renovation of the Weyburn Public Library is on hold and may be shelved for the time being, as tender bids on the project came in much higher than city council or the library board anticipated.

The city and library board will now hold meetings over the next two weeks to determine what can be done, and the project will come up for a decision at the next council meeting on July 10.

Library board chair Isabelle Butters, present at the council meeting with regional library director Al Johnson, pleaded with council to find a way to make the project go ahead, noting plans were already being made to move the library to a temporary location while renovations were underway.

"We would be more than happy to work with you, to look at the tenders that came in. I guess we don't know if we should go ahead and move. I feel the library board and the users have been patiently awaiting something for some time. We've been on the capital projects list for at least 10 years. I know the federal building across the street (from City Hall) wasn't in there for that long," said the former mayor, referring to planned renovations to that building before City Hall moves into it in the next couple of years.

She pointed out the library and its users have helped to pay for other city facilities and parks.

"Literacy is the most important thing in any community. If not now, when, and if not you, then who? I know it's election year, and we don't want to have to deal with a new group and start all over again," said Butters.

Coun. Ray Hamm, facilities committee chairman, explained the reason for putting a halt to the project at this time.

"We were hoping the actual tender would come in for less. There were four tenders, and the lowest tender overall was from Cardinal Construction. We didn't feel comfortable with passing the tender because of the increase in cost. We felt a better route would be to re-evaluate the project to see if that kind of money is available, and secondly if we want to proceed at this time or do piece-meal projects," said Hamm.

The library has been gearing up to move its books to a temporary location, and the summer reading program is being offered a space at the Legion Hall for this year.

Registration for the program will take place as scheduled, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the library on Thursday, June 29, and the program will begin on July 5 with co-ordinator Angela James.

"We're going to set up meetings as soon as possible with the library people and the facilities committee. I'm hoping we can work something out in the next two weeks," said Mayor Don Schlosser.

The city's Tatagwa Parkway is the latest victim of the ongoing dispute between the city and RM of Weyburn over use of the city's landfill.

Council was served notice at Monday's meeting that the RM will pull out of the Tatagwa Parkway Planning District Commission. Under the current agreement, either party has to give six months' notice that they wish to terminate the agreement, and the request then has to go to the minister for approval.

The city needs the RM in the commission in order to access a provincial grant for the Tatagwa Parkway, said Coun. Marlene Nedelcov, adding, "I'm very disappointed in that decision, and I hope they will reconsider their decision in time."

In talking with government officials, she was told the city should take it slow, "and it may work out in the end."

While the council didn't make any connection with the garbage dispute, Reeve Dan Sidloski hinted this decision is due to the landfill issue remaining unresolved.

"The city requested we do this (agreement), which would help them get funding. It also gave the city some say in the development adjacent to Nickle Lake. We didn't object to them having a say or having information, and access to provincial funding. We gave up a little bit of control by entering into that agreement, but we were willing to do it even if it was only for the city's benefit. But now there seems to be nowhere where the city is acknowledging our issues," said Sidloski, adding the RM will not withdraw from this agreement if the landfill issue could be resolved.

City council approved the purchase of a new fire truck at a cost of $235,015 over two years, which is about $10,000 over the budgeted amount.

This price tag is far lower than it originally was, said Fire Chief Denis Pilon, as numerous design changes were made to the truck to bring the price down. The original bid from Superior Emergency Vehicles was $253,516.

This truck will replace a 1976 truck, currently No. 2 in the fire department's lineup of vehicles. This truck will be put up for sale, with one municipality already expressing interest, said chief Pilon.

Some of the design changes included changing the master intake valve, for a saving of $6,700, changing to a portable pump for a saving of $4,800, and deleting an electric mechanism for the ladder mounted on the side of the truck, which saved about $900. The fire department was able to shave $27,000 off the cost the truck altogether, but added purchases of a monitor, attic ladder, pike poles and drafting equipment for a cost of $5,920, to come out of the fire department's 2001 operating budget.

The new truck will have new features that will be useful both in town and in the rural areas, including a 900-gallon water tank, much larger than most town trucks would have, and a pump foam system with both Class A and B type foams. Chief Pilon said Class A foam would be needed in the event of a major fire at a fuel depot, for example.

The council approved an agreement with Alcatel Canada Wire, which will allow Alcatel to build a railway crossing over Railway Avenue to their plant.

The access service agreement allows the company to build the rail line as long as the company is paying for the construction and maintenance costs. If and when the line is no longer in use, Alcatel is responsible to remove the line.

Alcatel is also to ensure that the street is not blocked by rail cars or other rail equipment for longer than necessary to move the cars from one side to the other.

Coun. Marlene Nedelcov was honoured for her years of work on the city parks committee, in particular her work on the Tatagwa Parkway.

Mayor Schlosser announced she was named a recipient of the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association's provincial citation for outstanding achievement.

He said the award recognizes Coun. Nedelcov for her lasting achievement in improving parks in the city. The award will be presented to her on Oct. 13 at the provincial parks conference.

Council approved a re-zoning of the land for Grace United Church, to make their proposed expansion easier to deal with under the city's bylaws.

The bylaw amendment received all three readings on Monday, and changed the zoning for the church from Residential 3A to Downtown Core.

Development officer Dick Owens explained that under the residential zoning, the church violates the bylaw by being too close to the street. This would have proven to be a roadblock to the expansion project.

The alternative would have been to go to the Development Appeal Board to ask for a relaxation of zoning regulations, or to re-zone the land which will allow the current setup of the church to remain.

"This zoning change will allow them to do the addition, plus make any further changes in the future possible," said Owens.

The church was asked to provide for additional parking, and a property behind the church has been bought for this purpose.