The co-chairmen of the 2004 Summer Games bid committee are asking for a community-wide show of support when the games selection committee comes to Weyburn on Tuesday, Oct. 16.

Weyburn's bid for the Games was handed in on Sept. 28, said co-chairman Gary Goski, and they were informed on Friday of the visit by the selection committee to view Weyburn's facilities.

Goski and fellow chairman Mike Pickering said they would like to see community support in a number of ways: at the Comp track field, at a business luncheon, and on signs around the city.

"We are asking for as many people as possible to come to the Comp school at 9:30 a.m., as the site selection committee will be there at 10. We need to have as many people there as possible to show their support," said Pickering.

"We're just trying to show some enthusiasm by having as many people as we can, and we'll give them banners that say, 'We want the Games!' on it," Pickering said later, with the crowd to gather in front of the school for when the committee arrives.

The track at the Comp field is the one facility Weyburn would need to do a major upgrade of if they are awarded the Summer Games. The other facilities which would be offered by the city are said to be in excellent condition. The facilities the committee will look at include the Leisure Centre, Jubilee Park, the fair grounds and the Weyburn Golf Course.

At noon, the selection committee will be treated to a business luncheon to be held at the Weyburn Comp, and the committee is asking anyone who has an interest to buy a ticket and attend. Tickets are $5 each from the Chamber of Commerce office. Some tickets may be provided to athletes who would be attending the Games, and community and business leaders are being invited to attend as well.

Pickering said the committee is proposing to house the athletes' village at the Comp, so the luncheon will try to simulate the atmosphere as when the athletes will be there.

In addition, the committee is asking anyone who has a portable sign or a changeable sign to indicate their support for the Games. In addition, signs will be distributed to all the businesses in the downtown core and surrounding area.

The committee was informed that Estevan, Lloydminster and North Battleford are also in the running for the Games, and of these, only Weyburn has never hosted Games of this level. Lloydminster hasn't hosted the Saskatchewan Games, said Goski, but they have hosted the Alberta Summer Games before, "so that'll hopefully place us in a good position."

The members of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA), including Weyburn, will continue to press the provincial government for an infusion of $20 million in extra revenue-sharing dollars, despite an indication they won't be getting the money.

SUMA's board met with members of the cabinet prior to the cabinet's planning session held at Cypress Hills at the beginning of October, said Mayor Don Schlosser, who also serves as the vice-president for cities on SUMA's executive committee.

The board has since heard through reports that the government rejected the request, as they felt they couldn't afford it at this time.

"We're not going to lay down on this issue. We feel we've lost about 60 per cent of our revenue-sharing, yet taxes levied by the province have increased by 300 per cent," said the mayor.

The city mayors will meeting with Municipal Affairs minister Ron Osika this week, added Schlosser, and this issue will be raised with him then.

The members of SUMA had earlier requested for the $20 million increase in the spring budget, but the request was not included in the budget. The request was based on the higher costs most municipalities faced this year, and due to the cuts in revenue sharing which have never been replaced. According to SUMA, revenue sharing started out at $34 million a year in 1978, was increased to $67 million over the next 10 years, and has since been cut to its present level of $27 million.

Representatives of the Family Place and their preschool program, Mini-Go, along with city officials, will meet with officials from Social Services to request funding for their program at a meeting tonight, Oct. 10, to be held at 7 p.m. at the Family Place.

In a letter to city council, program director Linda Rudachyk explained the Mini-Go program was wholly funded through the community last year, and they were refused funding from the province for the new school year.

Weyburn was not considered a "high-risk" community by Social Services, but Rudachyk noted other communities also not at risk did receive monies for similar programs.

"In other areas of this province, programs such as this are highly or fully funded by government federally and provincially; the government has committed mega-dollars to early childhood initiatives such as Mini-Go. But Weyburn is not designated a high risk community and we have been told we will get no funding," said Rudachyk in her letter.

They tried to have a meeting with Social Services minister Harry Van Mulligan, but he referred them to the department's southeast regional director, who will attend the meeting.

Mayor Schlosser said he took Municipal Affairs minister Ron Osika on a tour of the facility when he recently visited Weyburn, and he was surprised at what the program offered.

"He couldn't believe there isn't more funding available for this," said the mayor, adding the Social Services minister is the one who really needs to be at the meeting.

Council approved sending a letter of support for the Mini-Go program.

A request from the Wheat Festival committee for the city to negotiate with Pioneer Grain to keep their wooden elevator in place was referred to the Riverfront Market committee to look into.

The Wheat Festival committee passed a resolution to support "keeping the original Pioneer grain elevator on Railway Avenue as an agricultural historical landmark in our community," particularly as this elevator is the last one standing in Weyburn.

The grain company recently indicated the wooden elevator would be shut down in a certain time period once their new facility is built, but the Wheat Festival committee feels it should be kept and used as a symbol of Weyburn's farming past.

"I think the concept is good, but as we've found out in other areas, costs can be higher than anticipated. We have no numbers on what the costs of upkeep are going to be, so I don't know if we want to start negotiations on it," said Coun. Pickering.

Coun. Ray Hamm noted this feature was put into the original concept for the Riverfront Market plan, and perhaps their committee would be the best ones to look at this proposal.

"I think there are interesting potentials here. We haven't done very much with it, but we weren't aware the company would be moving from that location," said Hamm, adding the committee also intended that any facility in their plan be self-supporting so it's not a drain on the public purse.

The mayor and city commissioner met on Tuesday along with representatives from the South Central Health District, Saskatchewan Property Management Corporation, the RM of Weyburn and the Chamber of Commerce to discuss the possible future of Souris Valley.

"It was just a fact-finding meeting. We talked about a lot of things that could work out at that facility. We will have more discussions," said Mayor Schlosser.

One future meeting he would like to see is with the minister responsible for SPMC, the Economic Development minister and MP Roy Bailey to further discuss options for Souris Valley.

The mayor said the health district indicated they will be out of Souris Valley in about three years' time; they are planning to build a new long-term facility on the Souris Valley grounds, called Tatagwa View, with ground-breaking expected to take place by the end of this year.

Any ideas by anyone in the public for possible uses for Souris Valley would also be welcomed, said Mayor Schlosser, and would be brought up at future meetings.

In other council business:

· The city has installed gates to Hillcrest Cemetery, with the intention of controlling traffic there in the wintertime. Council directed cemetery administrator Denis Pilon to send letters to the funeral directors and the Weyburn Ministerial Association to inform them of this move, and to ensure they are all in agreement with this new policy.

· Council authorized offering economic development officer Dick Owens a one-year part-time contract, to run from Dec. 1, 2001, to Nov. 30, 2002, in order to allow him to finish up some projects that wouldn't otherwise be completed. Council was told his intention was to retire (although he could work another three years full-time if he wished), but as there are some projects unfinished they felt it would be best to hire him on a contract basis at 22.5 hours a week.