Two landmark buildings in Weyburn's downtown area received official designation as Municipal Heritage properties, council decided on Monday evening.

The old City Hall and the Knox Presbyterian Church join a list of seven other properties to be so designated, and two that carry a provincial heritage designation, the courthouse and the CIBC building.

The other properties which are also municipal heritage sites include the Moffat house, Signal Hill, the power house museum, the water tower, T.C. Douglas Centre, the Powell house and the former Loretto convent.

The old City Hall, which is now owned by a realty company, was deemed significant to the community as it was constructed in 1913, and held the seat of government for the City of Weyburn for 89 years. The building also has a unique architectural style designed by a Weyburn architectural firm, and the building has a prominent location at the corner of Third Street and Coteau Avenue.

Under the bylaw as a heritage building, the exterior of the building is to be preserved. The old fire hall portion of the building may need repair or redevelopment, subject to the Heritage Property review process. The landscaping and interior are not considered part of this designation, as the interior was previously modernized, both by the city and by the current owner.

A block away on Second Street, the Knox Presbyterian Church designation includes the entire church building, both exterior and interior, excluding the Knox Fellowship Hall. This means no changes may be made to any of the materials, finishes or architectural features both inside and out without first going through the heritage property review process.

Five members of Weyburn's protective services were among the group who received the first-ever Protective Services Medal awarded by Premier Lorne Calvert on Sept. 11.

Coun. Ray Hamm was present for the ceremony held in Regina, and explained the medal was initiated last year on the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and were presented this year on the second anniversary.

The recipients included Police Chief Rod Horsman, Sgt. David Stadel, Fire Chief Denis Pilon, firefighter Wayne Satre and Conservation officer Gord Smoliak.

Three others will also receive their medals at a later time, including former Police Chief Bill Millar, Sgt. Mike Rogal and Sgt. Sonny Reinfelds.

Criteria for the medal includes providing protective services to their community for 25 years, and that service has to be exemplary.

An outcry from business owners and motorists that use the service road alongside Highway 39 caused the Department of Highways to reverse a decision to place stop signs along the road.

Council approved a bylaw that removes all of the stop signs along the service road, except for one near Jerry Mainil's site.

City manager Bob Smith explained the signs were installed out of concern for the traffic that turns off from Highway 39 onto the service road, which contains several industrial-related business sites. Formerly, this traffic had to stop before proceeding onto the service road, which sometimes caused problems on the highway if the vehicle included a long trailer.

"People raised complaints because of the number of stops and starts. They lobbied the Department of Highways and they changed their minds," said Smith.

"I had a lot of complaints about all the stop signs on the service road. I'm happy to see this come forward," added Mayor Don Schlosser.

An organizer for the 2004 Saskatchewan Summer Games is asking for members of the public to step forward as volunteers now to help some of the events leading up to the Games to run smoothly.

Coun. Rob Stephanson made the appeal at council meeting on Monday, noting while the Games are just over a year away, there are many fund-raisers and other events leading up to it that will require volunteers.

"Our concern is we need to get names in our database now, not so much for the Games but for projects leading up to the Games," he said.

The help may be needed for events like cabarets, or administrative assistance for helping to sign up volunteers.

"I know everybody in Weyburn is going to volunteer eventually. We need to get more people on the bandwagon," said Stephanson.

Those wishing to volunteer can do so at the Games office in the Weyburn Square Mall, or they can submit a form on the Games website.

The city's Parks and Tourism departments were also approached by the Games committee to have a Games theme in gardens and in the downtown flower boxes for Community in Bloom. Parks supervisor Claude Morin said he would dedicate the use of the Jubilee Park flower garden at Fifth Street and First Avenue to the Games.

In other council business:

· Work on the Colosseum is proceeding, on track to have ice in by Oct. 1; Coun. Bill Rudachyk said there were some minor problems with bubbling on the surface of the new concrete floor, but these were fixed at no cost to the city, and the warranty for the floor has been extended to three years;

· Weyburn will host the Saskatchewan Association of Police Chiefs on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 8 and 9, with sessions taking place at the Weyburn Inn;

· The collection of tax arrears is behind this year compared to other years; only 24.4 per cent of arrears have been collected so far, with $313,586 still outstanding; city manager Smith said this amount would include $84,000 still outstanding on the Elks Hall and an amount for the Mitchell block which will be written off.

· Mayor Schlosser said a report he received showed between Aug. 1 to Sept. 15 Weyburn had 19 new families move in to the city; of those, 16 moved here for work-related reasons and three families are retirees. The majority of the families have children.