The town of Yellow Grass made some major expenditures on its operations in 2004 but residents will see some of the results as soon as this winter, said Mayor Bill Wilke last week.

A new tractor, at a cost of about $80,000 was one of the first purchases in the spring, although it hadn't been in the budget, he said.

The old one was underpowered and overworked during the heavy snowstorms last year, he said. "It reached the point where it cost too much to maintain, so we had to make the decision to buy a new one."

On some days last winter, especially during the heavy snowstorms in December and January, the streets got pretty bad with the snow, he said. Sometimes it took some time to get them cleaned out. "The men were working very hard, sometimes all night," he said. "We can't control the weather."

The heavier new tractor will help with the work this year, he said.

Another expenditure, of more than $10,000 for the town's one-third share of a total of $35,000, went toward the development of three new wells for the town's water supply.

Both the quality and the quantity of the water supply will be improved when the final work is done, said Wilke.

In 2005, about the same amount of money will be needed to finalize the use of the wells and to make some upgrades on the water treatment facility, he said. The town is hoping to see the same level of federal and provincial cost-sharing for this project as in the past.

Wilke said council expects only a mill or so increase in the property tax to pay for the work. "We haven't had to go into reserves yet."

In the future, major work also will be needed on the town's water distribution system, he said. Some of the pipes in the system are 40 years old and have no shut-offs so the whole system has to be shut down for repair when a pipe breaks.

Wilke is hoping town council will develop a multi-year plan to repair roads in the near future, he said. Work is direly needed on some of the streets and all of them need work to be kept in good shape, he said. The town pays for the cost of road repair out of its general revenues.

This council, like the town's employees, are an excellent bunch of people, he said.

Wilke said he expects administration costs for the town to drop as much as one-half as a result of changes made in 2004. The town office is open only three days a week for a trial period, and council is prepared to alter that if it's needed, but it seems to be a good decision, he said.

Early in the year, the town was jolted with the news that CIBC would close its office in the fall but a steering committee of citizens convinced the Weyburn Credit Union to open a branch office and that was good news, said Wilke. "We're very fortunate to have them here," he said.

The town purchased a new fire siren at a cost of about $5,000, that was hooked up in 2004. Community organizations made donations toward the cost and it rings every Wednesday at noon .

In the new year, Yellow Grass will celebrate the province's 100 anniversary with events scheduled for July 1-3. Wilke said the organizing committee is reaching out to all former residents to invite them back for the celebrations. An updated history book is also being printed.