Construction activity has continued to increase in the city of Weyburn, with more building permits issued so far this year than last year, but with the dollar value slightly below 2013.
Construction activity has continued to increase in the city of Weyburn, with more building permits issued so far this year than last year, but with the dollar value slightly below 2013.
There were 23 building permits issued in the month of May, with a total construction value of just over $3.5 million.
This brought the total year-to-date for permits to 62, worth a total of $11.5 million. This compares to a year ago, when the city had issued 42 building permits worth $14.46 million.
Of the permits issued in May, two were for commercial additions with a value of $252,000; one was for a new industrial building on Ebel Road worth $450,000; 11 permits were for residential additions or alterations, with a total construction value of $121,800; four permits were issued for new detached garages, with a value of $72,000; and five were for new residential dwellings with a construction value of $2,795,000. These included four single-family dwellings, and one four-unit multi-family building.
Of the 23 permits issued, three were reviewed and approved through Professional Building Inspections.
The number of dwelling units created in Weyburn so far this year is ahead of last year's numbers, with 33 dwelling units created worth a total of $8,725,000; of these, 21 are single-family dwellings, and 12 are multi-family dwellings.
One year ago, there were 24 dwelling units created worth $5,289,150, including nine single-family dwellings and 15 multi-family dwellings.
In a report from the Weyburn Parks Board, Leo Leydon and Mayvis Goranson from the Pioneer Woman statue committee visited to seek the board's input on a possible location for the statue.
Suggested locations from theboard included the Peace Garden by River Park, and near the flower display at the corner of Fifth Street and First Avenue, near the Leisure Centre.
Members of the board and the statue committee planned also to take a tour of the city's park areas to try and identify a possible location for the statue.
The committee and Parks Board are also hoping to get input from the public about a possible location for the statue.
On another issue, the Parks Board noticed that people are still parking on the park trail at Fifth Street and Fifth Avenue North, as the post and chain fencing has not yet been installed by Parks employees.
Coun. Nancy Style said she would follow up on this with the city police, and the possibility of paving some of this section of the trail was discussed, if there is funding available.
In other council news:
The Weyburn Roller Derby Association asked for special event permits from council for three upcoming dates. The dates include Saturday, Aug. 9 at the Curling Rink (during the Wheat Festival); Saturday, Aug. 23 at the Tom Zandee Sports Arena; and Saturday, Sept. 27 at the Curling Rink. All three are to run from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.
With the arrival of warmer weather, hot mix asphalt street patching has begun, with repairs made in two locations on Government Road, Victoria Street and Elm Crescent, along with several days of patching at the Weyburn Airport. Repairs of potholes has also begun around the city, and two sections of an asphalt walkway were constructed at the boardwalk extension project near the new gazebo. Street sweeping has also been ongoing throughout the month around the city, and the city's alert system has been used to let residents know when the sweepers are in their areas.
At River Park, work to complete repairs from construction damage was mostly completed; the campground stalls have been regravelled and other work was done to prepare the park and campground; the park opened just prior to the May long weekend. Spring litter collection was carried out, and Parks crews spent almost 450 hours doing he initial cleanup.
Mosquito control operations have begun with the application of a biological control agent, Vectobac. Recent rainfall has meant there will be new potential breeding areas for mosquitoes, and control activities will be stepped up accordingly.
The tenders for recapping and sidewalk replacements were approved by council. The recapping tender went to the lowest of four bids, by Site Management Services of Regina worth $592,515; the sidewalk and curbing tender went to Midwest Concrete for $1777,712, which was said to be 13 per cent over budget.
