Weyburn city council approved a request from Prairie Sky Co-op to tie into the city’s water and sewer line for the new Home Centre to be built on the lot behind the Crossroads cardlock and gas bar.
In approving the agreement with the Co-op on Monday night, the Co-op will be required to pay a $25,000 connection fee for a rural commercial utility, to extend their current agreement for the Weyburn gas bar (which expired in 2014) at the intersection of Highway 13 and 39, and develop an agreement for the new Home Centre for a 10-year period.
The Co-op will pay for the water and sewage at 1.75 times the City rate, and the City will be responsible for the water and sewer mains extending east from the intersection of Queen Street and First Avenue.
In a letter to the City, Co-op manager Kevin Arthur said the Home Centre will very little water usage, with only staff washrooms and a staff room, along with a requirement for full water pressure to service a fire sprinkler system in the new building.
Arthur said the new Home Centre is currently in the planning stages, and will be constructed near the cardlock and C-store pending a successful tender process.
City manager Mathew Warren said there are no operational issues anticipated from this addition to the city water and sewer line. The city’s engineering department tested the water pressure and flow rate at a hydrant located near Queen Street on First Avenue, and Public Works is confident the increased use by the Home Centre will not adversely affect the operation.
• The city manager said work is ongoing to get the Leisure Centre reopened for the indoor swimming pool, as a part is coming in order to get the boiler up and running.
Once the boiler is started, said Warren, “We have to have the water tested,” according to public health regulations, to ensure the water’s safe before reopening to the public.
“We hope to have it open sooner than later,” he added. “Once we are ready to be operational again, we’ll get the information out to the public.”
• The City’s borrowing bylaw was amended on Monday night, as the City is able to lock in a lower interest rate on their $15-million loan for the construction of the Weyburn Recreation and Culture Centre.
The interest rate will now be 2.55 per cent instead of 2.7 per cent as they originally thought it would be, and this will save the City about $15,000 a year over the 15-year period of repayment, or a total of $225,000 over the life of the loan.
The loan is from the Municipal Financing Corporation, and under the terms of the loan, the City is to make a payment of $1,215,957.29 on Feb. 11 every year, which includes principle and interest.
