Niverville’s council met on the evening of Tuesday, September 15 to discuss a variety of items on the town’s agenda.
New Church Sign
After some discussion, the town approved a new 37-square-foot LED sign to be erected in front of the Niverville Community Fellowship church at 82 2nd Street South. The church had applied for a similar sign a few years ago, which was approved with conditions, but the organization hadn’t installed the sign yet and the application had expired.
Gerald Loeppky and Taran Peters represented the church and explained their new application, which came with a reiteration of the same requirements the town had asked the church to ensure previously. Some of those conditions include ensuring that the lighted sign is set at a minimum of forty feet back from the street, that it can be dimmed at night, and that it can have no video or audio capabilities.
“We changed the light type to be black and white instead of colour,” said Peters, “and the light will dim with a sensor so it won’t be distracting.”
Loeppky offered a bit of further clarification. “The light will dim from 100 percent illumination during normal daylight to within four to six percent of capacity during the night. It also has a directional hood to point the light down and prevent light pollution.”
Town CAO Eric King read the rest of the conditions into the record before a vote was taken, which was unanimously in favour.
CRRC Landscaping
The town awarded a contract to Valley West Landscaping to finish grading on the north side of the Community Resource and Recreation Centre (CRRC), which is still under construction on the west side of Niverville. The bid came in at approximately $53,000 and will be paid for from grant funding already secured for the CRRC.
One councillor asked if it would be prudent to wait until spring to complete the project, as the ground is quite wet at the moment. Both King and Deputy Mayor John Funk disagreed, saying the ground is fine and it would be helpful to stay on schedule when it comes to the landscaping.
Town Waives Playgroup Rental Fee
Council agreed to waive the rental fees for the Niverville Happy Kids Stay & Play playgroup. The group currently meets biweekly on Thursdays at Hespeler Park, from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. But when the weather gets too cold to meet outdoors, the plan is to use the meeting room at the south end of the arena.
The group is open to any parents of young children from Niverville. According to their Facebook page, their goal is to create a safe, fun space for kids, and their parents can come in and drop in and play. It’s a place for families to connect.
Councillor Chris Wiebe questioned whether it was smart to have a playgroup indoors given the risk of COVID-19 transmission and King said the group will be briefed on safety and cleaning protocols. Building sanitization supplies and equipment will also be made available to the group.