Niverville’s town council met on Tuesday, September 21 for a regularly scheduled meeting. Councillor Chris Wiebe was not in attendance.
This meeting was the first to be held in person at the Niverville Community Resource and Recreation Centre—specifically, on the second floor in the Niverville Bigway Foods MPR Room 2. The meeting was also streamed via Microsoft Teams. Council meetings will be held at this location and via Teams for the foreseeable future.
Road Expansion
After some standard housekeeping issues, council opened the only public hearing of the night. The hearing was for the proposal/creation of a new public road.
The proposal involves opening a portion of the property at 218 Ritchot Drive and using that land to facilitate the extension of Church Avenue to Ritchot Drive. Consequently, the property would be subdivided into three lots—one that is 42 feet long, and two others that are 54 feet.
The current zoning in this area would allow for the construction of a single-family home or duplex on each lot.
A local resident in attendance asked if council would be able to provide an approximate timeline on the construction involved in this proposal. CAO Eric King replied that it is difficult to provide a firm answer on this, as construction is always a bit hard to pin down. King also pointed out that there have been significant slowdowns in receiving construction supplies and procuring the appropriate tradespeople and contractors since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
After a brief discussion, this motion was unanimously carried.
Odds and Ends
Next on the agenda for the evening was a resolution to add new properties to the supplementary tax roll. This proposal was unanimously carried. Mayor Dyck pointed out that 475 new houses will now be added to the tax rolls, a number which represents a seven percent increase in the size of the town in just one year.
After a due tendering process, the contract for Niverville’s annual sewer cleaning was awarded to Roto Rooter Plumbing and Drain Services of Winnipeg. Roto Rooter submitted the lowest bid, which came to $26,919 plus applicable taxes.
The last item on the agenda was a resolution to move the tax sale date from December 7, 2021 to January 18, 2022. This resolution was made due to an error in the property registry format. The motion was unanimously approved and carried.
Reflections
Councillor Nathan Dueck took a moment at this time to describe a two-hour walk through the town that he had taken earlier in the day. Dueck mentioned that he had talked to several new residents he happened to meet as he walked. All the people he spoke with, he said, seem to have been thrilled with the new CRRC, the recent changes that have been made to Main Street, the upgrades to walking paths, etc.
Councillor Dueck added that he wanted to thank all staff, residents, and developers who have had a part in the continued growth and beautification of the town.
Finally, Mayor Myron Dyck took an opportunity to thank the residents of Niverville for taking the time to vote in the federal election.
He also noted that as autumn approaches many sports start up their new seasons. He expressed his gratitude to all the coaches and volunteers who have a hand in keeping these activities going.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of Niverville’s town council will take place at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 5.