Much ground was covered during last night's meeting of Weyburn City Council, with Councillor Laura Morrissette presiding in the Mayor's seat as Deputy Mayor.

It was the second time back in person since February.

"It's great to be back in Council Chambers. It's nice to see everybody in person even if we do have to wear masks and looking forward to the next meeting," said Councillor Ryan Janke. "If all goes well, we won't have masks on, and that's going to be great. It's also really exciting to see Councillor Morrissette in the Mayor's chair. I thought she did quite well in Mayor Roy's chair."

Leisure Services Director Andrew Crowe presented his seventh walk-through of the currently under-construction Weyburn Credit Union Spark Centre. He noted some significant progress since the last update orovided in February. howeverdue to some construction shipping delays have been holding things up somewhat.

"We've been waiting patiently until we can wrap things up in the construction side of it," said Crowe, noting the installation of many of the key features is already complete.

Their target timing for system conditioning is late July.

Councillor Janke said more people will be able to see the facility just having the option of popping in to view the art gallery, which will always be free for the public.

"I think it's a wonderful opportunity for people not only to see some of the fantastic art that the City has, but also to get into the building and take a look."

There will also be a pottery studio and teaching spaces, as well as a storage space to house the 200-plus collection of works comprising the City of Weyburn's Permanent Collection.

 

Janke recommends people take advantage of a virtual or in person tour.

"If you haven't had a chance yet, take a look on the website or as soon as it's available to pop on down there," he encouraged. "It's really exciting to see some of the fantastic work that's been done. Councillor Michel called it the 'jewel of the southeast' and I couldn't agree more."

You can check out Crowe's full presentation HERE.

He said he's particularly excited about some of the way that the tindlestone pieces from the former Souris Valley Regional Care Centre have been incorporated right into the building.

"It's a fantastic way to honor our history and do some really cool architecture work," he noted.

Janke said the MNP Play and Climb structure is likely to be a favourite for many.

"When [Andrew] gave us all the proposals, I showed them all to my eight-year-old and the one they picked out was also the one he recommended, so he's clearly done his homework," he noted. "I very nearly asked Andrew if it was rated for a kid of about 6 foot 4 and 250 pounds."

During the meeting, Council read a second time and passed the new Traffic Bylaw, which incorporated some of the feedback given by the public since the last reading.

The rates and fees for the new Credit Union Spark Centre were also approved by council, as were applications for a home occupation and a building development permit.

See the Council notes HERE.