Council discusses assisted living

By: nipawinjournal.com

The Nipawin Town Council held their regular meeting, Feb. 14, at the Council Chambers in Nipawin, with Deputy Mayor Terry Farden in the chair.

Arena Ice Plant Chiller

As many know, the Centennial Arena had some games rescheduled and saw an unusable ice situation earlier in the month. Three of the 500 tubes that run through the chiller developed a small hole in each tube, causing ammonia to leak from the chiller. The cause of the holes is unknown.

The chiller, which was purchased last year, was taken apart and put back together, Feb. 4, it passed a pressure test of nitrogen at 275 psi. The chiller passed the same pressure test last summer, after having two tubes fail immediately at that time. There is no guarantee that any of the remaining tubes couldn't do the same thing. The hope is that there won't be another tube failure before the end of the season. The integrity of the chiller is questionable at this time.

Hawks request for Spring Camp

Head Coach/GM for the Nipawin Hawks, Doug Johnson, submitted a letter to council requesting ice time to host their Spring Camp at the Centennial Arena, April 16/17. Their request was denied at the administration level, but Johnson feels that the event would bring many new faces to Nipawin and greatly benefit area businesses. The camp would draw in about 70 young men with a maximum of 120, from the ages 15 to 18. In the past council had asked the Hawks to try and run spring camp on the third weekend of March, to coincide with a typical end of season shutdown by late March. Their last run into April (excluding the 2004 Sask. First Nations Games, April 9 to 16), was the 2000/2001 season when the Hawks played in the league final (April 13). Their last projected day for operation was scheduled for March 26, for a figure skating test day. Council will look into creating other revenue at the arena prior to the Spring Camp, in the form of cheaper ice time, to host hockey tournaments or other one-ice activities.

The last Hawks Spring Camp was in 2008, and they used about 19.5 hours of ice time.

Dan Poulin, Director of Parks and Recreation said the town would absorb $3,000 to $3,500 additional power costs with very little rental income from other users. He also expressed concern regarding the current situation of the chiller, as they cannot guarantee that it will not fail again as the integrity of the chiller is in question.

Fire Chiefs report

Calls for 2010 were up for the Nipawin Fire Department. They responded to 93 calls; 51 of those calls fire related, 12 motor vehicle collisions, five rescues and five alarms. In 2009, they received 88 calls; 40 of which were fire, 14 motor vehicle collisions, six rescues and 20 alarms.

The Nipawin Fire Department is currently all switched over to the P25 radio system.

The fire industry is always changing, there was a time where they only dealt with fires, then came motor vehicle accidents and search and rescue. Fire Commissioner Duane McKay's vision is more towards public safety and regional fire departments, therefore, they will need to receive more training in courses such as BEM, EOC and Evac. They will also need to acquire EOC equipment. The reason for developing regional fire departments is because smaller departments can't afford all the equipment and are subject to limited training. They will be able to do grass fires, but larger departments will do exterior fire fighting, and a department like Nipawin's, would also do internal fire fighting.

The Nipawin Fire Department has been involved in the community, by working with the three schools to promote fire safety. They also have a daily Sparky's Safety Spot, which is on CJNE Radio.

Fire Chief Brian Starkell thanked the fire fighters, as they are the ones that make the department.

Assisted living in Nipawin

The town accepted the land, which was donated by Gladys Warren, and is in the process of determining the costs to service the land. The committee will be meeting with the developer to further fine tune architectural plans. Planning is also underway to host a public engagement. The committee is also putting structure to the process of securing funds for the development of the facility. The gifted land will be large enough to accommodate two phases of development, each being around 36 units. Nipawin town council has committed to providing the six-acres required by the committee to do both phases if the development costs for Warren's quarter are cost prohibitive.

Day of the Honey Bee

Nipawin declared May 29, the second annual "Day of the Honey Bee."

In seven provinces across Canada, and with the support of over 70 municipal governments, May 29, 2010 was recognized as the first annual "Day of the Honey Bee." It was recognized in declaration by three provincial governments and recorded in the Legislative Assembly Hansard of a fourth.

The day is dedicated to show support for the Honey Bee industry, green initiatives, bio-sustainability and in an attempt to recoup distressingly dwindling Honey Bee populations.

Feb. 23, Rotary Day in Nipawin

Nipawin Mayor Lawrence Rospad, proclaimed Feb. 23, 2011 as Rotary Day in Nipawin and encourages all citizens to join him in recognizing Rotary International for its more than 105 years of service and the Rotary Club of Nipawin for nearly 65 years of service.

Rotary International was founded, Feb. 23, 1905, in Chicago, and is the world's first and one of the largest non-profit service organizations. There are over 1.2 million Rotary Club members comprised of professional and business leaders in over 33,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographic areas.

There are currently 27 members of the Rotary Club of Nipawin, sponsoring service projects to address such critical issues as poverty, health, hunger, literacy and the environment in their local communities and abroad