August 2009
The Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie devoted a moment of silence before council’s meeting on Aug. 11 in memory of Coun. Ray Davidson and Carl Suderman, a public works employee for the RM, who died earlier this month.
PRRA gets go ahead
A bylaw to establish the Portage Regional Recreation Authority (PRRA), which will be responsible for the PCU Centre, received second and third reading at council on Aug. 11.
“This is the point that we wanted to be,” said Reeve Toby Trimble after the meeting. “(With) the Portage Regional Recreation Authority, we now have authority to sign the agreement with the city to officially put that authority in place.”
The RM representation on the PRRA consists of RM citizen Doug Simpson and, from the RM of Portage council: Reeve Toby Trimble and councillors Owen Williams and Garth Asham.
At council meeting, Coun. Terry Simpson inquired about the future of some recreation facilities in the RM, such as the community hall in Oakland, and a curling rink in Edwin, and wanted to make sure they would be able to continue to be viable after the PRRA was formed.
The RM currently provides funds for these facilities’ operating costs from a grant through the RM’s Hextall fund, which supports local community clubs in the RM area, included in the RM annual budget.
Some recreation clubs also assisted by the Hextall fund include clubs in Oakville, Poplar Point, High Bluff, and St. Ambroise.
RM council will make a recommendation to the PRRA on what community clubs should be funded, and the PRRA will be responsible for that funding.
Simpson also asked if a group wanted to take over the existing Centennial Arena after it is no longer in use would that be a possibility?
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Once the second rink in the PCU Centre is complete, however, the PRRA would not continue to fund this facility.
Funds received for infrastructure work
The Portage RM has more green after it was revealed at the Aug. 11 council meeting more money has been received for infrastructure work through the Building Manitoba Fund.
A payment of $208,670 was received in this instalment. The first instalment came in at $45,890, for a total amount received of about $254,500 from Manitoba Intergovernmental Affairs. The RM budgeted for $240,000, so it was a nice surprise to see the amount come in higher than expected.
RCMP report crime down
There was a little bit of good news for RM council when Portage RCMP Sgt. Rob McCarville presented the local police detachment’s crime report statistics for rural Portage.
“The numbers … were fairly consistent in July, as it was in July of last year,” McCarville said.
He noted the total numbers were down by about 20 per cent in July compared to June figures.
“We’re quite pleased with that,” said McCarville.
In July, the total calls received were 138, down from 142 at the same time in 2008. That number was also significantly lower than June when the RCMP received 189 reports.
Property crime was significantly lower in July with only nine reports, compared to 29 at the same time in 2008. In June, there were eight reports, slightly below the July figures.
Vehicle thefts showed a decline in July with only two reports, compared to five at the same time last year. In June, there were three reports of auto thefts.
Trimble was overall favourable toward the latest RCMP report.
“Comparing the numbers of July of 2009 and July of 2008, the totals are fairly consistent, although last year there was a lot more property crime,” he said.
“As it was indicated by one of our councillors, the RCMP presence in the rural area, whether it is during the day or at night, I think is a deterrent. So the numbers on property crime for both June and July of this month are fairly consistent, whether last year was just a busy month, I am not sure.”
Time for repairs
There will be some new asphalt work on the go in the RM of Portage.
At its Aug. 11 meeting, council accepted a quote from Maple Leaf Construction, a Winnipeg firm, for asphalt repairs on Yellowquill Trail, located near the water treatment plant in the Rural Municipality of Portage, at a cost of $8,500.
Maple Leaf Construction had the lowest of the tenders received.
Gravel cost approved
More gravel for the RM will soon be coming down the road.
RM council approved a bid from Gravier Collet Gravel Inc., a firm located in Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, for the purchase of gravel at $5.75 per tonne. About 3,000 tonnes of gravel was purchased at a cost of about $18,000.
The gravel will be used to make road improvements in Ward 3, in the area southwest of Portage.
Turning on the island lights funding
There will be lights sparkling in Portage’s Island Park again this winter.
At its meeting, council approved providing a grant of $1,000 as sponsorship for the 2009-10 Manitoba Hydro Island of Lights in Island Park in Portage.
RM helps illuminate Oakville area
RM council is helping Oakville see the light.
Council passed a resolution to authorize Manitoba Hydro to install six street lights in a new subdivision being developed in the area at the north end of Oakville.
Trimble noted two new homes are being built already in the new subdivision.
A total of 20 lots have been developed in the area for the project, complete with water and sewer connections. Both new houses and second-hand houses can be accommodated on the lots, but trailers are not permitted. Six lots have already been sold on the site.
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