Bad news. Canada Post is negotiating with the municipality for space to locate super-mailboxes in Nesbitt, after two failed efforts since January to find a suitable postmaster and new building.
Expect official confirmation sometime this month that the Nesbitt office will be permanently closed.
Beyond the loss of postal services and a paying job, Nesbitt is losing a community hub. That puts another nail in the coffin lid of another rural centre, two years after the post office in Carroll shut down.
Once gone, services do not return. And residents have less reason to stay.
Wawanesa Rink Needs Cash
Wawanesa is facing a similar battle. The arena, a community centre-piece for 45 years, needs $1-million in upgrades to the ice making equipment and washrooms.
So it came as little surprise when Wawanesa’s volunteer rink board voted on June 10 to disband and let the arena facility be managed by the Souris River Recreation Commission. Board members believe the rec commission has a better chance to raise $1-million dollars.
Expect Oakland-Wawanesa taxpayers to contribute to the renovation pot. But how much?
The municipality already funds both the arena and rec commission. In the 2019 Oakland-Wawanesa budget, $35,000 goes to the rink. Also this year, $45,500 is earmarked for a new facilities manager to be hired in the coming weeks to oversee the arena, water park, campground and sports fields in Wawanesa. There’s also $5,000 taxpayer dollars for the Wawanesa water park and $4,500 to cover the cost of water used by the rink and pool. The municipality also provides accounting services to the rec commission – not noted in the budget but estimated to be about $10,000 a year.
I don’t want Wawanesa to lose its rink. For the same reason I didn’t want Nesbitt or Carroll to lose their post offices. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.
Nor do I want ratepayers with no involvement and little interest in the rink to see another tax hike to pay for a significant renovation that’s been put off for years. The ice plant had a 25-year life expectancy and is well into its 40s.
What Now?
Sadly, council missed an opportunity to kick-start savings for the project. Instead of reducing Wawanesa property taxes by 31% between 2015 and 2018, council could have kept the urban mill rate steady and collected what I estimate to be $101,415. That nest-egg would make fundraising and grant applications a whole lot easier today.
On the positive side, Wawanesa’s well-funded community endowment fund could be tapped for money. Council members and residents have strong ties to Wawanaesa Insurance, which has a robust charitable giving program. The Municipality of Glenboro-South Cypress, an active facility user with a seat on the former rink board, should also be a paying partner.
Citizens’ groups and elected officials must find a fair and workable solution to the $1-million problem facing the Wawanesa arena. We don’t want more community services at-risk. Once it’s gone…
Regards,
-Glen