KAMSACK — Kamsack's new chief administrative officer shared insights into his first few weeks in the role, the recent Woodlander Hotel fire incident, and his plans for the upcoming year.
Barry Hvidston officially assumed his new position on Dec. 1, bringing two decades of administrative experience to Kamsack. He discussed the circumstances leading to his appointment, citing the recommendation from Sherise Fountain and Dana Grieve, individuals familiar with his previous nine-year tenure as the administrator for the RM of Keys.
In response to an inquiry about family ties to administration, Hvidston revealed that both his father and brother have held administrator roles in the past, with his mother contributing to the education sector.
“My dad was administrator for the RM of Tisdale for 30 years just about. He retired a number of years ago though. My brother is the current administrator for the Town of Tisdale. And my mother was in the school division, she got fairly high in the school division.”
The interview touched upon the unexpected challenges encountered during Hvidston's initial weeks, notably the Woodlander Hotel fire that occurred. Despite the devastation, Hvidston expressed gratitude for the quick and effective response from the fire department, preventing further damage to downtown Kamsack.
“The biggest thing I can say is it's amazing what the fire department did. They're very dedicated and without them, we would have probably lost most of downtown Kamsack. That's amazing what they did and nobody got injured.”
Concerning future plans for the Woodlander property, Hvidston mentioned it was too early to provide details, stating that the focus is currently on removing debris from the site. He indicated the closure of the sidewalk adjacent to the Woodlander was due to damage caused by the fire.
“The sidewalk by the Woodlander is going to be closed for a little bit. When the wall fell, it did damage some of the pavement. So we're gonna have to look to figure out a plan for that.”
The interview also delved into Hvidston's personal life, touching on his family residing in Canora, with his daughters attending school in both Canora and Yorkton.
“My wife, Shana used to be a Dubasoff and used to live in Kamsack, born and bred here. So she lived in the RM of Cote just outside of Town for a lot of years. One daughter is 12 years old. She had leukemia when she was three-and-a-half and two- and-a-half years old. She came out of that with flying colours and then my older one is in Grade 11.”
Reflecting on his first two weeks as the Kamsack administrator, Hvidston described it as a busy period of acclimatization to the town's operations and ongoing projects. He revealed plans to tackle year-end cleanup projects before diving into budgeting and new initiatives in the upcoming year.
“It's been a whirlwind, with everything that's happening, getting my feet in what's happening in the town here. I’ve had a few extra things thrown at me that I wasn't expecting. It's been interesting.” Hvidston said.
When asked if he worries that he’ll drown in paperwork in light of his first two weeks in the office, Hvidston expressed enthusiasm for his role, emphasizing the diverse nature of the tasks he encounters. He mentioned his commitment to the job, drawing on his extensive experience in municipal administration.
“I've been dealing with this job in different areas for 20 years. So I've seen a lot of different items and a lot of different issues.”
