On February 2, Kamsack Mayor Rod Gardner was to have accepted the award for Kamsack having placed first in the ninth annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards competition.
Returning from a visit with family members in Australia, Gardner was to be among Kamsack delegates attending the 111th convention of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) at Queensberry Convention Centre in Regina which was held January 31 to February 4.
As was announced in November, Kamsack was to receive the first-place award for its doctor recruitment and retention strategy and community Health and Wellness Centre.
Kamsack’s winning practice is that it had “established a committee that developed a strategy to recruit and retain physicians in the community, including the construction of a health and wellness facility.”
“These awards recognize innovation and excellence in Saskatchewan local governments of all types,” said a release from Katee Galandy, program co-ordinator for the Saskatchewan Municipal Awards.
An independent, six-member committee reviewed 11 nominations, submitted on behalf of 20 municipalities to choose the four winning projects, Galandy said. The committee members were: Keith Schneider: former executive director of SUMA and Principal with ADVOCO Consulting; Ken Engel, former executive director of SARM;
Jim Scarrow, former mayor of Prince Albert and former vice-president of cities for SUMA; Gordon Barnhardt: president of the University of Saskatchewan and former Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan; Neal Hardy, former President of SARM, and
Jeff Mulligan, managing partner of AHHA Moments Inc. and former mayor of Lloydminster.
Placing second was the Town of Kindersley for its waste water project, which provided an agreement allowing the oil and gas sector to access and utilize the waste water from the water treatment plant to alleviate steadily increasing water consumption.
In third place was the Town of Shaunavon for its Jubilee Park. The community had rehabilitated recreational infrastructure including a new arena, curling rink, skate park, tennis courts, playground, ball diamonds, swimming pool, basketball courts, and an outdoor rink with more plans for the future.
Being recognized in the regional co-operation category were nine municipalities that had arrived at a growth services agreement. They are: the RMs of Mervin, Frenchman Butte, Parkdale and Turtle River; the Town of Turtleford, and the villages of Paradise Hill, Glaslyn, Mervin and Edam.
These nine municipalities achieved a shared-services agreement giving 19 RMs, towns and villages in the area access to the services of a growth professional planner, enabling better planning for the future for subdivisions and servicing requirements for increased infrastructure needs.
