REDVERS — Stolen flags and signs, knocked over flower pots and even the unceremonious removal of a newly installed Hometown History bench — these are a few acts of thoughtless vandalism plaguing Redvers recently.
“We’re not really too sure why they’re targeting the town of Redvers, or if they’re targeting the town of Redvers,” said Tricia Pickard, CAO.
“Signs and anything with our logo and Hometown History seems to be the things that they’re damaging and going after.”
Town staff made an official report about the damages to RCMP on June 28, requesting an increased presence by police to curb the rising vandalism.
The item was brought to Town Council during their regular meeting on July 17, detailing some of the incidents that have occurred.
About a week before the call to police, the Hometown History bench was removed from its location on Rhodes Street, later discovered in bushes near the Lodge. It has since been returned to its original site.
Muster point signs near the town shop were also stolen during the same period, costing around $50 each.
On June 22, a large boulevard planter pot was tipped over, destroying $100 worth of flowers—not to mention the $500 pot. A day later, damaged and stolen signs were noted, approximately $200 to replace.
On June 24, two new flags were taken from the town office—stripped from the pole—worth $100 each.
Also on June 28, a street sign logo topper was found ground off at the corner of Metheun Street and MacDonald Avenue, which cost around $50.
On July 2, another logo topper was ground off at the corner of Broadway Street South and Maurice Avenue, plus a sign pole and signs were moved from the intersection of Souris Avenue and Eichhorst Street. They were returned to their original position.
“We believe that some of the happenings might be teenagers, however, the damage to the sign toppers and removal of the flags we really believe is someone knowledgeable about the sign topper attachments, the flag poles and carabiners,” Pickard noted.
The vandalism comes on the heels of break-ins to the Redvers Transfer Station and Water Treatment Plant, resulting in enhanced video surveillance at town properties. Council approved a quote from Range Communications in Carlyle, purchasing four cameras in total for $2,737.54.
“We’re going to be getting three outdoor cameras and one indoor,” Pickard said. “We already have one indoor, but we’re going to replace the one we have and get them all on the same system.”
With those recent break-ins, town staff have been advising the public to exercise a little more caution through efforts like ensuring doors are locked, installing outdoor cameras, and extra lighting.
“We are implementing some extra security measures because there are definitely some break-ins happening in our area,” Pickard said. “It’s really unfortunate because we’ve been trying hard with beautification and promoting our community and doing different projects and then you get people that are vandalizing.”
24-hr AED to be installed
The community AED/Save Station has arrived and will be installed within a couple weeks, according to Pickard. Thanks to a grant from Steel Reef, the $1,960.84 price tag on the unit that will be placed in front of the town office has been covered.
Possible fire truck in sight
In her CAO report, Pickard noted Redvers Fire Chief Brad Hutton may have found a fire truck that meets local firefighting needs and falls within the Minimum Standards guidelines.
“He’s been eyeballing this one for some time,” Pickard said. “We’re going to obtain quotes from some different places and then make a comparison chart and figure out what direction we want to go.”
The particular truck Hutton is interested in is a used 2019 model, coming in at USD 449,000.
Final numbers are still coming in from the Lobster Fest fundraiser held in support of funding a new truck, but estimates suggest around $80,000 has been raised in total for the project. Plans for a large thermometer at the end of Broadway Street showing funds raised are ongoing, with the physical feature hoped to encourage future donations.
Grant for new minibus
Town staff have been working on securing a Rural Transit Solutions Fund grant through Infrastructure Canada in the hopes that the money will cover a large portion of a new minibus.
“We are just finalizing that, and we’re waiting for the final agreement to be sent and we can sign off on it and then we’ll be getting quotes for a new transit bus,” Pickard explained.
The vehicle would be used to provide on-demand transit service within Redvers, but also for medical transportation to centres such as Brandon and Regina.
Ideally, the town is looking at a shuttle or minibus capable of seating 12 to 15 people.
The total estimated cost of the project is $250,000, and if the RTSF agreement is successful, the town would be responsible for covering a $50,000 portion.
Speed radar project
New speed radar signs will be popping up around Redvers after the town learned they were successful in securing a Provincial Traffic Safety Fund grant to the tune of $28,280. The application was one of 62 SGI received during their application period at the beginning of the year, with the Photo Speed Enforcement Committee approving 55 of the requests received for $1.2 million worth of funding to improve traffic safety.
“There will be two placed on Highway 8 when you’re travelling north and south, and then two placed on Highway 13 when you’re travelling east and west,” Pickard said. “And one on Methuen when you come into town, and one on Souris Avenue when you come into town on the other side.”
Placement of the signage is hoped to discourage speeding in Redvers.
“We’re happy with that because we’ve got some streets that you come off the highway and you just kind of want to pick up speed right away, or they’re longer streets and they don’t have any stop signs or yield signs or speed bumps,” Pickard explained. “So then people’s speed tends to be higher.”
Physician transition
With the announcement that Dr. Mehdi Shadmani will be leaving Redvers at the end of the month, concern over the state of local healthcare services is at the forefront.
“This decision has been carefully considered, given the immense satisfaction I have derived from working at Redvers Medical Clinic and Tony Day Family Medical Clinic in Carnduff,” said Dr. Shadmani in a letter addressed to Redvers and neighbouring communities. “It has been a true privilege to serve as your healthcare provider, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have met such remarkable individuals throughout my years in practice.”
Locum physicians have been secured for the time being, and Dr. Afshan Ghafoor is on vacation.
“There are the locums coming, they’re looking at nurse practitioners, different things,” Pickard said. “The South East Medical Group is always really good at trying to problem solve and think outside the box.”
Homecoming budget
After the revenue versus expenses have been calculated, it appears as though the initial Homecoming festivities over the July 1 long weekend have created a surplus. According to a budget submitted to council, there were $9,435.56 in sponsorships for the event and $7,117.76 in expenses, leaving a surplus of $2,317.80 in the bank.
“Our goal this year was to break even, to put on a community event that we can hold every year,” Pickard said. “Those funds will be used for next year’s homecoming.”
By all accounts, the Homecoming weekend was a great success—well worth the many months of planning.
“We had quite a few people that used to live in the community, or from other communities that came sometime during that weekend, and they had a lot of fun and relived a lot of memories,” Pickard said.
TAPD funding
Council learned that the town has received $3,079 in funding through the Transit Assistance for People with Disabilities program. The annual funding is based on ridership and helps keep the service available for those on fixed incomes.
“We feel it’s really important to be able to get persons with disabilities or seniors to locations around town,” Pickard explained. “So we always put in an application and we get around $3,000 to $4,000 every year. It just helps offset the expenses because we also want to keep the ride fee low. We don’t want to charge too much because people could be on fixed incomes or lower incomes.”
