CITY OKS ROAD CHANGES FOR GROCERY STORE
Company sees as many as five locations in Saskatoon, council told
A downtown grocery store may get a hero's welcome when it opens, but Saskatoon city council opened its Tuesday meeting by welcoming an actual hero.
Brian Gibson, an employee at the city's sign shop, was recognized during Tuesday's session at city hall for his bravery in rescuing a man in distress from the South Saskatchewan River.
Gibson was exercising near the river late last month when he spotted the man in trouble, and jumped into the water to bring him ashore.
DOWNTOWN GROCERY
Council unanimously approved a request from developer Arbutus Properties to add signals and other improvements at Idylwyld Drive and Auditorium Avenue.
Arbutus representatives previously told the transportation committee that the upgrades are needed to make the intersection suitable for customers of a planned Pitchfork Market + Kitchen location in Midtown Plaza.
Speaking to council on Tuesday, Arbutus director of planning Murray Totland said while Midtown will be just the second Pitchfork location, the company “sees stores three, four and five in Saskatoon as well,” in light of the success of its first location in The Meadows.
The improvements to the intersection are expected to cost about $220,000. They were previously planned as part of Imagine Idylwyld, a city plan to reconfigure the Idylwyld Drive corridor between 20th Street and 25th Street.
ARENA AND CONVENTION CENTRE
Council voted Tuesday to have potential sites for a new downtown arena ranked according to a nine-point list of criteria, before next month's anticipated public release of a list of proposed locations.
The criteria include available land, distance from either an updated TCU Place or new convention centre, nearness to existing hotels and other businesses and estimated costs of servicing and development.
Council also learned city planners want to start collecting feedback on the public's preferred sites this summer.
YMCA LEISURE CENTRE (IN HOLMWOOD?)
A facility similar to the Shaw Centre appears to be taking shape on Saskatoon's east side. Council voted on Tuesday to direct city staff to work out a partnership that would see the YMCA operate a new leisure centre to be built in the Holmwood area.
The site would also, ideally, be home to new public and Catholic schools.
Lynne Lacroix, the city's general manager of community services, said city staff have continued talking to reps from both school divisions. She said the school boards are “in the queue” for provincial capital funding to get the buildings built, and expect to get the money by 2026.
The Shaw Centre opened in 2008 at 122 Bowlt Crescent as a City of Saskatoon leisure centre combined with Catholic and public high schools. The proposed partnership with the YMCA on the Holmwood facility would be the first time the city has entered into such an arrangement with a non-profit.
HOME LOANS
Council approved a bylaw allowing the city to take out a combined $10 million in loans and grants to support its home energy loan program. The money from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities allows the city to expand the program offering homeowners low-cost loans to make energy efficient improvements to their properties.
The loan portion of the FCM funds would ultimately be paid back with the payments collected from the homeowners, with any surplus to be reinvested into the program.