A town-hall meeting held earlier this month, coupled with a recently-completed online survey of residents and businesses, will help Waldheim town council and administration map out a plan for the community’s future.
“We’re looking to get a sense of the direction people want to see the town go in the next two to five years,” said Waldheim Mayor John Bollinger. “We have our strategic planning session in late February, and the survey results and feedback from the public meeting will be very helpful.”
Bollinger said the public meeting, held February 2 at the community centre, offered residents an opportunity to ask questions of town officials.
“We had probably the best turnout we’ve had for several years,” he said. “Basically it was an informational meeting. We outlined the operations of the town, introduced council members and town staff, and reviewed the milestones we’ve achieved over the past ten years.”
Bollinger said one of the biggest projects was the completion of the town’s water treatment plant and infrastructure upgrades, including expansion of the water reservoir and replacement of underground pipes.
The partnership with Redbird Communications to install high-speed fibre optic lines marked a huge improvement to the town’s internet service, he added.
Waldheim Fire and Rescue has expanded its fleet of vehicles and is now one of two communities in the Twin Rivers District to have updated extrication equipment.
Bollinger said over the past decade, the town has seen steady growth.
“Since 2013, we’ve had almost $16 million worth of residential construction permits, and approximately $12 million in commercial development permits,” he said. “That’s a total of $28 million, which is quite substantial for a community our size. The nice part of that growth is that it’s been gradual, and we’ve been able to plan for it and accommodate it as it’s progressed.”
Waldheim’s population has increased from 1,035 in 2011 to 1,237 in 2021.
“That’s a 20 per cent increase in population over those ten years,” said Bollinger.
To meet the needs of the growing town, there’s also been an increase in the municipal workforce.
“Ten years ago, we had one person for public works,” said Bollinger. “Now we have three full-time public works staff, in addition to some seasonal workers in the summertime. We’ve also gone from two full-time administrative personnel to three full-time employees. One of those is our assistant administrator, who also fills the role of recreational director.”
The renovation of the community centre, a former church building, to accommodate municipal offices and programming space is currently underway.
“We’ve moved into the new building but the offices are still under construction at this point,” said Bollinger. “We re hoping that by April the staff will be in their new offices.”
The community centre also includes space for community programming. There are plans to expand the existing after-school program and other recreational activities for children and youth.
Bollinger said the Waldheim arena is a hub of activity during the winter months.
“It’s always busy,” he said. “We have a lot of rentals from Martensville and Warman. But even with those additional rentals, our own minor hockey program has priority.”
Waldheim continues to set aside a reserve toward the proposed Sask Valley Hospital in Rosthern. Like other municipalities within the Twin Rivers District, a levy on property taxes has been in place for the project for several years.
“So far we have built up a reserve of $473,000 for the hospital project,” said Bollinger. “And we’re continuing to raise funds. The total cost of the hospital is estimated to be about $40 million, and the municipalities in the district are committed to contributing 20 per cent of that total.”
He said municipal officials and the Sask Valley Hospital Foundation are optimistic the project will go ahead in the near future.
“The meeting we had last November with Premier Scott Moe and Rural and Remote Health Minister Everett Hindley was very positive,” said Bollinger. “They understand the pressing need for a modern hospital to serve the area.”
The town has completed its cemetery expansion and upgrades, doubling the amount of space in the cemetery including an area set aside for burial of cremation ashes; and also providing an all-weather outdoor facility with a map of the plots that allows visitors to locate grave sites easily. The project was funded by the town and the work carried out by individuals within the community.
The cemetery has also benefited from the growth of about 50 trees planted some years ago that are now about ten feet tall, and the planting of new grass. The cemetery is maintained by seasonal town workers in the summer.
The town has officially changed the name of its regional park to Waldheim Regional Park. It used to be Valley Regional Park – Waldheim; which was somewhat confusing because Rosthern’s regional park is also known as Valley Regional Park.
“It took some lobbying of the provincial government, but the name was officially changed in 2022,” said Bollinger. “The golf course has seen a steady increase in patronage since the upgrades were made a few years ago. Weekends are usually booked solid.”
The town has expanded and improved Sam Wendland Heritage Park, and the annual ‘Light up the park’ festivities in the winter have become a popular tradition, said Bollinger.
Future projects for the town include sidewalk upgrades, thanks to a $250,000 active transportation grant from the senior levels of government. That includes replacement of existing sidewalks, and $110,000 in brand new sidewalks. The new walks will be five feet wide so they can be cleared of snow with skid steers.