By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
In preparation for the possible construction of a new water treatment plant in the next decade, the RM of Corman Park will transfer ownership of a road south of Saskatoon to the city and take over a portion of another road from the provincial government.
During the public works committee meeting on September 9, members voted to recommend to council that they approve the transfer of a 1.6 kilometre portion of Cartwright Street west of Lorne Avenue/Highway 219 from the Ministry of Highways to the RM of Corman Park, and an 800-metre portion of Strathcona Avenue north of Cartwright Street from the RM to the City of Saskatoon.
Director of infrastructure and public works Hayder Lateef told the commitee that the city is planning to build a second water treatment plant west of the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club and adjacent to the South Saskatchewan River.
Lateef said design work is expected to start in 2026 and construction will tentatively start in 2028. Work on the plant will then take approximately four years to complete.
The access route to the new plant will require utilizing the aforementioned segments of Cartwright Sreet and Strathcona Avenue.
While the Ministry of Highways has authority over that segment of Cartwright Street, Lateef indicated that the province has no interest in this road as its primary purpose is to provide access to residential properties and recreational amenities in the RM. As such, the province is interested in transferring authority over the street.
Lateef said city officials have also met with the RM’s administration regarding the two roads and the city is offering to upgrade both segments to fit their needs. For instance, Cartwright Street must be built up to accomodate heavy loads.
“This is mostly because this 800-metre segment mainly serves their raw water intake,” Lateef said.
These upgrades would be funded entirely by Saskatoon.
The city would also take over the Strathcona Avenue segment and be responsible for future maintenance of that avenue, while the RM would continue to handle maintenance of Cartwright.
The next step will be to hold further discussions with the city about the establishing agreements “provided council approves this approach,” said Lateef.
As the project advances into the design phase, the city will also work with Corman Park to hold public engagement sessions with RM ratepayers and provide updates to council.
Lateef noted that the construction of a second plant will likely mean more water capacity for the entire region.
This graphic, which was included in the agenda for the public works committee meeting on September 9, shows the proposed location for the City of Saskatoon’s new water treatment plant.