Monday, the City of North Battleford formally highlighted Municipal Economic Enhancement Program funding received from the province.
A grand opening ribbon cutting took place at the site of the Carlton Trail Intersection and roadway improvement which has just been completed. It was one of two projects receiving a grand total in MEEP funding of $2,057,472.
The MEEP contribution for the Carlton Trail project was $1.45 million. This week also marks start of construction of the 100th Street service road improvements, with MEEP contributing $607,472 to that project.
Both projects were shovel-ready projects that had been on the city’s books for a while. The 100th Street service road project had been on the books the last 13 years.
The Carlton Trail project had been in the works for a few years. It was deemed necessary to accommodate economic development along the road in the Yellow Sky area, and also to increase safety along the roadway.
The work was done to address a failing intersection on Carlton Trail going into Walmart.
“The traffic study identified that that intersection needed to be right-in, right-out with a median in the middle,” said Mayor Ryan Bater.
A median was placed in the middle of Carlton Trail and a new main intersection was located to the east adjacent to Comfort Inn and Suites. It will be a lighted intersection, with traffic lights to be put up there.
The MEEP program was brought in by the province during the summer as a way to stimulate the economy following the shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall MEEP funding to communities across the province is $150,000,000 and is being provided on a per capita basis.
On hand for the ribbon cutting was Mayor Bater as well as Battlefords MLA Herb Cox. In his remarks Cox emphasized the government has made infrastructure investment a top priority.
“Our government is focused on continuing with the critical support to build our Saskatchewan economy and sustain our high quality of services,” said Cox.
In speaking to reporters Cox noted the importance of providing some stimulus. He noted with the COVID-19 pandemic going on it was a great time to get local people employed and help the economy get back going. Bater had noted it was local contractors who were employed on the projects.
“I think that’s very important that we do have local jobs,” said Cox. “I think that’s part of what this MEEP project is all about — it’s for the municipalities ... these funds are going to help the economies all across our province and that’s very important.”
The importance of the Carlton Trail project to local business was highlighted by Bater. The project was within proximity to the recently completed and long-awaited Montana’s restaurant, which launched with its “soft” opening on the weekend. Bater noted the city would have had to turn that development down had the Carlton Trail project not gone ahead.
“After the (Comfort Inn) hotel was built, we knew we had to get it done before we could accommodate any future development,” said Bater. “This is a very necessary project.”
This is not the only MEEP announcement Monday. The Town of Battleford planned their own MEEP ribbon cutting at the Battleford Arena at 2:30 p.m. to recognize their receipt of $636,573 in funding from the program. That funding is going towards seven shovel-ready projects in the town.
Another $270,066 is going to projects in the surrounding R.M.s,. A total of $104,203 of that is going to a new fire hall in the R.M. of North Battleford, while the rest is going to five projects in the R.M. of Battle River.
