Mayor Ron Cox
It would have been my choice to start this greeting on a much more cheery note. However, the flood situation which existed through April and May and the anticipated mountain of work in front of many of our residents due to clean up, somewhat dampens my enthusiasm. One thing that has given me and others a great deal of cheerfulness though, is the positive attitude most of the affected residents have displayed. An example of this was constantly evident to me when I was working at the sand bag filling location or in other areas of the village. The cheerfulness and positive attitude displayed by those who had flooded homes, but still came out to help with the sand bagging was wonderful to observe and experience. Many of these same people would pick up filled sand bags and then come back and fill bags for others.In addition to this the great many community volunteers and others who came out to help with the sand bagging operation or who donated food, material or services were so very much appreciated. Some of these people were not from our community and yet they came when the call was put out.
I would also like to give a sincere thank you to our Administrator, Caralen Okolita and her staff for the countless hours put in throughout this spring season as a result of the flooding situation. The spring season is the village’s busiest time of the year and to add a flood situation, of this magnitude, to the task list was daunting. However, Caralen has handled the situation with a great deal of organizational ability, effort and commitment. Thank you Caralen and Erinn, your work has been very much appreciated.
Two other groups I would like to thank are the EMO co-ordinators, Margaret Gish and Kathryn Sneath, as well as the village council for the work they have done. Their efforts and the dedication they demonstrated in meeting this enormous challenge certainly assisted in seeing the village through the crisis period.
On a more positive note village residents will have an opportunity to review and provide comments regarding the finalization of our new Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw. It is our intention to hold a public hearing on July 16 to obtain community feedback prior to council approving the plan and by-law. The OCP and Zoning Bylaw are the corner stones for future village planning and administration. I would encourage you to obtain a copy of the proposed documents and take some time to go through them.
In closing, I look forward to meeting you over the summer and listening to your ideas and concerns regarding making our village a better community. It will be a summer of restoration and cleanup for some and hopefully a summer of sunny skies and gentle breezes for all of us.
My wife Barbara and I wish you an enjoyable and safe summer! Please take care.
Ron Cox
Councillor Susan Cherewyk
What a year this has turned out to be! We've made history here in the Valley. I would have not believed it if I hadn't toured around and seen it for myself, it was like Katrina had struck the Valley. B-Say-Tah lakefronts took the brunt of this force of nature. For those of us who grew up out here on the lake it was heartbreaking to see. What I found most interesting was the tirelessness of the many volunteers who came out to help neighbours and complete strangers protect their properties.Our Administrative Staff did a fantastic job of keeping us all informed as to what was going on in the Village. We have some pretty "special people" here and you are all to be commended for this.
Now is the time for clean up and we are asking that you all take the ut-most care when you are attempting to pick up the pieces. Make sure you wear the protective masks, gloves and foot-wear, and be aware that the lake is full of hazardous materials floating on the surface and beneath. Please use extreme caution when entering the water. We did not have any casualties reported as a result of this disaster and we would like to maintain that record. If you can help out your neighbours on the lake in any way, kindly do so; and together we can work to get things cleaned up, repaired or replaced as the case may be, thereby giving everyone a chance to enjoy some part of the summer, which I am hoping is yet to come.
Increased visibility of the RCMP will again be a strong focus, as well as a pro-active traffic strategy enforcing the Traffic Safety Act. This will include seat belt use, speed limit adherence, and driving illegally or while impaired, just to name a few. Impaired driving infractions are up substantially and this is a serious concern. Getting behind the wheel while impaired not only puts you in danger of seriously harming another human being or worse case scenario killing someone, but also seriously injuring or killing yourself. Crime prevention and neigh-bourhood watch will continue to be a priority. You should be cognizant of your property and surroundings, making sure they are secure, and keep an eye out for your neighbour's property too. Report any suspicious activity to the RCMP immediately and never put yourself in harms way, leave it to the professionals.
Our Annual Ratepayers' Meeting has been set for July 16th at 10:00 a.m. at the Commons area. As always, we invite you to drop by and share your ideas or concerns with Council over coffee. All you need to bring is a lawn chair. This is your chance to voice your concerns and hear what is going on in the Village of B-Say-Tah. The local RCMP has again been invited to attend. There will be a second meeting at 1:00 p.m. that day at the Anglican Church hall in Fort QufAppelle, presenting the OCP (Official Community Plan) and Zon-ing Bylaw. These are two very important meetings you won't want to miss so mark your calendars! We hope you will attend and show your support.
Lastly, itfs definitely going to be a summer of re-building but I am confident that despite all the damage that Mother Nature has bestowed upon us, we will work together as a community to recover from this, thereby building a new beautiful B-Say-Tah, stronger than ever.
Have a safe summer everyone and take care....
Councillor Sue Cherewyk
Councillor Ross Cowan
Thankfully, we've all survived the flood of 2011 with very few physical injuries, except calloused hands and sore muscles! I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to all those who helped with Resort Village efforts and to those who helped their neighbours! A very special thanks to Caralen Okolita, Erinn Sutton, Jim Muirhead, Margaret Gish, Kathryn Sneath, Craig Ell, Ron Cox and the rest of the residents and non-residents that showed up and volunteered to fill, tie and move sandbags, provide food and refreshments, and helped out in any way - thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!Council has been busy since we last reported to you. We've dealt with such items as cleaning up the road allowances, working on a new book of bylaws and policies, addressing home based businesses and development permits, making progress on a new Official Community Plan and revising the Zoning Bylaw.
In May 2010, Council approved a motion to establish a "Building Committee" to investigate building a new facility to house the administrative office and public works shop. Council received a number of responses to the mailout of the "Notices of Motion" in 2011. Because of your feedback and input, the work has expanded to include investigating possible options of a broader nature such as available or negotiable lease situations, interventions to existing structures, and/or building a new facility, or other creative ideas that may arise. These investigations are ongoing and are expected to be completed summer 2011.
Council has also approved a logo for the Resort Village of B-Say-Tah. (See the header on the front page.) It's a stylized pelican with the village around the pelican and was designed by the creative and talented Caralen Okolita. Many of you may know the word "B-Say-Tah" is Cree for pelican. The trucks have the logo on the doors and any resort village information in written form has already incorporated the logo. You'll also be seeing more of this logo as we get promotional material for sale and use it throughout resort village business. Council is hoping this logo will help villagers and others identify the Resort Village of B-Say-Tah.
Also, because of your feedback on snow clearing and removal, details of the policy and how the snow clearing is to be handled have evolved into a better service for resort village residents. Council thanks you for your feedback and welcomes comments on the level of satisfaction and quality of work related to this service, and will continue to review the policy and terms of the work.
In December 2010, the Resort Villages of B-Say-Tah and Fort San, and the RM of North Qu'Appelle signed a 20-year agreement with SaskWater to allow the dumping of septic tanks into SaskWater's lagoon located by the landfill.
Council also hired Mr. Terry Vincent as the new By-law officer. Terry started work on May 1, 2011. Part of his duties will be passing out educational material regarding the bylaws and policies of the Resort Village. The other part of his work is enforcing those bylaws. Please welcome him as he travels through B-Say-Tah. Let's all help him help us fulfill the public standards of the Village making the quality of life an envy for other resort villages.
Council also approved the hiring of Erinn Sutton as the Assistant Administrator on a part-time basis. Erinn was welcomed into the Resort Village as the flood waters rose and was very helpful in running the office while Caralen was busy with flood fighting activities.
Finally, I would like to give special thanks to Caralen for her untiring efforts during the flood! And to Caralen's family for the amount of time she spent away from home and for your efforts - thanks for the support! Of the few things I know she did, like making phone calls, keeping up with communications, ordering food & water, moving the office, arranging for the trailer, arranging power and telephone changes, making arrangements with various suppliers, answering numerous questions on a daily basis, and, providing a smile and a hug to many - we are grateful! Erinn also spent time away from her family providing support to Caralen and the residents. Their persistence in getting things done has been very beneficial to the Resort Village and we'll likely never know all of the things they handled throughout the flood.
Have a safe, happy and hopefully dry summer at the lake (unless youfre swimming in it)!
Councillor Ross Cowan
Councillor Craig Ell
Hello B-Say-Tah residents! I am hoping that this newsletter finds you ready to enjoy the summer after a long winter and a disappointing spring.For those of you who don't know me, my name is Craig Ell and I am the newest member of the Resort Village of B-Say-Tah Council. When I am not out at the lake I am employed as the Service Manager at Triple Seven Chrysler and my wife Brenda is a teacher with Regina Catholic Schools.
We have been seasonal residents for the past 5 years and have come to love "Lake Life". Our two children Olivia and Rylan also love being at the lake. Swim lessons, Sports Day and hanging out with our "Summer Family and Friends" is definitely a highlight for our family and unique to life in the valley.
Although I have not been on council long I have learned a lot and am beginning to get in the swing of things! I am sure I will continue to learn more with each council meeting. I have had the opportunity to begin to meet many residents and am looking forward to meeting more of you in the future.
I am currently working on assembling the B-Say-Tah directory and am hoping that if all goes as planned it will be available for use towards the end of July.
In closing, I hope everyone has a great summer spent with family and friends creating warm memories to look back on (during those long cold winter nights)!
Councillor Craig Ell
Councillor Jim Muirhead
As a result of the heavy snowfall and resulting runoff the Village will be assessing the future requirements for drainage and road work. There are currently many culverts and ditches requiring attention.The spring flood has resulted in repairs that will be needed to areas like the beach and boat launch. The extent of these repairs will only be known once the water has receded. It is our hope that the water goes down quickly and things can return to normal.
Our outside staff are working on the regular spring clean-up as well as cleaning up flood de-bris from village property.
Our inside staff have done a remarkable job of handling the recent flood situation and it is greatly appreciated.
Councillor Jim Muirhead
