Rural Roundup — Aug. 11, 2022

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This article was published 11/08/2022 (1396 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEEPAWA

Property owners along Broadway Avenue in Neepawa are airing their concerns about the future development of land near their homes.

At a July 19 public hearing held before the Town of Neepawa’s regularly scheduled council meeting, residents met to discuss the potential of rezoning the land east of Broadway.

The town is considering altering the land use from agriculture restricted open space zone and agriculture restricted residential zone to a residential multi-unit zone and institutional zone. The change would allow housing complexes similar to the one at the intersection of Broadway and Hamilton.

More than a dozen local residents showed up to the public hearing to learn more and to inform council of their concerns. Many of the individuals who spoke felt as though housing similar to what has been nicknamed “the rainbow complex,” due to the multi-coloured exteriors, were not acceptable for the area. They noted the grounds around that particular multi-unit housing unit have not been kept up to a respectable degree despite numerous efforts to get the landowners to do so.

Attendees stressed that they understood the need for more housing in Neepawa, but stated that if the area had to be rezoned, it should instead be zoned for single-family units such as non-attached family houses. They cited the proximity to the Neepawa Golf & Country Club and the large amount of usage the road of the proposed development sees would make single-family units a better option.

Another speaker said the multi-unit housing previously mentioned has become a “junk yard.”

First reading has already been given to the proposed land use change. There is currently no timeline set for a second or third reading. Publicly, there has been no developer, either locally or outside the community, who has acknowledged or recognized a desire to build housing on the land in the near future.

» Neepawa Banner & Press

NEEPAWA

The Town of Neepawa recently joined the international #9pmRoutine, in partnership with the local RCMP.

The international social media campaign started in Florida in 2017 to educate community members about best safety practices and to help police achieve their goals in crime reduction.

The project usually includes tips posted on social media platforms on a number of topics, from removing valuables from cars, locking doors and turning on outside lights.

Since its creation, the routine has been adopted by law enforcement agencies all over North America as a means to raise awareness and provide crime prevention tips.

Darryl Gerrard, a town councillor in Neepawa, said the town hopes people will participate in the initiative.

“It is hoped that [Neepawa] residents will share the information with friends and neighbours to ensure that everyone is following the same routine. It’s our hope that this will soon become habit to do 9 p.m. checks.”

Reminders about the new routine are being posted on the town’s Facebook page.

» Neepawa Banner & Press

NEEPAWA

A new camera exhibit is on display at the Beautiful Plains Museum in Neepawa.

The display features various cameras, photographs, projects and slides from history. One of the most interesting is called the Magic Lantern. It was invented in the early 1600s by Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens.

The museum is encouraging grandparents and their grandchildren to come out and see the exhibit as part of Grandparents’ Week, which runs from Aug. 9-20.

» Neepawa Banner & Press

RIVERS

The Rivers Comets won the Senior A Provincial baseball championships, held in Wawanesa July 22-24.

Six teams competed in the tournament including Brandon, Carman, Plumas, Rivers, Springfield and Wawanesa.

The Friday of the competition began with round-robin games. Saturday saw more of the same, and the Brandon team was eliminated. Wawanesa lost in a tie-breaker Sunday morning against Carman. The Comets won 8-7 against Carman Sunday morning in a semi-final, then won against Plumas 5-1 in the final Sunday afternoon in back-to-back games. Plumas beat Springfield in the semi-final and took second place.

BASSWOOD

Basswood Berry Farm, a U-pick strawberry farm, had a successful first year this summer.

Owned and operated by Erickson couple Graeme and Nakella Kingdon, and run with the help of their daughters Nora and Bailey, the farm is located just north of Basswood on Provincial Road 270.

Strawberry season lasts a mere two to three weeks, and the ripe berries can be harvested every few days.

“Our picking season really depends on the weather,” the Kingdons said. “We are now closed for the season. However, this picking season was very successful.”

This year, customers picked more than 2.5 tonnes of strawberries from a section the couple started growing strawberry plants on in 2020. During the first year, the couple planted 16,000 plants on a two-acre plot.

“We start a year ahead by transplanting roughly 8,000 plants per acre and giving them a year to develop,” the Kingdons explained. “We then cover the plants with straw in the fall to keep them safe through the winter … in the spring, we remove the straw from the plants and focus on irrigation and weeding prior to the picking season.”

Most often, in the first year of planting, strawberry farmers pick blossoms off to allow for an overall healthier plant. Year two generally sees a much larger and plentiful harvest as plants begin to appear speckled with juicy red berries.

Early in July, when the berries are ready, Basswood Berries welcomes the public to their farm. The success of the endeavour has taken the couple by surprise.

“We are blown away by, and extremely grateful for, the interest in our strawberries,” the couple said. “The public response has been encouraging. People are happy to see a local strawberry farm, and are pleased with the ‘easy to pick from’ fields and abundance of berries.”

The couple said customers were happy with the size and quality of the berries they picked. They said the high point of the entire process was seeing customers enjoy the berries — especially children.

“We also enjoy the sense of achievement that comes with seeing our crop grow, and also getting to work together as a family.”

The couple has planted an additional acre of strawberries for more picking next year.

» Minnedosa Tribune

ERICKSON

After four successful seasons in Virginia, Bobbi Uhl’s golf and education goals are taking her to Illinois.

The daughter of Erickson’s Jayson and Nancy Uhl, Bobbi graduated this spring with an athletic training degree from Longwood University in Farmville, Va. The school competes at the NCAA Division I Level.

Uhl is now heading to the University of Illinois-Springfield to continue her studies and golf while taking advantage of a fifth season of eligibility.

“We are so excited about Bobbi joining our family next year,” said Michael Leotta, the university’s head coach. “She is a proven winner and will make an immediate impact on our program. Bobbi really stood out to me after our first conversation during the recruiting process. I could tell she has a deep passion for improving her game, she’s extremely competitive, and an exceptional student. It’s a perfect fit because of her passion, competitiveness and winning nature and mindset. We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Bobbi to Springfield.”

Uhl said she chose the university, which competes at the NCAA Division II Level, because of its coaching staff. She also had a few friends going there.

Uhl made the Big South All-Academic team this past season.

“I love working with athletes, so this profession is perfect for that,” she said.

This coming school year, Uhl plans on finishing up her prerequisite classes and then applying to study for her doctorate of physical therapy. She said it’s all possible thanks to the support of her family.

“They have all been very supportive and have encouraged me to further my education. I originally wasn’t planning on using my fifth year, but after talking with my family, it was definitely a good decision.”

In 2021, Uhl had a strong summer of golf back home, where she was named the Golf Manitoba female player of the year for the second season in a row. Uhl won the 2021 Provincial Women’s Amateur Golf Championship and the Women’s City and District Championship. She shot a season-low round of 72 in the final round of the William and Mary Invitational, a performance that helped Longwood University shoot 292 as a team, which, at that point, was the lowest round since 2012.

When asked what she will recall most about golfing at Longwood University, Uhl said it will be the friends she made.

“[In] freshman year, I met two of my closest friends, and we have been inseparable since. My major has also introduced me to a diverse group of people in the workforce who I will have connections to throughout the remainder of my schooling.”

» Minnedosa Tribune