Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/08/2023 (973 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEEPAWA

On July 17, a group of investors, contractors and local dignitaries gathered to officially commemorate the start of construction for the new Best Western Plus Hotel in Neepawa.

The hotel complex is being built just north of the junction of highways 16 and 5 on the southern portion of what was locally known for many years as the CN property. The hotel will feature 72 rooms, including several executive-style suites, a pool with water slides and a convention centre.

Murray Parrot, who represents the 40-person shareholders group that wanted to bring a hotel franchise to Neepawa, said there is an incredible amount of elation for all involved to finally break ground — a journey, so far, of six years.

“There has been an awful lot that’s happened in those six years, but we’re very happy to have reached this moment,” Parrot said.

Fellow investor Marvin Beaumont said it was important for the investors to collaborate with a well-regarded and respected chain.

“There were several hotel chains that identified Neepawa as being the next logical market to establish themselves in within Manitoba,” Beaumont said. “The more we researched, the more it seemed Best Western Plus was clearly the right choice.”

Gilles Landry, owner and operator of a Best Western Plus in Winnipeg, has aided the local investors group through the entire process. He said that he’s impressed with the local investors and sees great potential in Neepawa.

“With this location, we will now have ten [Best Western Plus hotels] in Manitoba. A decade ago, it was only two,” Landry said.

Since the sign for the hotel has gone up, Parrot says the Town of Neepawa has received a lot of inquiries from outside its catchment area from businesses that want to build next to the hotel.

“We’re being cautious on how we’re doing things, but it’s definitely great for the town,” he said.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the hotel is looking at a September 2024 completion. Between 12 and 14 staff positions are expected to be created when the hotel opens.

» Neepawa Banner & Press

KILLARNEY

The Heritage Home for the Arts in Killarney is welcoming Giselle Beaupre to her new role as arts administrator after she stepped down as chair of the Killarney Arts Council.

When Beaupre retired from her teacher/vice-principal position at Killarney School, it didn’t take long for her to join the Killarney-Turtle Mountain Arts council (KTMAC) as a board member.

“When I was approached to join the KTMAC board, I was really interested because I have lots of artists in my family. It was maybe something I had not pursued diligently but was interested in, so I joined and became a part of all of this, and so I’m learning as I go,” Beaupre said.

The KTMAC mission is to provide art and culture to the community under the pillars of workshops, exhibitions, and the performing arts — in all shapes and forms, Beaupre said.

For the remainder of July, artist Douglas Brolund of Landscapes of Manitoba shared his exhibition of oil paintings. A quilts and textile art show will take place throughout August, and Brandon Sun photographer Tim Smith will share his gallery of Hutterite life throughout the month of September at the Heritage Home art gallery.

Music on the Porch continues throughout the summer, with Sweet Alibi playing on Aug. 11 and the Dust Rhinos on Aug. 26.

Updating and refreshing the KTMAC website is also on Beaupre’s “to-do” list, as well as continuing the kids’ art club with student Eva Blair, who is in her second year of leading the program.

» DiscoverWestman.com

Operators of the Shamrock Drive-In Theatre south of Killarney, which opened for the season at the end of June, are dealing with a projector that isn’t working.

Owner Joanne Struss says the summer has been off to a rough start.

“We started June 29 and unfortunately, our main projector went down, but that isn’t going to keep us down, because we know there are people who appreciate the drive-in movie experience,” Struss said.

People drive to the theatre from all over the province, she added.

“We had a young dad call from Winnipeg who called asking what time the show started, and he drove out from Winnipeg. Those are reasons why we keep it going,” Struss said.

The Strusses are looking to see what can be done to fix the main projector, but in the meantime, they’re working with their other projector. However, this means that they can’t run current movies.

“We’re looking at other movies from the ‘50s to the ‘60s, and we’ll make it a summer of fun. We have a lot of history on our site, so let’s make it historic and bring in movies that our parents and grandparents came to see on the big screen way back then,” Struss said.

Darren Struss is the one trying to repair the main projector. At the time of writing, he did not think it would be up and running this summer. Shows are on the big screen every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and on long weekends there is a Thursday showing.

» DiscoverWestman.com

VIRDEN

Every summer, Victoria Park in Virden is the Thursday evening venue for Music in the Park. However, with summer storm possibilities the organizers have chosen a “Plan B.”

Due to wet weather, the first show of the summer was relocated from Victoria Park to the Legion Hall, which will serve as the alternate venue for the season.

Lyle Baldwin of Killarney entertained in the Legion Hall for the Music in the Park’s initial concert. Baldwin will return to the area on Aug. 5 and 6 for a performance at the Elkhorn Western Weekend.

» Virden Empire-Advance

BOISSEVAIN

The Municipality of Boissevain-Morton has spent the past number of years planning for a new lagoon and Head of Council Judy Swanson hopes construction can start sometime over the next 12 months.

The existing lagoon just west of Boissevain needs to be replaced and the plan is to build a new one north of Boissevain near the landfill, Swanson said.

“Right now, we’re waiting for the official word on funding. We hope to hear something shortly and would like to start work next year.”

The multi-million-dollar project needs the support of all three levels of government to move ahead, and Swanson said Boissevain-Morton will be on the hook for a few million dollars but it’s too early to say what the price tag will reach.

“Government support is crucial, and we’ve been planning this lagoon for many, many years and as we keep planning it the prices keep going up and we need to make sure we have support from both the federal and provincial governments,” Swanson said.

The project is in the design stage. Swanson said the last time they were at the same stage it was around $8-10 million, and that it will be a higher amount now.

» DiscoverWestman.com

Members of the Westman Animal Rescue, based in Boissevain, are taking in cats and dogs on almost a daily basis in an effort to find homes for all the animals.

Volunteer Rhonda Kleebaum says it’s a challenge, but they keep plugging away. “I think we’re doing okay. We had a great fundraiser in June and the community was really behind us,” she said.

Currently, cats are arriving at the rescue in large numbers. People seem to be surrendering dogs on a daily basis as well, Kleebaum said. A lot of times it’s because their circumstances have changed, but the rescue doesn’t have enough people to foster all the animals. People fostering cats or dogs look after the animals until a permanent home can be found for them, Kleebaum said.

“The fosters give them a home and love them, and everything is supplied by the rescue and most times we’re able to pick up and drop off the animals for veterinary visits. The fosters are supposed to be for temporary care but quite often it turns into long term.”

Westman Animal Rescue services a number of communities from south of Brandon to the United States border, including communities like Boissevain, Wawanesa and Killarney. Anyone interested in donating can visit the municipal office in Boissevain or the vet clinic and put money against the rescue’s vet bills, Kleebaum said.

» DiscoverWestman.com

DELORAINE

A resignation in early July has prompted the need for a by-election in Ward 6 of the Municipality of Deloraine Winchester.

Sara Rommelaere was on council for just more than one four-year term before she handed in her resignation. She resigned from council July 6, which was effective immediately, Deloraine Winchester Chief Administrative Officer Pam Hainsworth said.

Hainsworth is also the municipality’s senior election official, and she established a by-election date of October 17.

Rommelaere stepped down from council as she’s leaving the community for a job in Winnipeg. Nominations to take her place will be accepted from Sept. 5-11.

Ward 6 is an urban ward which is located in mostly the southern part of Deloraine. The successful candidate will complete the three years left on the term. Which runs to October 2026.

» DiscoverWestman.com

Over $1-million has now been secured through grants and fundraising efforts for the new swimming pool in Deloraine.

Pam Hainsworth, chief administrative officer for the Municipality of Deloraine Winchester, says they are still waiting on approval from the Municipal Board on the municipality’s borrowing application. In the meantime, the fundraising committee will continue to forge ahead in its efforts, so in the end, they will not need to borrow for the project.

Grant money has come from fundraising and other multiple sources, Hainsworth said.

However, it’s still too early to say how much money is needed for the new pool, Hainsworth added.

“We’re working through demolition and kind of revamping the current building to be able to do some revamped family change rooms and things like that,” she said.

A separate mechanical building will also be built.

“We hope that’s going to take place late this fall or early spring so that when spring comes, we can kind of get going, but it’s sounding like the opening has been delayed a little bit,” Hainsworth said.

Based on the new timeline, Hainsworth said the opening date for the new pool is set to happen on July 29 of 2024.

Deloraine’s old pool opened in 1980, but due to structural issues it closed last year and remains closed this year.

>> DiscoverWestman.com