DAVIDSON—Last Tuesday Davidson town council gave the developer of East Sellers Crescent another year to complete servicing of the proposed subdivision.

Morsky Industrial Services Inc. of Regina has until April 30, 2013 to complete the servicing of the 18-house residential development.

The new subdivision has been in the works since 2009, but little progress has since been made.

Town administrator Gary Edom said council agreed to amend the original service agreement to give Morsky more time to install the services.

He said the lots were re-staked and that Morsky is working on getting SaskTel and SaskPower to install the ground services on the outside of the proposed development.

Besides giving an extension, the servicing agreement amendment also contains other provisions including:

• council agreed to forego the $500 per day penalty to date per Morsky’s request, but it will take effect again May 1, 2013 if progress has not been made;

• council supported paving the road after 75 per cent of the lots are developed or two years from the date of the first house being built to ensure builders and residents that the road will be paved in a timely manner;

• Morsky will undertake an aggressive renewed marketing plan;

• the amount of performance bonding, or letter of credit, is adjusted to $90,000; and

• Morsky will give favourable consideration to builders in order to get initial house construction started.

All previous provisions in the original service agreement apply to construction and development standards remain in place.

DAVIDSON—The Amazing Race is coming to Davidson.

On June 16 teams of local folks will be racing around town deciphering clues and doing odd jobs as they compete in what’s sure to be a fun-filled day of adventure.

The community event is loosely based on CBS’s popular reality television series that pits teams of two people against one another as they try to make out clues and master unique tasks in an epic race towards the finish line and $1 million in cash.

Davidson’s version will vary a bit.

Rather than racing around the globe, here competitors will crisscross the town.

The prize money is also smaller. First place wins $500 and second place earns $200.

The Davidson Kinette Club is taking on the challenge of organizing the event.

All proceeds will go to the new swimming pool, says organizer Brenna Siroski.

They intend to make the race so that all people aged 14 and up and varying abilities are able to participate.

The race will start and finish at the Kinsmen Room at the Communiplex. Here all teams will be given their first clue that they must figure out so they may find the first venue. When they arrive, they’ll be given a task to complete. Once it’s successfully completed, teams will receive their next clue and then off they race to the next stop.

There will be nine stops along the racecourse featuring a variety of tasks each team must perform in order to advance. At some stops competitors will have a choice between two tasks. Some tasks must be completed by both teammates. Others require one team member to perform the challenge. Some tasks will be physical in nature and others will be a mental challenge. Each partner must complete an equal number of challenges.

Unlike the TV show, no one in Davidson’s Amazing Race will be eliminated.

“Community support has been really good,” Siroski said, adding that businesses have gotten onboard by either loaning their locations as stops on the race or by contributing volunteers.

“It shows what a great community we have that businesses are willing to open their places for us to use,” she says.

Siroski encourages people from around the region to participate.

“Out-of-town people won’t be at a disadvantage if they want to join. They may ask anybody to help if they need it to decipher the clues.”

Siroski says there will be lots of walking involved, so she advises people to wear running shoes and to carry a backpack and water. No automobiles and bicycles are allowed.

Anyone interested in participating in the race has until June 1 to get their forms in. Registration forms are available at Stedmans, on facebook or by contacting Siroski at 567-3159.

She urges people to get their forms in soon so they may order T-shirts for participants. As well, it helps them know the number of people they’ll need to prepare for.

DAVIDSON—Members of Prairie Spirit Trefoil Guild were out by the Coffee Pot last Wednesday spring cleaning.

Each spring, members of the Guild have been picking up garbage from the rest stop area and ditch along Highway 11, from King Edward Street down to the Communiplex.

Bonnie Jean Low, Lana Johnsson, Mary Lynne Golphy, Gladys Junop and Trudy McCreary spent a few hours on the cleanup.

They use it as a service project for the Guild, on behalf of Davidson’s Communities in Bloom organization.

This was their sixth year cleaning the area.

“The first year we did it we had Bonnie Jean’s half-ton full of garbage,” Junop says.

Last year they only filled four or five black garbage bags, which is good because Low now drives a Honda Civic.

Junop gives some credit to the decrease in trash to conscientious people who aren’t littering as much as they used to, or it could be that since they first started tending the area from the rest stop to the rink, they’ve managed to keep pace with the litterbugs.

Cigarette packaging, beverage containers and serviettes make up the bulk of the garbage.

If they find anything big or bulky such as vehicle parts, they call the Department of Highways to have them remove it.

Tim Horton’s sponsors the Guild’s cleanup efforts under its Community Cleanup campaign.

The Trefoil Guild is part of the Girl Guides of Canada. It is an adult-only women’s group that allows women to keep the spirit of Guiding alive and to give service to the community.

Before the federal government approves Swiss-based Glencore International’s takeover of Viterra, the provincial government wants the feds to ensure that Saskatchewan’s interests are protected.

Friday, Saskatchewan Agriculture released a review, commissioned by the province, on the proposed acquisition of Viterra.

“If the federal government approves this acquisition, we would want to see conditions put in place to hold Glencore to its commitments and to address the concerns raised in this report,” Bob Bjornerud, Saskatchewan’s agriculture minister, said.

The provincial government wants the federal government to ensure that Glencore’s bid to buy Viterra:

• establishes Regina as its North American headquarters;

• has no adverse effect on competition in farm inputs;

• maintains or enhances current levels of employment in field operations;

• invests $100 million over five years in western Canadian grain handling

• increases funding in research and development; and

• continues Viterra’s community-based philanthropic activities and investments.

Meanwhile, one hurdle in the way of Glencore International’s $6.1 billion bid for Viterra has been cleared.

Swiss-based Glencore announced May 4 it has received a “no action letter” from the Canadian Competition Bureau indicating that the commissioner of competition does not intend to oppose the takeover of Viterra, Glencore stated in a news release.

This decision removes one of two regulatory obstacles in the way of one of the biggest deals in Canada’s agricultural industry.

The transaction still needs approval from the federal government because it is a foreign takeover. Viterra shareholders, who will vote May 29 at a special meeting in Calgary, must also approve the sale.

If it proceeds, Glencore will buy Viterra’s grain-handling facilities, processing and farm-supply operations in Western Canada and Australia. The company will sell off parts of Viterra to Agrium Inc. and Richardson International Ltd.

Agrium will get most of Viterra’s retail agri-products business. Richardson will buy 23 per cent of Viterra’s grain-handling facilities including the elevator in Davidson.