A request by Mid-Lakes Pro Life to put a sign up at the Davidson Rink has prompted town council to develop a policy on rules governing religious and political signage on town property.

Deborah Doell, chairperson of Mid-Lakes Pro Life, said the group “just wanted” to put up a sign to let people know their organization is around and people can join them if they like. She said a letter was sent to the town before their May 21 council meeting asking if this would be possible.

A reply back to her from the town was received a week later stating signs on town property are only available for businesses. There is currently no Davidson bylaw in place governing what can and cannot be displayed on signs on town property.

“I found that (reply) kind of surprising because the Elks aren’t a business, the Knights of Columbus aren’t a business and the Kinsmen aren’t a business,” said Doell. “Kenaston has allowed a pro-life sign by their highway and that is the same thing that I was looking for because their town has allowed it and other towns have (too), so I was a little surprised that Davidson isn’t supportive. I’m hoping they change their minds.”

Davidson town councillor Tyler Alexander said council needs a policy about what is allowed, so they have sent a request to Davidson recreation director Trevor Ouellette to write a policy eliminating religious and political messages from appearing on signs displayed on town property.

“I feel that we really shouldn’t start expressing any beliefs on our taxpayer signs because beliefs are just so radically different among town members,” said Alexander. “We really can’t start doing that and be seen supporting one side or the other.”

Alexander said the difficult part in developing this policy is the question of what is considered a political and religious message. He said if federal conservative member of parliament Tom Lukiwski asked to put up a sign that just had a picture of him and his name, would that be considered a political message?

“It is so hard to draw the line,” he said. “There is so much grey area. We just figured it would be easier and really wouldn’t cause any grief if we just stayed away from religion and politics altogether.”

To read more please see the July 1 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Ever since April 1, a lot of people have been calling George and Dorothy Scheidt’s 306-567-4424 telephone number.
It’s a number the Davidson octogenarians have been using for about two years, since they moved to their new home on 2nd Street, and as Dorothy puts it, they “phoned in and got that silly number.”
She said they never received too many calls prior to April of 2013.
“That’s when the environmental calls” started to.”
Coincidentally, the increase in phone calls to the Scheidts occurred at the same time Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment launched the automation of fishing and hunting licences.
Under the new program, people are encouraged to buy their fishing licences online at a Saskatchewan Environment website.
“This site will allow you to quickly and easily purchase a hunting, angling or trapping licence,” cheerfully claims the introductory paragraph in the process.
Not everyone has found the process easy and quick.
The problem is the phone number for Saskatchewan Environment’s help line is 1-800-567-4424. So, when people mistakenly dial 1-306 instead of 1-800 they don’t get to talk to a helpful person from Saskatchewan Environment, they get Dorothy Scheidt.
She neither fishes, nor owns a computer.
She is a wonderful cook and baker, spent decades working as a geriatric aide, so she knows much about caring for the elderly; however, she is not the person with whom you want to speak about getting a fishing licence.
She said some days they received two to three calls per day. Most were from people asking about fishing and hunting licences, although one man from Manitoba called to discuss environmental issues.
Dorothy said she talked to the fellow for a bit and listened to his concerns.
As for the other callers, “I just told them, ‘I’m afraid you have the wrong number, try again.’” she said. “It was very tiresome.”
Saskatchewan Environment has been using the 1-800-567-4424 number since 2004, said Sara Keith of Saskatchewan Environment’s Client Service Office.
“We regret any inconvenience they (the Scheidts) may have received,” she said.

To read more please see the July 1 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Strong winds Thursday morning destroyed a hangar at Davidson’s Airport.
While the wind was still raging, between 9 and 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Charles Deaver said he received a phone call informing him that a piece of metal siding had blown off the hangar that houses two of his planes.
Deaver set out for the local airport, but in the minutes it took him to get there, the building was down.
Both planes were damaged. Deaver said the wind pushed one plane into a skid steer he stored in the hangar, bending the plane’s stabilizer in the process. Another plane received some damage when the wind lifted it up and onto the other plane.
Deaver said he is able to repair the planes, however, the hangar didn’t fair so well.
“I put the building up last November, so it didn’t last long,” he said. “It’s just one of those things that happens.”

Davidson taxpayers are in for another property tax increase this year.

For the second year in a row property taxes are going up about 6 per cent for Davidson residents. Town council passed the 6.5 per cent tax increase compared to actual taxes collected by the town last year as a means to balance the 2013 general operating budget May 10.

“When we work with the budget, we just try to balance (it) the best we can,” said Davidson Mayor Clayton Schneider. “Unfortunately nothing seems to ever get cheaper to run stuff and you’ve got to adjust accordingly.”

Council also decided to tap into reserves to balance the budget with $344,500 coming out of their rainy day fund to cover the increased spending. Redoing the roof at town hall and upgrading and patching paved roads are among the big-ticket items in the Town of Davidson’s 2013 budget.

“It just costs more and more (to run the town) all the time,” said Gary Edom, administrator for the Town of Davidson.

Edom said redoing the roof at Davidson Town Hall would cost “about $220,000” and that doesn’t include the auditorium. He said the roof at town hall is leaking.

“The auditorium roof is probably going to be put on hold until we get quotes,” he said, noting the auditorium roof has not been leaking. “We don’t know exactly, but the inspector’s estimate they gave us is quite a bit higher than the original, from what I thought I understood from them, estimate.”

The yearly expenditure of $200,000 for pavement upgrades and patching is once again part of the transportation services budget. This funding covers “patching wherever there are bad holes” and upgrades to the town’s roads.

“There are some bad streets by the car wash,” said Edom. “Something is going to have to be done by the carwash. They had a (water main) break over here on the corner of Garfield and Second that they had to dig up, so that had to be patched. Then (there are) the rest of the streets, the worst of them.”

Spending is up dramatically in the 2013 general operating budget with total expenditures hitting $2,592,500, up $465,985 from actual costs in 2012. Including the tax increase, total revenue for the town in 2013 is budgeted at $2,249,234, thus resulting in the need to transfer funds from reserves to balance the budget.

Edom said other major projects that have been budgeted for in 2013 include $44,000 for a new garbage pit, $47,000 to upgrade piping and valves in the water plant and $33,000 to inspect and repair the water tower.

“We’re going to drain it and get it inspected to see if any work needs to be done,” he said. “It keeps springing (leaks), well not very often, but occasionally a little pinhole on a welding or a joint. We just want to get it inspected and see what it’s like (and) get some idea how much life is left in it.”

After the town has an idea of what has to be done with the water tower, Edom said they would go from there. He said if they can afford to fix it this year they would, but if it is too expensive then the work would be “spread out” with some work coming next year.

To read more please see the June 17 print edition of The Davidson Leader.