ESTEVAN - The construction of a new shop has made a world of difference for the Rural Municipality of Moose Creek.
Sentura Freitag, who is the chief administrative officer for the RM, said the land for the shop was purchased in 2017, with the intent of building a large shop that was not directly in the town but still within town limits. The shop, which encompasses 20,000 square feet, is located southwest of Alameda School.
“The first year, we did the necessary levelling, landscaping and piping in of water and sewer,” said Freitag. “The second year we built the shell of the shop and poured the foundation. The third year the shop was completed.”
The shop is used for the RM’s public works department. As there is quite a large yard site, they can keep gravel and culverts there as well.
“Prior to this shop being built, the RM owned two smaller, much older shops that would have needed repairs,” said Freitag. “The size of our fleet indicated that a much bigger building was necessary. The two smaller older shops were sold by auction.”
Kirk Brooks, who is the foreman for the RM, said they can have their equipment all inside, which is particularly beneficial during the winter months.
“Everything is warm and ready to go,” he said. “It’s big enough; we can put a piece of equipment in the one corner when we do our mechanical work.”
With the former locations, they had to hurry up with repairs.
The staff members love the shop as well, Brooks said.
In the winter, there are three graders, two tractors, three semis, two pickup trucks and a one-tonne truck inside. There is also an office and a large meeting room where the staff can take courses.
Freitag noted the shop has carried a big benefit for the people of Alameda. The large graders, tractors and gravel trucks no longer have to travel down a main road in town. It has also been a great benefit during the winter months that the equipment can remain indoors.
Reeve Kelvin Luedtke, who has been the reeve for one year and on council for five, said the building has a steel beam construction that will last for many generations.
“It’s definitely a building that we’re very proud of, and it’s a great asset for the RM and the ratepayers,” said Luedtke.
Since the building is so big, the equipment can be serviced and maintained to be ready to go for the next day.
It has a truck wash facility inside, so the equipment can be cleaned when it gets muddied up.
The RM council visited other large buildings within an 80-kiloemtre radius, and received suggestions on the best size and type of building to construct, which Luedtke said was very helpful.
“We planned it very carefully, and it was stated many times within our council, we’re going to try our best to do it right, and not look back and say ‘I wish we’d done this,’ or ‘I wish we’d done that.’”
A grand opening was to be held later this month, but has been postponed, and the RM hopes the open house can happen next spring.
