Close, but, as has been the case many times in the past, not quite close enough.
The City of Estevan finished second to Weyburn in the 2010 Golden Garbage Can Competition. The official announcement was made Tuesday afternoon after two days of deliberations by Saskatchewan Environment Minister Nancy Heppner and officials from the Sun Country Health Region.
Heppner said the competition between the communities was extremely tight but what ultimately tipped the scales in Weyburn's favour was the number of junk vehicles and discarded appliances in Estevan's back alleys.
"We were really, really torn. In our conversations I was told that it never would have been this close between the two cities in the past and that Estevan has made enormous progress," said Heppner. "We were concerned about the vehicles and appliances that were in the back alleys in Estevan. They do pose a danger for environmental reasons as well as being a hazard to people. It really was in our minds a tie and that was the one deciding factor. But I have to say the volunteerism and community participation in Estevan really blew me away."
Weyburn Councillor Nancy Styles, who accepted the Golden Garbage Can on behalf of our neighbours to the west, said she wasn't surprised to hear the final decision was a tough one.
"I was so impressed with the City of Estevan," said Styles. "I was sitting outside saying I don't know it's pretty darn close. We are going to have to work pretty hard next year."
Public Health Inspector Ron Cross, who has served as a judge for the competition in the past, also commended Estevan for the strides it has made in the past few years.
"Within the first hour to two hours of our journey this morning I saw the work that was done and said this is going to be a tough one," said Cross. "We deliberated back and forth and with a little bit of getting rid of some junk vehicles in the back it is going to be tough next year. I am looking forward to next year."
Although disappointed to place second, Councillor Lynn Chipley said she was proud of the improvements the city has made.
"Everybody always said no matter what happens it is always a win-win and I have always tried to tell my kids it's not whether you win or lose it's how you play the game," said Chipley who credited the work of the leisure services employees for making the competition as close as it was.
"We played really hard and I will definitely go down to leisure services and tell those kids that I appreciated the fact they were up at six in the morning."
Chipley said it became obvious as she was escorting the judges through Estevan that the junk vehicles were likely going to be the city's Achilles' heel.
"It wasn't any City property that lost this for us. The City property is looking pretty fabulous. Those junk vehicles absolutely killed us. I could see that once we started doing the alleys. Before lunch time I knew if we had a flaw that was it."
