Year in Review: Revitalizing Prince Albert

The new University of Saskatchewan Prince Albert campus got closer to becoming a reality.

The sign for the downtown campus was officially unveiled to the public at a ceremony in September. The event saw speeches from a variety of dignitaries including Premier Scott Moe, Deputy Mayor Don Cody and Prince Albert Grand Council Vice Chief Christopher Jobb.

University of Saskatchewan President Peter Stoicheff said while the ceremony was not a groundbreaking or a grand opening it is still important.

“It is really exciting to see that it is actually happening and that’s what that sign represents is that we know we are going to be here up and running in approximately a year,” he said.

Community Safety

Sheryl Kimbley, Chair of the Prince Albert Board of Police Commission, is joined at the ribbon cutting by Police Chief Jon Bergen, Mayor Greg Dionne, PAGC Vice Chief Joseph Tsannie, Elder Jacob Sanderson. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

The old Conexus Credit Union became the home for a new Prince Albert Police substation.

Police Chief Jon Bergen told paNOW victims are traumatized by crime, and the police service strives to be as sensitive as possible to them, and the situation they have experienced.

“Coming here where there is no criminal arrests, there’s no offenders housed, a different environment for them to enter into so they can work with the appropriate resources and start that healing sooner,” he said.

The building helps house several departments including bylaw, child protection, and victims services.

Sign of the Times

Renewal and change. Gone are some traffic lights in the P.A. downtown but there are some new markings at key intersections along Central Ave. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

New street signs, to reflect the precinct’s unique feel, have started to go up at various intersections along Central Ave., with more to come. The organization behind them sees the move as part of the ongoing revitalization of the area.

“It’s going to take us a while to get every one of them done, but eventually it will all be completed for the whole downtown,“ Carolyn Carleton with the Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District said.

The signs feature street names in a distinctive black and white, along with the semi-circular Downtown Prince Albert logo above.

Beyond Downtown

The Prince Albert Grand Council took over Parkland Hall from the City of Prince Albert. (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

Prince Albert city council approved a land swap deal with the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC).

The agreement saw the PAGC acquire the neglected Parkland Hall recreation centre and land on Ninth Ave. W., with the aim of improving the facility, especially for recreational programming for West Flat youth. In return, the city will acquire the abandoned Angus Merasty School and land on Fifth Ave. W., with the intention of demolishing the building and developing part of the land.

West Flat

The rink beside Parkland Community Hall has never looked better. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Kids in the West Flat area of Prince Albert now have more recreational opportunities, thanks to the efforts of a well-known local philanthropist and entrepreneur.

Malcolm Jenkins, who owns Canadian Tire in Prince Albert, contributed $60,000 for a portable skateboard park at the facility. Jenkins has also enlisted the help of a graffiti artist he knows to decorate the rink boards at the hall, “like the big cities.”

Paving the way

Crews lay asphalt on the final leg of the trail. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

Nineteen years after the project began, Thursday’s ceremonial shoveling and ribbon-cutting marked the official completion of the 23 km trail which circles the city.

Dave Fischl, chairperson of the Rotary Trail committee, thanked a long list of community organizations that made donations. He said he was honoured to stand beside Coun. Don Cody, mayor when the project started, and Greg Dionne, the mayor who oversaw its completion.

“To think 19 years ago when they came to the office and said we’re going to build a trail around the city, you couldn’t hardly fathom it,” Cody told paNOW, speaking after the event.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn

by Michael Joel-Hansen