I’ve never been more proud of our little corner of the world
April 8, 2024, 11:08 am
Kevin Weedmark
In our little corner of the world we seem to be able to work together to overcome every obstacle and to move our communities forward.
The way the area has come together to support the Airport Expansion Project is nothing short of incredible.
A $10.6 million airport expansion in a community the size of Moosomin is not an easy thing to accomplish.
By sharing the cost four ways, with the provincial government, local municipalities, Nutrien, and local businesses and individuals each sharing a quarter of the load, it became doable.
The quarter that local businesses and individuals will cover is $2,650,000. That is still a massive total, and that final stage of fundraising has got under way in a serious way in just the last few weeks.
For IJACK to step up with a contribution of $500,000 is an incredibly generous donation, and will really help with the fourth stage of the fundraising campaign.
It sets an example of generosity that no doubt will encourage others to come forward and contribute as well.
As I run the paper and the chamber, I end up talking to a lot of people around the province and around the country about what’s happening in the Moosomin area, and it’s amazing how often people from far away have heard about some of the things going on in Moosomin, and I always tell them how proud I am of all the people in this area for the way they work together.
Between the local organizations promoting the area—the town, the RM, the Community Builders Alliance, the Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Committee—there is always a sense that everyone is working together, and all the people involved in those different organizations bring different strengths to the table, and all those people using all their different strengths, pulling in the same direction makes a difference for our area.
The airport project is a great example of that, with the town, the RM and the CBA all working to get the project to this stage. Kristjan Hebert of the CBA did some great work in breaking down the numbers for the four streams, and working out the fair share for every municipality. Having the costs shared in a broad way locally helped seal the provincial commitment. And now he is working hard on getting commitments from businesses and individuals for the fourth stage of fundraising. Watch for an update on the fourth stage of fundraising in next week’s World-Spectator.
To see all the hard work going on behind the scenes, and then to see the hard work pay off when people respond the way IJACK has, makes me very proud of our area!
Skout Brewing to open
Make sure to read Joey Light’s article on Skout Brewing on pages 3 and 4 of The World-Spectator this week. We went down to Skout last week to do the article—actually Joey did all the work—she did the interview, she took the photos—while I just drank the beer!
It’s an incredible story of a couple moving from southern Ontario to Moosomin to follow their dream, which also ties in with the family-run hop farm just southeast of Moosomin.
Be sure to check out the article, then check out the locally brewed beer starting this Friday! And congrats to Skout Brewing on their opening!
Megan Kelly to release album
And also make sure to read Ashley Bochek’s interview with Megan Kelly on page 21 and 29 of The World-Spectator this week. There is an incredible amount of artistic and musical talent in our area, and it’s great to see a young person like Megan following her passion into a career in music. Megan is going to college to be a singer-songwriter (why did I not know that was an option when I was her age?!?!?!?!), has released her first single and is about to release her first album. That’s incredibly exciting for her!
