News Releases
August 24th, 2010 - Morden Police Service to Get a K-9 / CSVA Unit
Two members of Morden Police Service, Cst. Adam Hiebert and Sgt. Sean Aune, researched the feasibility and implementation of a joint K-9 Unit / CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Standards Association) Traffic Enforcement Unit. The results were presented to Council on August 23rd and Council resolved that Morden should have a joint K-9 Unit / CVSA Unit.
The Morden Police Service will purchase a dual trained dog and both Cst. Adam Hiebert and Sgt. Sean Aune will have training in the handling of the dog at the Winnipeg Police Service PSD program. Winnipeg Police Service offered this training to Morden at no cost to date and has also offered the Town a Belgian Malinois dog at a very reasonable price. 
(Photo #1 Left to Right: Councillor Wayne Hosea, Councillor Irvin Wiebe, Mayor Doug Wilson, Sgt. Sean Aune, Cst. Adam Hiebert, Patrol Sgt. Dave Bessason – Wpg PSD Unit.)
"The addition of a K-9. unit is another indication of the forward progress of our Police Service. We view the use of the dog to be another tool of the trade that will enable the service to provide for a safe and healthy community. It will provide additional strength to the department for numerous and often dangerous situations," said Councillor Maurice Butler.
Council was given a full demonstration by the Winnipeg Police Service PSD Unit, showing how the dogs can be used and how well they are trained. They also brought along a group of eight Belgian Malinois puppies.
(Photo #2 – Patrol Sgt. Dave Bessason – Winnipeg PSD Unit.)
The duties of the K-9 /PSD Unit will be tracking, drug enforcement, traffic enforcement and safety inspections. Income generated from this unit will be kept within the unit to provide for the future sustainability of the unit.
Estimated Costs of the Unit are;
• Year #1 $12,500.00
• Year #2 $24,533.86
• Year #3 till life of the dog $5,000.00 Per Year.
Grants
Grant proposals outlining the duties and expenses associated for the creation of the unit were sent out to several corporations in the area. To date the following two generous grants have come in.
• Morden Community Thrift Shop $10,000.00
• Enbridge $10,000.00
Total Grants $20,000.00
Support
Further to the grants a local business has pledged to provide the K-9 / CVSA Unit with a yearly service fee towards the PSD Unit once it is in operation and conducting drug sweeps. The life of the PSD is estimated anywhere from 7 – 10 years. The business currently pays for a dog to conduct drug sweeps three times a year.
August 24th, 2010 - What's in a Name?
Names are important, get it right and all sorts of good things can happen!
In November, 2009, a Marketing Opportunities campaign provided public-spirited individuals, businesses, corporations, foundations, and community groups with the opportunity to sponsor a variety of Morden's recreational facilities, in return for naming rights. The campaign was designed to support the Town’s commitment to delivering high quality public services at the same time as giving businesses a great advertising opportunity. The Community Centre is a very busy place, approximately 300,000 people used the facilities in 2009, so clearly those who participate in the naming campaign will enhance their organizations visibility. This venue is a space for the whole community and the support from the businesses helps confirm this vision.
On August 23rd, the first two participants in the naming campaign were approved by Town Council. The two confirmed participants are: Vern’s Carpets for the new indoor play centre and Huron Windows Corporation for the west arena.
"It's always a rewarding experience when business owners come forward with this type of support. It demonstrates real commitment, dedication and loyalty to the community. Council greatly appreciates their generosity,” said Councillor Maurice Butler.
The Marketing Opportunities Committee, chaired by Director of Community Services, Clare Agnew, is completing negotiations with two additional participants in the campaign and hopes to make these announcements in the near future.
Naming right opportunities are still available for the overall community centre building, one meeting room, the east arena and the spray park. If you are interested in participating, please contact Clare Agnew at 822-5431 or cagnew@mordenmb.com.
“It’s great to see the project come together and the support from the business community is always so encouraging. The fresh updated look of the Community Centre will be enhanced by the new identification of the areas within the venue.” said Clare Agnew – Director of Community Services.
August 20th, 2010 - Seven Ribbon Cuttings at the Morden Incubator Mall Grand Opening
At 10:00 AM on August 18th, 2010 the Morden Industrial Incubator Mall celebrated its Grand Opening with Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Hoeppner on hand to speak and take part in the Incubator Mall ribbon cutting. Other speakers were John Wiens who spoke as chair of the Morden Community Development Corporation (MCDC) and Mayor Doug Wilson who brought greetings from the Town of Morden. Refreshments were available for the many people who attended.
As well, all of the businesses that presently occupy the building celebrated their grand openings with special ribbon cuttings by MP Candice Hoeppner and Mayor Doug Wilson. These businesses were - IS Image Promotions, Nexus Energy Products, Double B Assembly & Repair, Universal Car & Truck Repairs, Elite Crushing and Ron’s Electric. Businesses were open for tours from 10:00 – 11:00 AM.
Left to Right: John Wiens, Portage Lisgar MP Candice Hoeppner, Mayor Doug Wilson
IS Image Promotions
Left to Right: Gloria Letkeman, Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Hoeppner, Mayor Doug Wilson, Brad Letkeman
Nexus Energy Products
Left to Right: Marvin Dueck, Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Hoeppner, Mayor Doug Wilson, Ed Rogalsky
Double B Assembly
Left to Right: Cornie Bueckert, Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Hoeppner, Mayor Doug Wilson, Isaac Bueckert
Universal Car & Truck Repairs
Left to Right: Victor Kunz, Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Hoeppner, Mayor Doug Wilson, Viktor Bullert
Elite Crushing Ltd.
Left to Right: Cheryl Digby, Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Hoeppner, Mayor Doug Wilson, Levi Wiens
Ron’s Electric
Left to Right: Phyllis Rempel, Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Hoeppner, Mayor Doug Wilson, Ron Rempel
This project was funded in partnership with the Federal Government Community Adjustment Fund (CAF) and a Loan Guarantee from the Town of Morden. The total CAF funding was $726,000.00. This allowed MCDC to extensively renovate the existing building, which can now accommodate nine tenants. At present there are only three available spaces for lease. For more information please contact Cheryl Digby at 822-5088.
“I congratulate MCDC on the completion of the business incubator mall,” said MP Candice Hoeppner. “I am confident that the federal government’s investment in this project will encourage new business opportunities in Morden and strengthen the local business sector.”
“Economic growth in smaller markets almost always comes from home grown businesses. This mall is just one step in helping to nurture local entrepreneurs to start and grow their own businesses. The MCDC wishes to be an active facilitator in the economic growth of Morden,” said John Wiens – Chair of the Morden Community Development Corporation.
“It is no small task for a new business to take a product or service from a vision to reality. Having an affordable, supportive incubator mall provides the opportunity for new businesses to grow, which in turn benefits the whole community,” said Mayor Doug Wilson
“Our community is already seeing positive effects as a result of the incubator mall project. Start-up businesses have been created which are now supporting and complimenting existing business,” said Cheryl Digby – Community Development Officer.
August 17th, 2010 - Spray Park Concerns & Solutions
The new Morden Spray Park is proving to be very popular but there are a few concerns that the Community Services Department is faced with.
1. There is a lot of water flowing onto the new sod on the west and north sides which is causing the sod to rot, plus the high traffic in these areas is making it difficult for the grass to grow properly.
2. Small stones from the play-structures are being carried over to the spray park which is causing the drains to be plugged.
3. Some residents are expressing concerns about the concrete being slippery.
What is being done?
1. Some portable fencing will be set up to block off the west and north sides of the park. As well, the department staff will work with the equipment supplier to try and reduce the time sequence for the tower. The aim is to have the tower on for one minute during the cycle rather than the full three minutes. They will also request that the snake tail spray be directed towards the concrete rather than the grass area.
2. The staff will continue to empty the drains on a regular basis but the public is asked to supervise their children to reduce the amount of stones brought to the spray park pad.
3. The concrete company returned to grind the area by the yellow rainbow, which seemed to be the worst spot. Caution has to be used in this procedure, if it is too rough it would hurt the child’s feet, plus it could cause the concrete to break down. The Community Services Department will continue to monitor the situation.
“The spray park certainly is a positive addition to the park. Once we get some of these issues resolved, it will feel better! The way to look at it is that the concerns are as a result of all the use! We will continue to work with the supplier and complete some testing until we are satisfied with the results. Thank you for your positive response and patience while we learn the operations of the new spray park. ” said Clare Agnew – Director of Community Services.