Morden Mayor Nancy Penner unveils new infrastructure committee

Morden plans to expedite its process in addressing infrastructure concerns in the city. 

Nancy Penner, the mayor of Morden, says Morden City Council has decided to form an infrastructure committee.

The committee will handle issues and items such as sidewalks, pathways, roads, lift stations, bridges, drains, and all other infrastructural components of the city.

Mayor Penner says she will be part of the new committee along with Councilor Doug Frost, Councilor Brenda Klassen, and Councilor Sheldon Friesen. 

“We set this infrastructure committee, because we just wanted to have a shorter committee to call together quickly when we had issues dealing with our infrastructure,” she explained. “We felt a small committee would allow us to meet quickly if needed to deal with an urgent issue that couldn’t wait until committee of the whole or a monthly council meeting. Or a decision was needed, so a project could proceed and stay on time. 

Mayor Penner says the vision for the committee is to be able address urgent infrastructure matters, and make decisions that might be needed to keep ongoing projects on time. Decisions could be made by the committee, and reported back to Morden City Council. 

Mayor Penner says the first matter on the docket is wastewater in Morden.  

“We work constantly with our city engineer, Santokh [Randhawa], and, of course, the Manitoba Water Services Board [is] working very hard. They know the urgency Morden has with wastewater. We go day-by-day waiting for updates. As our design plan gets approved, and worked on at the provincial level, it is first and foremost in front of us.” 

As for when the committee will meet, Mayor Penner says it depends on the information Morden City Council receives from the province and the Manitoba Water Services Board.  

“We meet as often and as urgently as needed, but until we hear from the provincial level, we can only move as fast as that information flows down.” 

Mayor Penner says that while the committee will take on other infrastructure issues in future, for now, the wastewater issue is its priority. 

~With files from Robyn Wiebe~