City council at this week's meeting. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Playoffs starting

City gives nod to North Stars continued success

Mar 18, 2023 | 10:00 AM

The City of North Battleford gave a big shout out to the Battlefords North Stars at its meeting this week.

Coun. Kelli Hawtin raised the topic towards the end of the event.

“I’m sure all council knows that the Battlefords North Stars are heading into playoffs this weekend,” she said. “We wish them all well, anytime we are around the table. I just want to pass that along as well. This could very well be one of the best teams that we will see for a long time. It’s really something for us to be proud of, even at this point. I hope this council, and administration, and the community really can get out behind the North Stars, and support them as they go.”

Mayor David Gillan also took the opportunity to show his support for the Battlefords North Stars.

“These are exciting times,” he said.

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“The North Stars are really a special team,” he added. “We are expecting great things in the long run. So, we hope for the best.”

Hawtin went on to say it will be busy around the Access Communications Centre with the North Stars’ playoffs, and provincial games happening. She asked administration if the city is ready staff-wise to accommodate cleaning between events, so it is “putting our best foot forward,” with what it can do in the community.

Parks and Recreation Director Cheryl DeNeire said the city is doing the best it can.

“We’re as ready as we can be, with the number of staff that we have,” she said. “We were well aware that we are coming into an extremely busy season. And, we’re excited. We’ll be putting our best foot forward, as we have been.”

Hawtin mentioned some people attending North Stars games and provincial games discussed the amount of garbage and cans discarded in the stands after events.

“I know the city administration really does the best it can with what we have,” she said. “We have the Canadian Mental Health Association [CMHA] helping out with the cleaning. But are there any modifications we can do in that schedule?”

Hawtin said she encourages those groups using the rink, possibly, to also encourage their fans to be respectful of the stands.

She also asked if the CMHA can help a little more with cleaning, through this busy season.

DeNeire said the CMHA is short-staffed at the moment. That’s one of the reasons the city is having some difficulty keeping the stands tidy.

However, she explained the city met with the CMHA last week. And, they are gathering some more crew to help. But DeNeire said the CMHA is dealing with some challenges now as it is in transition between two job coaches, and still needs to hire one.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow