A NeepawaVotes.com user asked:

On the topic of safety at the Westpark trailer court...  Do any candidates have plans to address the safety issues in the trailer park such as the blocked second entrance/exit, etc.  We had a caller express concern about a school bus loading 21 students in the area and then being forced to back out, followed by a left hand turn onto highway 16 instead of driving through and making a turn onto highway 5.  Same caller:  concern about trailer fire in Selkirk - with some of the access to the court blocked what if fire trucks can't get in quickly and someone dies?

A second topic relating to trailer courts - do candidates have plans to address the fees that seem to keep increasing?  Are there any concerns that soon low income earners won't be able to afford even a spot in a trailer park?

The Candidates responded:

Ken Waddell

The north-west access to Westpark Place is not open but should be considered for opening as part of a more effective street loop. It's one of three or four streets and roads that need to be examined to be opened up for more effective and safe traffic flow and fire safety. How expensive that would be is hard to say until we have a report from town staff.

Town of Neepawa mobile home park fees have been in place for a couple of years and need to be reviewed. The town portion of the fees are in place of direct taxation and whenever taxes increase, it's a threat, especially to low income earners.

Bob Durston

(By Phone) The thing about Westpark mobile home park is that its privatgely owned and the roads, water and sewer are all private.  The only public part is the turnoff from the highway.  The private property starts about 50 feet from the highway and all the rest of it is privately owned.  As a town we don't have any thing we can do regarding whats going in the park itself because its private property.  Previosu councils have had discussion with the owner about the undeveloped back lane going to the east but its never been opened and developed.  So relating to the safety of the park its an owner issue. 

Everyone is concerned about costs and we are all concerned about our taxes and the fees that are charged by the property owner reflects their costs.  There is actually an agreement for the town levied fee on the mobile home owners in the park which is based on a formula that sees the fees increased based on the last years property taxes.  Mobile home fees are always one year behind but it is related to the general tax increase the occurs across the community.  Everyone has a concern that our lower income people be able to cover everything within their means.  Everyone would like a decrease but its probably not possible in reality.

Sheri Grant

I have lived in the trailer court for about 6 years at two different times
in my life. The school bus time spent loading and unloading is extremely brief in my
opinion. I do not see a risk there at all. Whatever went on that day is likely an
isolated incident.

Certainly fees in the trailer court continue to rise but at a rate considerably less that the taxes on my daughter and son in law's bungalow. Some of the increases at the Trailer court are due to increased rent to the owners of the trailer park which is controlled by the rental board that do not go to the Town.