The Village of Empress

March Council Meeting

Due to one of the Councillors  expectantly being unavailable for the March Council meeting, the Mayor has rescheduled the March meeting to March 22, 2017, to ensure all Councillors have the opportunity to participate.   Please mark your calendar with this change of date.

Empress Health & Wellness Day

March 29 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Empress Friendship Center

Click on poster to enlarge.

Frozen Waterlines

PREVENTING FROZEN PIPES
Preventing frozen pipes is much easier than dealing with them after the fact. It’s a good idea to take some of these steps every fall to prepare your pipes for the cold season ahead:

• If you leave for the winter, turn off the main shut-off valve to your water supply and drain your faucets (some homes with basements have separate
shut-off valves for each outdoor faucet, in addition to the home’s main supply valve).
• Disconnect all garden hoses and wrap all outdoor faucets with rags, newspaper or insulating material. Cover the wrap with plastic or other material to keep moisture/rain from getting inside.
• Cover foundation vent holes to keep your crawl space warmer (remember to uncover these vents when the winter freeze is over).
• Insulate any exposed pipe. Use heat tape if necessary.

You can take other preventative steps once cold weather begins:
• During freezing spells, keep a trickle of water running from your indoor faucets to prevent the pipes from freezing. A small trickle of water will cost you a few extra cents a day and save you the huge cost of repairing frozen pipes and dealing with water damage. You should also keep cabinet doors below sinks open so that the warm interior air can get to your pipes and drains.
• If you’re leaving home for a few days, keep your heating system turned on and set to a low temperature so that some heat is available to keep pipes from freezing.

New Restaurant Menu

Yahoo, Dan’s new menu is here and you won’t believe the variety he has added. Daily specials, Smorgasbords, old favorites and a host of new items. Come check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

TIPP Program deadline approaching

The TIPP (Tax Installment Payment Plan) allows ratepayers to pay their taxes over a 12 month period with out fear of receiving a penalty. As long as their is no money owing on an account, ratepayers can come into the office before January 15, 2018 and sign up for the TIPP program. The first 6 months of payments will be based on the taxes from 2017. When 2018 taxes come out, the remaining 6 months of payments will be based on the remaining balance owing. The preferred method of payment is post dated cheques dated the 2nd last business day of the month. for those who do not wish to use cheques, they must attend at the office and make the payment by the 15th of each month. Failure to meet these obligations could mean removal from the program which than means all penalties would apply. For those trying to stay on a budget, this program is a great asset.

Christmas hours

The Village of Empress will be closed Friday December 22 through Tuesday December 26, 2017, reopening December 27th. Council and Staff wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and safe travels to those travelling over the holidays.

Christmas light contest

Carman and Dawna are running a Christmas Light Contest with the winners being announced at the Potluck Christmas Supper on Friday December 15th at the Community Hall. They encourage all to show your Christmas spirit by having your lights up before the 15th.

Fire Restrictions are back on

Please be advised that fire restrictions have been placed again, now the snow is gone.

Fire Ban Lifted

The Empress Fire Department has advised the Fire Ban has now been lifted in Empress. The volunteer fire departments and residents in all of our communities are very grateful for this snow fall.

Upcoming Community Events

The Parks Trails and Recreation Committee is holding a community work bee at Peter Fiddler Park Saturday November 4 meeting at public work shop at 10:00 am weather permitting. They are looking for volunteers to help them start with a general cleanup. Please bring weedeaters, rakes, hoes, safety glasses, gloves, wheelbarrows and shovels if you have them.

November 8^th at 7:00 p.m. and November 28 at 1:00 p.m. Julie Friesen will be back to facilitate our next 2 strategic planning sessions in the community hall. We encourage all to come out and participate.

December 1 at 4:00 p.m. will be the annual Christmas light up campaign. We encourage residents to have their lights on for this evening. We will do the light up at the park beside the town office, with hotdogs and hot chocolate and the wagon ride and caroling.

December 7^th at 7:00 p.m. will be the annual Open house at the community hall

December 9 from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. is the Empress Craft Show at the community Hall

December 15 is the community Christmas potluck supper at the community hall