A volunteer committee has asked Gimli council for permission to step in and run the Arnes Pioneer Lutheran Memorial Church, which had been turned over the municipality last year.
The Arnes Church Preservation Committee has asked council for permission to step in and care for the historic church and its grounds after the church board turned the church over to the municipality last year
The Arnes Church Preservation Committee wrote a letter dated Jan. 23 to council, saying it had offered in 2022 to take responsibility for the church and its yard, and that its offer still stands.
“Our position is unchanged,” wrote the committee in its letter, which is posted under correspondence on council’s Feb. 11 agenda. “We have a volunteer board ready to assume the responsibility of the church and church yard and we have pledges and interim funding in place to do so.”
The preservation committee is made up of Allene Walld-Walton, Catherine Strong, Chris Dalman, Christine Green, Donna Dzydz, Eve Metzler, James Walld, Kyla Dalman, Linda Dzydz, Linnea Pitz, Norma Cone and Penny Dzydz, according to the letter.
The church and its grounds were designated a municipal heritage site in 2010. The church, which was built in the early 20th century in the pioneer baroque style, had been run by a volunteer board that resigned last year. The board turned the church over to the municipality.
The preservation committee said it’s willing to work with council.
The Express reached out to a committee member for comment.
Other council news:
• Council held a public hearing on Feb. 11 to present a “special service plan” to apply dust control to Willow Island Road and charge residents a special tax.
Residents request dust control every year from the municipality for the portion of Willow Island Road that runs from Highway 9 to the curve onto the causeway. The plan, if adopted by council, would automatically kick in for a 10-year period so that residents wouldn’t have to make a yearly request.
Special Service Plan 1-2026 says dust control will be applied every year from 2026 to 2035 inclusive.
“The entire annual cost will be recovered from all benefitting properties along Willow Island Road (including all taxable, grant-in-lieu and otherwise exempt properties) through a special service tax,” states the plan. “The special service tax will be calculated based on an amount per parcel of land. Based on 92 benefitting parcels (roll numbers), each parcel will pay an estimated $44.51 the first year adding a projected 2.6% increase per year for ten years (2027 to 2035 inclusive).”
The RM publicly posted one letter of opposition to the plan under its Feb. 11 agenda from a couple on Willow Island.
The Express asked the RM/council if the plan was adopted and how it’s calculating cost compared to dust control calculations for other rural roads.
• The RM publicly posted three out of four general payable files under its Feb. 11 agenda. One shows RBC Visa pre-authorized payments (PAP) for a number of staff and council, identified for the most part by initials.
It’s unclear why the RM decided to publicly post Visa transactions online, and the Express asked questions including whether all councillors/mayor were issued RM credit cards and for details about the costs shown on the report, which total $47,472.14.
• A request for the chief administrative officer’s contract with the RM was made after queries from members of the public for financial transparency. The provincial government publicly discloses staff contracts on its website so that the public can review them.
• Council is reviewing the Gimli Environmental Advisory Committee. It publicly posted the GEAC bylaw from 2011 under its Feb. 18 agenda.
In an email, the RM said it was unable to meet the Express’s deadline of Feb. 20 regarding its questions and offered to set up a chat next week (week of Feb. 23).
• The RM’s municipal emergency coordinator Don Ames submitted his January report to council, saying he completed a review of the 2026 emergency plan with Gimli first responders, continues to recruit potential emergency staff, and responded to queries about shoreline armouring from various locations.
