Town of Carman officials continue to be in close communication with Manitoba Infrastructure regarding the Highway 13 project. The main drag through town was slugged for a makeover two years but, due to a variety of factors, still hasn't seen any work. 
    
Mayor Bob Mitchell says the two parties met again earlier this month. The gathering offered Council a chance to ask when the heavily delayed project is going to get done.

"We didn't really get any answers out of them other than 'We're waiting for information'...nothing from this meeting that indicated that it was going to get done...other than the suggestion that the engineers have to get together and decide on a section of it and what the extent of the upgrade has to be."

Officials also discussed that the recently elected PC government may change how infrastructure dollars are doled out and that a new minister would be appointed to the infrastructure portfolio. Mitchell adds however, at the time of the meeting it wasn't known that the new minister would be local Midland MLA Blaine Pedersen. "Having to drive it every day to get to his office can't hurt," he joked.

Some camera work has been also recently been done to assess certain areas of the community's underground infrastructure. Mitchell says two spots raised some red flags, a crossover pipe at the lagoon and a storm drain on Highway 13. "And now they're trying to determine just exactly what needs to be done. It's the area from the lights going north about two and a half blocks."

Meantime, an engineering study on a few sewer and water infrastructure projects has also wrapped up. Mitchell says the intent was to help the Town get its ducks in a row before applying for government funding to help pay for the work.

"We need a new cell at the lagoon to meet current and future needs and we're looking at upgrades and what we can do at the water treatment plant."

The Mayor says Council knows what needs to be done at the lagoon but things are still up in the air about how to get rid of phosphates, nitrates and trihalomethanes.