Ways to save on lawn care
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Add compost. This will improve your soil and eliminate pests and diseases, which means less money spent on
fertilizer and water. Apply a quarter-inch of top dressing compost once or twice a year, including right after your lawn
has greened up. Going over the lawn with an aerator first will help mix the organic matter into the soil.
Water wisely. An established lawn needs about 1 inch of water per week in the growing season. A light daily
watering will encourage shallow root systems. Instead, water thoroughly once a week, using a 1-inch deep empty
tuna can as a makeshift measuring device. Early morning is best, before 8 a.m., when evaporation rates are low and
more water is absorbed into the soil. Also, don’t be afraid to let grass turn brown during dry spells. Most species can
easily go a month without water. It’s time to water again when the grass goes from tan-brown to straw coloured.
Mulch, don’t bag. Your grass clippings are a free source of slow-release fertilizer, so let the mower discharge the
clippings back onto your grass rather than bagging them. This can cut fertilizer costs by up to 30%. The only time to
bag clippings is when your lawn is having a disease breakout, often signaled by irregular brown patches or rings in the
lawn.
Try low maintenance grass. Slow-growth, drought-resistant grass species save water, fertilizer, and time.
Maintain your mower or tractor. Sharp blades cut cleaner and faster, and along with basic engine
maintenance can reduce fuel costs by up to 25%. Dull blades also stress grass, making it more susceptible to disease.
For best results, sharpen and balance the blade three times during the growing season.
Herbert Branch Library News
Available for a limited time, are 20 of the newest books written by some of your favorite authors. Janet Evanovich’s, The
Chase; Robin Cook’s, Cell; Laura Childs’, Eggs in a Casket; Stuart Woods’, Standup Guy; Irene Hannon’s, Trapped; just to name
a few. They will be available for the next three months to local patrons & then they’ll be shipped to another library. Our
Easter Event was a great success. Come & join us on May 3rd for our Mother’s Day event.
Herbert Branch Library
COMING EVENTS 2014
Saturday 10 am – 11 am
May 3
Mother’s Day
Jun 14
Father’s Day
Jul 5, 12, 19, 26
Summer Reading Club
Aug 15
Special Performer
At 1:30 pm
Aug 23
Sept 20
Fall
Oct 4
Thanksgiving
Nov 1
Remembrance Day
Nov 28, 29 Gingerbread House
Dec 5, 6 Gingerbread House
Dec 13
Christmas Party
PLEASE DO NOT PUT MAGAZINES OR
DVD’S in the Library Drop Box.
The upcoming Community Garage Sale will be held Saturday, June 21,
2014. If you’d like your name added to the list of sales, or for more
information, please call the town office. The deadline for accepting names
will be Thursday, June 19th.
COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE & CLEAN UP
For the same weekend, we are planning on bringing in a large bin for
household clean up. Any items, with the exception of Household Hazardous
Waste & Electronics, that cannot be accepted at the Herbert landfill can be
brought to the bin & dumped; upholstered furniture, furniture, painted
wood, etc. We’d appreciate that regular household garbage be put in your
Triways bins, however. There will be a nominal fee to offset the costs
incurred with the bin. We’ll keep you posted.
HERBERT CEMETERY CLEAN UP
Also, Abe Friesen is cleaning up the Herbert Cemetery & offering to remove
derelict grave covers for a nominal fee. Please contact Abe Friesen or the
town office.
The town will pick up BIG BRANCHES ONLY!!!
We will NOT be picking up any other garbage, leaves or refuse placed in the back lanes. It will now be the homeowners’
responsibility to see that items accepted at our landfill be taken there &, if necessary, all regular plastic bags be emptied of
their contents & removed from the landfill. Please help your fellow neighbors without the means to dispose of yard refuse.
2014
April
T o w n
o f
H e r b e r t
NEWSLETTER
Email: t.o.herbert@sasktel.net
Web site: www.townofherbert.com
Issue 49
Box 370
Herbert, SK
S0H 2A0
T: 306.784.2400
WATER UPDATE
I would like to address the situation with our water as we have had many calls and
Facebook messages over the past couple of weeks from concerned citizens. As
many of you know, during the summer months our wells do not have enough
water to keep up with demand, and so we will have to use surface water from the
reservoir blended with well water. It has been requested by the Water Security
Agency that a pilot study be done to determine how the RO Unit will best be able to clean the
blended water. This study involves taking the RO Unit off line for a period of time and running the
blended water through our existing filters until the study is complete. The week before Easter our
engineers sent out an expert on water plants to spend some time with our operators, showing them
how to run the blended water through the plant and getting it ready for the pilot study. At this time
the RO Unit was taken off line. It was during this changeover that the discoloration of the water
began. Our operators, together with the engineers and the Water Security Agency, are doing
everything they can to determine what is causing this discoloration and trying to resolve it. They are
hoping that this issue will be resolved shortly.
Our water is tested daily, and the Water Security Agency has also been on site to monitor the
situation. Although discolored, the water is completely safe to drink and we continue to send in tests
daily to the provincial lab. Please try to keep in mind that our operators are working continuously to
make our water safe and esthetically pleasing. They have all been working long hours in order for us
to take the next step in our water plant upgrade.
We have a great team of operators who are all very dedicated to keeping our water and our town
safe and clean. They are working hard under stressful conditions to try to alleviate the peoples’
concerns. Dale, Christopher, Terry, and Byron all deserve a big thank you for all they do for our town.
Raegan Funk, CAO
MAYOR’S MESSAGE
There are actual signs of spring. My tulips are at least five inches out of the ground, the robins &
geese are back and calves are being born! At some point we will be done with this liquid sunshine
and the planting of gardens & seeding of fields will begin.
We have now had several garbage pickups with our new system & most of the concerns have been
addressed. The recycling will begin soon although we have not yet been given a start date. There has
been a setback regarding the biodegradable bags for leaves, grass clippings and vegetation matter.
We are working on finding a new supplier, or a plan that will be manageable, to deal with organic
matter.
This summer the Town is planning to repave the streets we dug up for water pipe replacement. I’m
sure we are all looking forward to not having to navigate the potholes & mud!
Seven out of the forty niches in our new columbarium at the Herbert Cemetery have been sold with
the first niche being filled this past month. If you have not visited our cemetery recently, drive over &
take a look, once the ground is dry. I am personally looking forward to spending time in my yard &
garden. Spring is my favourite time of year. It is a season of new beginnings & wonderful colours!
Doreen Schroeder, Mayor
F: 306.784-2402