With some residents still flooded out of their properties and farmers waiting to get onto their fields in eastern parts of the RM of Morris, the Reeve for the RM says the municipality is doing everything it can to communicate the process they're using, and to support and assist. Ralph Groening says their first priority is for residents to get back into their homes as soon as possible.

As they look at long and short-term priorities, Groening notes council recently conducted a meeting to discuss priorities beyond getting people back into their homes.

"It certainly is a challenge,” he says. “We understand this will take some time, and we have hired an engineering company to guide the process and to assist our public works staff."

He says they simply do not have the capacity to manage what will be a huge, multi-million-dollar flood clean-up initiative.

"So, we're really pleased to be working with WSB Engineering to help guide the process."

Groening also points out the uniqueness that currently exists within the municipality. He says they are dealing with flood infrastructure repair in one area (east section), and yet he says they have the need, the desire, and the requirement to improve and to do a better job of fixing roads in the area where the farming community is starting to make progress.

Meanwhile, officials with the RM of Morris participated in a joint meeting last month with the Rosenort Chamber and the Community Centre District.

Groening recaps what took place. He notes there were two priorities they had when meeting with the community in Rosenort.

"We wanted to provide an update of our Rosenort Urbanization Plan, and we wanted to provide more details of the staging of, and the planning that's in place for the new residential and multi-family plan that's going to be available this fall, we anticipate."

Groening says the people that were there genuinely seemed interested in what Landmark Planning is proposing for Rosenort's Urbanization Plan.

"Both in the short-term and the long-term, especially how to take advantage of the vibrant community environment. Also, to incorporate it into the life of residents and taking advantage of the Morris River that goes through the community."

223 units are proposed to be developed, and Groening says 40 or 50 residential lots for single and multi-family dwellings are expected to be available by this fall.