Major changes coming to a Main Street business in Niverville will help improve the safety of children walking to school.

Mayor Myron Dyck says many children and their parents walk down 4th Avenue South and cross Main Street at the lighted crosswalk. He notes the gas bar at Country Snacks currently has an access point on 4th Avenue South near the crosswalk.

"To the east of this particular business, there is tremendous walking traffic as far as children coming and going to school. The business is looking actually making a patio so there will be a fence there. We are getting away from vehicular traffic exiting east onto 4th. We are very happy about that."

Pete and Rose Friesen own Country Snacks. Pete says the plan is to put a patio where the current gas bar is located. Rose notes their 4th Avenue access point has been a safety concern for a number of years.

"That is why we went to the one direction traffic with our fuel pumps so that people would see the kids from their vehicles. Moving the pumps to the other side of the building and creating a nice patio experience for our customers, we are hoping to see this happen this summer."

Pete Friesen says the building west of Country Snacks, 166 Main Street, will be torn down to make room for the new gas bar which will be accessed from Main Street.

Dyck notes council is glad to see that intersection get safer for pedestrians and excited to see businesses continuing to invest in Main Street.