MOOSE JAW — Businessman Sam Lercara is not worried that a poor-quality road leading to his new location will affect his company since he has options to move products onto the site.
Lercara, who owns Fluid Solutions, an offshoot of United Rentals, submitted a discretionary use application to city hall to establish a contractor’s office and yard at 2085 Norwood Avenue, which is north of the North Service Road and adjacent to Highway 2. The property — which once housed a cabinet shop — is zoned as a C3 vehicle-oriented commercial district.
The property contains a main building that is roughly 450 square metres (5,000 square feet) in size and includes cold storage, a showroom and an office.
Lercara wants to repurpose the property for his business, which would focus on sales, rentals, storage, warehousing, maintenance and repair of power and HVAC equipment, construction equipment, tools, storage containers, modular offices and contractor supplies.
The company also handles the pumping and filtration of liquids and helps customers move water from one point to another.
A report presented during the April 28 regular city council meeting said Lercara plans to use the existing building without changing its footprint or constructing new structures on the site. Furthermore, he plans to store equipment in the lot’s rear, with this area to be fenced.
Contractor’s offices and yards are permitted in the M1 to M4 districts, the report continued, with the closest industrial-zoned property about 210 metres north, while two small M3 zones are southeast near the hospital and a larger M3 area is 1.6 kilometres southwest near Ninth Avenue Northwest.
Norwood Avenue terminates at 2085 Norwood Avenue, which is the only road access to the property, but that road is unpaved and ranges between low-quality gravel and dirt, the report said. When it’s wet, the road becomes muddy and difficult to navigate; there are no flooding risks.
“The poor road quality may pose challenges for the applicant when transporting equipment and heavy vehicles to and from the site,” the report continued. “While increased activity could contribute to further deterioration, it is unlikely to exceed the impact of existing land uses along the street.”
The document added that city hall could improve the surface and drainage of Norwood Avenue next year, an issue it identified well before the businessman submitted his discretionary use application.
Lercara told council that the business will install a fence — the only change it will make — so it can protect its inventory. Furthermore, the company has “a safety-first culture” and starts every day with a safety meeting, where staff talk about the day, what to expect, the goals to achieve and any safety concerns.
“We also broadcast that safety to the (surrounding) environment we are in. So, we are good stewards of our environment in terms of disposable oil, parts, electronic equipment (and) any parts that go to recycling,” he added.
Coun. Heather Eby referred to the report and how Norwood Road is in rough shape and could pose problems. She wondered if Lercara was concerned about that.
“… that area has been identified by the city for upgrades in 2026. I just didn’t want you to come back to us in six months and say that this road is terrible,” she added.
The businessman replied that the company wasn’t concerned since it receives only one truck per day. If there are issues, he noted that they have forklifts to remove products from those semi-trucks.
“I’ve never had any issues with it,” Lercara added.
Council then unanimously approved the discretionary use application.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, May 12.
