I want to personally thank Lion Jim Bulger of Beaver Bank, and Ladies Auxiliary member Trina Marshall of the Waverley Legion, for laying wreaths on behalf of the HRM so I could attend at Windsor Jct. Also, thanks to students & staff at Lockview High School for putting on a very special Service the day before, it was a very touching ceremony and lets all of us know that you fully understand and appreciate the significance of this Day of Remembrance.

Fall is always a busy time of year and this year is no different; some updates in the district are:
- Transit plan to cut back on routes on the Beaver Bank Road. Our local Committee has met a number of times and came up with a modified schedule we felt are the minimum runs our community could accept. In early October, myself and Committee reps, including those from Porters Lake and Sambro Loop, met with Transit and had a very good exchange in this regard and we presented our proposals so they could be costed out.
As of this writing (Nov 12th) these costs and options are on HRM Council’s agenda for next weeks meeting where we will ask Council to agree to the proposals that will leave our Transit routes as beneficial to the community as possible. I certainly want to thank all of you that have signed the petition to save our transit routes and I will be presenting the 1,340 signatures next week.
- Fall River/Airport Transit Route. The property for the Park n Ride Station in Fall River has been purchased and the design for that station to be built (this coming Summer) has been tendered. Metro Transit is still having problems finding a company that makes safe and proper highway chassis’s for buses to travel on the highway to the Airport, but are making headway; planned opening of this new bus route is now late Fall of 2011 or Spring of 2012.
- Traffic Issues/Fall River & Area. The comprehensive traffic consultants study which included the area from Waverley thru Fall River and up into Wellington/Grand Lake is complete and has been presented to the Fall River Vision Committee. This study involves recommendations on both short and long term solutions to most of our traffic problems and includes all intersections and traffic problem areas. Along with the Shubenacadie Watershed Study which is also now complete, we will be presenting findings and holding public open meetings early in the new year. The future plans for development, by-laws and zones that the Vision Committee have been working on for the past few years are also very close to completion and will be presented.
- Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre Re-Build. The design work for the new building and grounds is virtually complete and HRM is completing the costing out of the new building and final settlement with the Insurance Company should be this week. There is a funding gap between the costs of the new building and the insurance funds and we will be going to Council very soon with a request for funding assistance from the HRM.

As you know by now we have recently lost another Hall in Beaver Bank due to fire, and this one was purposely set by an arsonist. Police are investigating to determine those responsible and I am asking if you have any information at all about this that you call the police, Crime Stoppers, or feel free to contact me – there are rewards for information that leads to the arrest of these individuals. As in most situations there is insurance on the building and contents but not enough to re-build the way it was so the Committee of the Brown Hall is starting a fundraising campaign for this purpose and the first item will be an Auction on Dec 11th, details will follow. If you’d like to attend or donate an item please contact me for details, we are in the process of meeting with HRM Planning to see if we can add a bit more room to the kitchen area and possibly add a second bathroom.

A number of area projects have recently been approved or started, some of them are:
- residents of Sunnylea Road in Wellington no doubt have seen the heavy equipment moving in this week. This is to extend the road and turn it into the turning “T” for school buses and plows that you have asked for, for so many years. There will be blasting involved in this project and as per your petition last year this will only be a dead-end turning “T”, it will not be a connector road.
- a few weeks ago the Marine Drive, Valley & Canal Community Council held a Public Hearing at the LWF Community Hall and at that meeting final approval was given for the Sobey’s expansion in Fall River. This expansion will add much needed store space to the actual Sobey’s grocery store and will also see the addition of a fairly large 2 story building to the far right of the property. Needed improvements to the entry roads, landscaping and design, are all included in the agreement and work is expected to begin as soon as all permits are obtained.
- On October 7th we held a Public Meeting in Lost Creek in regards to a request to add a local Area Rate for the sub/div to put towards building a park and playground. I certainly thank the Homeowners Association for organizing this meeting and to our HRM Park & Recreation Branch as well as Taxation staff for attending to answer all questions. Survey ballots were sent out to all residents within Lost Creek and in a vote of about 80% in favor, residents indicated they wish to proceed with this rate. The report and matter will now go before HRM Regional Council for a Public Hearing and vote.
- On November 8th I was especially pleased to attend the official opening of the new playground and equipment at the Beaver Bank Monarch Elementary School and see the excitement on both the students and their parents faces. Many thanks to principle, teachers and staff, parents group and various funding partners who raised the money to make this happen. I was happy to contribute your tax dollars from my Councilors District Fund to bump up the contribution from HRM Parks & Rec and make this happen so quickly.
- the update on the Delaney Drive park & playground is that the bike park and now the landscaping are in and complete, and the Association has found a local sponsor who will install the basketball court as soon as dry weather returns. The playground equipment is all ordered and expected to arrive soon and will be installed and this park will be complete. Congrats to the local volunteers who have made this happen.
- On November 6th the Regional Fire Fighters Interpretive Centre/Museum opened its doors to the public, fulfilling a dream of a dedicated group who have been trying to do this for more than a dozen years. This was a special preview peak as the Grand Opening will occur this Spring but tours can be arranged by contacting them at www.rfic.ca Located in the old Station 45 near Sobey’s visitors were very pleased to see the old fully restored trucks, gear and history of fire services in the area. I would certainly encourage our local schools to make arrangements for class visits.

There are a few special thanks and acknowledgements from the past month or so that I would like to make:
- a big thank you to the Fall River & District Lions Club for putting on its annual Seniors Appreciation Supper on October 20th at the LWF Hall, thanks to cooks and servers, Lions members, Scouts and volunteers for helping out.

- another terrific job this Summer by the volunteer members of the Union Cemetery Board. Our final meeting of the year was last month but if you stop and look at the restoration on the Cobequid Road you will now see a graveled parking lot & driveway, more flower gardens and recovered cemetery area, a new sign, and a storage building. Councilor Bob Harvey and I are very pleased to assist with funding for this project each year but it is the hundreds of volunteer hours put in by Board members that is getting the job done.
- On November 4th the Beaver Bank Volunteer Community Policing Office celebrated its 15th Anniversary of service to the community. A large RCMP presence along with Fire Chief Keddy and myself presented the group with Certificates of Appreciation and plaques to thank them for the years of service. Even with the loss of the Community Centre last year, which housed their office, the group has maintained their presence and continued on, we all appreciate the principle and staff at HT Barrett School for allowing them the use of the library there to keep working.

I have stated many times over the main reason I love this area and its communities is because of the tremendous efforts of our volunteer organizations and the full support the community gives those organizations and groups, I would like to just point out a few examples of your support in the past two weeks that I have had the privilege of attending:
- a sold out Dinner & Auction at the Oakfield Golf Course to raise funds for their Juniors Youth program.
- a jam packed Halloween Dance at the Waverley Legion with the “Sons of Maxwell”
- the Lockview High School football team Auction held at the Legion which raised over $15,000, thanks to the Scotiabank for its matching grant.
- the Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre Auction held at Angles in Sackville which raised over $8,000 and there wasn’t an empty chair in the place.

It is community and local business support like this that makes this area so special to live in.

Back to some HRM Regional Council happenings and updates. On Nov 10 the HRM’s Boundary Review Committee held an open public meeting at the Fall River Rec Centre. As I had told you in previous reports, this District is one of the highest in population in the HRM, and under current proposal of this review (if accepted) it will become the largest. Our Committee is prepared to present to the NSURB Board that there are very valid “Communities of Interest” reasons to support this recommendation and I fully support this. This was heavily backed up at the meeting the other night when over 20 residents of Lakeview showed up to send a loud and powerful message that they want to stay part of District 2, a letter from the full Lakeview Homeowners Association was presented also stating the desire to stay as is and I can assure residents that their message will be heard. The proposal I will take to the Committee and on to Council is that the only change to this District should be that the Enfield part of HRM be moved into District One.

I am also on the Energy & Underground Services Committee and was quite excited to receive a presentation from our Sustainable Environment Dept on a suggested HRM pilot project to heat hot water from Solar panels in residential homes. This pilot program recently passed thru the Committee and has been endorsed by HRM Council to proceed to final planning stages, when the final details are worked out the HRM will be looking for approximately 5000 homes to take part, for full details go to HRM website at www.halifax.ca

There are a lot of upcoming events all over the District and you can find many of these on various community websites, a few of them are as below:

Saturday, Nov 13th 1-3pm at old Beaver Bank Villa the Friends of Ivy Meadows will be showing off the brand new Access A Bus they have purchased for the Seniors at the Nursing Home there, many thanks to the HRM Grants Committee for contributing $12,000 to this project and I was pleased to assist in the funding from the Councilors Capital Fund.

Saturday, Nov 13th 7:00pm at the Church of the Good Shepherd there will be a bingo to assist in the fundraising by Lost Creek sub/div for their new park and playground.

Saturday, Nov 20th from 11:00am to 2:00pm at the Grand Lake Community Hall there will be a barbecue and family Fun Day to raise funds for a young 1 year old from Miller Lake sub/div that has been diagnosed with leukemia, please drop by and make a donation for a worthy cause.

Wednesday, Nov 24 at 7:00 at the Waverley Fire Hall the Waverley Sports Park Board is hosting an open public meeting. We are looking for your thoughts and vision of what the future should now hold for the Park. There are miles of developed trails in the park, sitting areas and benches/gazebo’s on the lake, lots of wild life, and the new baseball field will be built there soon, but currently the gates are locked due to lack of funding and an inability of the current volunteer board to maintain it, we are looking for ideas and another fresh start.

Thursday, Nov 25 at 7:00 at the Fall River Rec Centre there will be an RCMP Town Hall (open public) meeting with various police reps in attendance to do a presentation, hear concerns and answer questions. This is an opportunity for you to speak with your local officers.

Sunday, Nov 28 this years Fall River Lions Christmas Express Parade will depart the LWF Community Hall on Fall River Road at 1:00 and go down to the parking lot at Sobeys – please note this is the first year the parade will end at Sobeys, food donations are gratefully accepted.

Sunday, Nov 28 this years Beaver Bank Lions Club Parade of Lights will depart Barrett Lumber on the Beaver Bank Road at 6:00pm and work its way up to the Beaver Bank Kinsac Elementary School. Anyone interested in entering one or both parades can call me, we’d love to have you.
Monday, Nov 29th at 7:30 the Waverley Ratepayers will be holding a special meeting at the Waverley Legion that is open to the public. Along with this being their AGM and election of officers we will be discussing ending the Area Rate on sidewalks and discuss various traffic calming items.

Two final reminders, the first one is that winter is right around the corner and everyone by now should have their winter tires on as temperatures are dropping below freezing most nights and slippery patches are probable. Driving habits should be changing as well, motorists need to slow down and anticipate slippery patches – there is never an excuse for being in a hurry.

The HRM Service line number is 490-4000 and is open 7 days a week from 7am to 11pm, if you are looking for a service such as street grading, snow plowing, ditch cleaning please call the service line and operators will take your call and issue you a file number, they will then dispatch your call immediately to the Dept responsible.

Warmest regards, Barry

As Summer sports wind down I would like to also congratulate the players and coaches of the LWF Minor Baseball Association & the Tri County organization.  LWF teams won league championships in Bantam and Mosquito Divisions and its Tri County Midget team put in a great performance at the Canadian National Championships.  With over 400 kids we desperately needed more fields and we thank the community of Grand Lake for its partnership and offer of its ball field in return for our maintaining and upkeep of the field and rebuilding of dug-outs, bleachers etc – baseball made a very big return to Grand Lake this Summer.

A number of this years Parks & Playground projects have recently been finished or are very close to being completed.  New playgrounds being installed at schools are almost complete at Waverley Elementary and Beaver Bank Monarch, while the tender for the new one at Delaney Drive has been issued with work to be done asap.  The new bike parks at Delaney and Beaver Bank Commons are in and finished and new additional equipment at the Beaver Bank Skate Park is also complete.  We have already begun planning and fund raising phases for recreation or playgrounds for next year for Grand Lake, Lakeview, Oaken Hills, Lost Creek & HT Barrett School.

Very unfortunately, not always does the work of volunteers and residents get rewarded.  Last month the Provincial Gov’t and its Dept of Natural Resources decided to turn down the request from the Waverley Sports Park Board to partner with TreeGo and bring an exciting recreational outdoor adventure park that is wildly successful all over the world.  At a time when jobs are being lost and residents are flocking to Moncton and other places, a wonderful opportunity that would have been terrific for this area and for the entire local community and one which would not have cost the Gov’t one cent was turned away at the last minute leaving the volunteer board wondering if its worth staying on.

Coming up next week is the one year anniversary date of the loss of our Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre and I want to pass on my deepest appreciation to those residents on the Re-building  and the Fundraising Committees who have worked tirelessly on getting this Centre back up and running.l  I can assure residents that a pheonominal amount of work has been done and the design phase is almost complete.   The tender to begin drilling bore holes for the geo thermal heating system went out last week and we are getting close to seeing actual site work done.  You will see a bigger, better building beginning soon.

Most of you have also seen many of this years Municipal Operations projects in the area finishing up, we had a very good spring with projects and I am pleased to say, an even better late summer/fall.  The re-paving of Windgate Drive is complete and Jamison Drive in Fall River is getting close to finished, the streets in Brookhill Estates in Grand Lake are about halfway done and should be finished by the time this is published.  We do apologize for occasional road closures but there are times it is impossible not to do them. Recently Windgate had to be closed off for a day to allow the replacement of a major culvert there and currently the Cobequid Road between Waverley & Windsor Jct is closed as we are replacing the entire Robinson Bridge.  After a bit of a delay the new sidewalks are currently being installed on the Beaver Bank Road so please expect some delay thru there but its worth it.

I know many of you have been asking about the transit situation in Beaver Bank; after meeting with residents last month we have formed a Committee to assist with this and they have met every week since.  In response to a Motion I made to Council 6 weeks ago about options and costs of keeping our runs the Committee has come up with a written proposal which is being handed to Transit to cost out.  I also ask residents to sign the petition going around the community and I am aware that over 1,000 of you have already signed – thank you.  As of this past Tuesday, Councillor’s Adams and Hendsbee and their Committee’s, will also be meeting with us for a joint proposal to go forth to Council, we will keep you posted  in this regard.

For Fall River residents the Development Agreement request that Sobeys has in to HRM, to allow for expansion of their main store and erection of additional buildings on site, is very close to being completed and I expect that within the next 2 weeks I will be able to give notice of a Public Meeting sometime in October on this request.

I’ll end this column with two pieces of information for you, one is for those new to the area or who may not know the HRM Service line is  490-4000, it is open and will be answered from 7am to 11pm 7 days a week.  If you have a request for an HRM Service such as pot holes, mowing or missing street please report it in, a file will be taken and dispatched to the appropriate Dept and you will be given a file number in case of need for follow up.

Finally, school is in and students are settling into their school year, but speed zones are reduced near schools and you mush slow down.  Speeding continues to be a problem all through our sub/div’s and streets and I continue to request even more speed patrols and tickets, there is no excuse for being in a hurry on our residential streets.

Enjoy our beautiful Nova Scotia Fall Season,
Barry

Almost 30 Volunteers were recognized at the District 2 Awards Dinner and their names have been in the Laker and District 2 News so I won’t try to list them all here, but certainly wish to thank and congratulate all of you and this years Volunteer of the Year, R.J. (Bob) McDonald of Waverley for his many years of service to our community.    I also want to thank the Volunteer Board members of the District 2 Committee that raise the funds, organize the event and put on the special evening to honor our volunteers, there is no question it is all of you that make our communities very special.
In late March I was honored to again take part in the 2nd Annual “Trek for Tourettes” in Point Pleasant Park and organizers were thrilled that this years event was bigger and better than last year.  This event was held in 13 cities across the Country and HRM’s residents raised the 3rd most funds of all, so thank you to the many sponsors and participants – well done.

On March 24th the Waverley Sports Park Board held an open Public Meeting at the Legion to update progress on the new ballfield that is under construction, partnerships with Cheema and the Shubenacadie Canal Commission, and a presentation from the Cobequid Health Board on a major new fundraiser to be held in Grand Lake on June 26th.  I was thrilled to hand out cheques to 13 area Sports & Recreation groups totaling $12,000.00 and then the highlight of the night was a presentation from a group called TreeGo about their interest in bringing their operation to the Park.
The last week of March I attended various AGM’s such as Lakeview Homeowners Association, LWF Community Hall, LARA & Riverbend/River Court Association.  To all outgoing Board and Executive members who have served us so well and to all new enthusiastic members a huge thanks for caring and for taking the time to be involved.

April has been an extremely busy month for the District. The new guard rails along Lake Fletcher have been installed and I appreciate our Department going out and working with local residents to address concerns; thanks also to all of you that emailed or called with your notes of appreciation for a long overdue project.

Tenders for the Designing of the new Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre have gone out and the winning bid is in the process of being accepted.  Tenders for the installation of the water system in Monarch/Rivendale subdivision has also gone out and closes by the end of May putting us in line for a summer project.  We have also received some extremely hopeful news on this water project, I promised you that we would not give up looking for funding partners and we have not.  The Halifax Water Board has accepted our funding request and have submitted an approval request to the URB Board to fund up to 8% or about $450,000.  I stress that this is not a final approval but we are very hopeful this will be accepted; we continue to look for other funding partners.

Tenders for the next phase of sidewalk along the Beaver Bank Road & for street paving in Brookhill Estates (Grand Lake) are expected to go out within the next 3-4 weeks as well as the complete re-paving of the first part of Jamison Drive in Fall River.
As many of you know by now, Sobeys has been meeting with the HRM Planning Dept, myself, and the Fall River Vision Committee, and have now submitted an application for an expansion of their existing store in Fall River and the construction of two more business buildings on the existing lot.  A Public Meeting was held at Ash Lee Jefferson School and they have made presentation to the Vision Committee, this is now at the Development Agreement stage with HRM Planners and if an agreement is reached a Fall start to construction is possible.

Throughout April the HRM’s Boundary Review Committee has been meeting. I applied for and joined that Committee as I feel the future size of Council and to our Boundary lines is crucial to the future of this District.  Under current projections, by 2012 this District will be the 2nd highest populated Dsitrict in the HRM and the 2nd largest in overall size – in fact four of the five  largest Districts are the suburban/rural ones out here.  You have told me loud and clear that Rural Districts of 21,000 people is not equal and fair representation to Urban ones of 14,000 and after attending all of the Public Meetings and from reading submissions and talking to residents I now fully support a slightly smaller Council with a couple of urban Districts being eliminated and I will endorse that idea at future Committee meetings.

Another significant event that has been going on these past couple of months has been the process of selecting a Volunteer Community Board to take over the running & operations of the new Fall River Rec Centre come January 1st.  The first step was to pick a Selection Committee made up of myself, three HRM and three Community residents. This group then formed the process for picking the new Board and applications were advertised about six weeks ago.  I know I can speak for the entire Committee when I say we were blown away by the number of applications received for the Board and by the tremendous quality of resumes; a huge thank you to everyone who applied.  The scoring and selections were very difficult but a Board of 12 has been picked and will meet for the first time on May 20th after which time the members names will be made public.  I can assure residents that this is a strong and very community minded group and I have complete faith it will serve us well. They will be a very busy group getting things ready for them to take over on January 1st, 2011.

On April 11th the LWF Ladies Auxiliary came together one last time for a Dinner & Appreciation Night at the LWF Community Hall.  After 45 wonderful years of service to our communities, the Ladies Auxiliary has disbanded, I was very pleased to present them with a plaque of thanks from the HRM that will be hung in the Hall in recognition of their services.

April 24th was a very special day in the District as a number of community clean ups were completed.  In Lakeview the Search & Rescue had over 50 of its members show up in appreciation of the community’s support for their new building. They were supported by more than 50 local residents who joined together to clean up the area, when they were done the S & R members put on a barbecue for the whole community.  In Lake Fletcher the congregation and residents of St Thomas Church joined and did a clean up and revitalization of the cemetery and (they) did a terrific job.  Down the road the Fall River Lions Club partnered with Sobeys to put on a barbecue for over 100 Pathfinders, Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Cubs and Beavers and their leaders, for them doing a clean up all over the Fall River area and also up at the Wellington locks to assist the Shubie Canal Commission.  Lions members cooked hot dogs and supplied drinks while Sobeys provided the food and Steve at Tim Hortons supplied treats and coffee in a true display of community partnership.

I would ask that any community group, sub/div organization etc that would like to do an area clean up next spring please contact me two months in advance.  We will arrange through Clean Nova Scotia to get you garbage bags, gloves and special garbage pick up and I have offers of businesses and local Halls that will help supply food and areas for a barbecue to go with it – lets all keep our community clean!!

That afternoon I was pleased to have been invited to the Wellington Driftclimbers Annual Auction and Dinner in Enfield and to cut the ribbon for more trails and equipment; a sold out audience raised over $10,000.00, thanks to all.

Also in April the Union Cemetery Group has started back up and are looking for volunteer help.  Anyone driving by the cemetary on the Cobequid Road will agree the work and transformation there over the past 2 years is simply amazing.  Councillor Harvey of Sackville and myself have been helping the group financially but it is the volunteer work on the grounds that is special, they will be there every Wednesday at 7:00 pm clearing brush, clearing stones and working the grounds.  Anyone interested in a little work, lots of camaraderie, and free exercise is welcome to just drop by.

We brought May in with style – Mayor Peter Kelly and I attended the Friends of Ivy Meadows Annual Desert and Fashion Show which was a complete sell out.  The event was a huge success due to a great effort by the organizers and workers, and on top of the funds raised from the event the Mayor and I presented them with a cheque for over $4,400 towards the purchase of a new bus for the Seniors of Ivy Meadows.  That same evening the Harmony Choir performed at the St John Viennay Church in Sackville, also to a Sold Out audience and did their magic by bringing us music from the 50′s and 60′s. They were kind enough to donate all proceeds to the rebuilding of the Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre.

I was also pleased in early May to bring resolution to long time road maintenance isues for the River Bend/River Court private roads in Enfield.  After two Public Meetings and a  community vote, I brought forward a Motion to HRM Council to have the roads put under the HRM Private Road Maintenance Fee and this was unanimously passed at Council.

In early May the HRM Grants Committee had two signifigent issues on its agenda for this District and as Vice Chair of that Committee I am very pleased that after much debate both items passed unanimously:
1) to lease for $1.00 the Old Fall River Fire Station on Hwy Two near Sobeys to a dedicated group of retired and veteran Fire Fighters that will turn it into an HRM Regional Fire Interpretive Centre/Museum
2) to short term lease the Old Fall River Rec Centre on Hwy Two to the Open Gate Church to use as a storage facility to collect and ship relief supplies to Haiti.
Both of these items now go to HRM Regional Council on May 18th for final approval.

On May 6th the Halifax Stanfield Airport had its AGM and they presented all the new work and projects going on there. The Airport continues to be an economic engine for the Municipality and indeed the entire Province.  Just one example of the success there is the new Emergency Ops building that is nearing completion and will obtain a full LEEDS certification which is great news for our environment.

I also attended our HRM Planning offices with members of the Beaver Bank Kinsac Lions Club, and started the Development Agreement process of expanding their clubhouse which is greatly needed.  Just one example of the terrific work they do in our area was last week at the Beaver Bank Town Hall meeting. They presented a cheque for $3,000 to the Friends of Ivy Meadows, towards their new bus; funds were raised from the recent Road Toll.

I would also like to commend all those volunteers who help make our School Auctions and Fairs such a success. Recently both Holland Road and Ash Lee held very successful Spring Fairs while the Ash Lee Auction and HT Barrett Comedy Night were big draws.  George P Vanier also held a giant yard sale and I would like to commend teachers and staff for the job they did with our three teams that performed so well in competition and have earned the right to represent us Internationally in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Thanks to Principle Beth who is so rightfully proud of these students for arranging a school visit; I have no doubt you will make us proud.

On May 15 the Windsor Jct/Fall River Historical Society held the Grand Opening of its new Archives Centre in the LWF Community Hall.  The announcement and tour came to an overflowing Hall packed with well wishers and those wanting to see our local history being preserved and promoted.  This project has been just over a year in the making and we want to thank the Hall Board, local businesses and sponsors, and the Historical Societies organizing Committee, for making it happen.
There are so many exciting projects and events in the works all over the District, some qjuick updates are as follows:
* Delany Park, Beaver bank  -  design of the park and playground is being done and equipment is ordered, for this summers construction.
* Beaver Bank Ballfields – design of the new bike park is done and material is ordered; construction to start asap.  New equipment is ordered for the SkateBoard park and installation to be done as soon as it arrives.
* Bike Parks in Wellington and Fall River Road – re-design plans are complete and upgrading of parks scheduled for week of May 17 – 24th.
* Playground for Beaver Bank Monarch Elementary School – funding plans almost complete and hoping for fall construction
* Multi use Outdoor Facility at HT Barrett – fundraising and HRM funding being put into place, hoping for summer of 2011 construction.
Some upcoming events for your interest and community support:

- June 11th, 12th and 13th  Community Mixed Slo-Pitch ball tournament at Beaver Bank ballfields.  $200 per team, three games guaranteed and all proceeds to rebuilding the Centre, call or email Jessica at the BBKCC or email myself at lwfbaseball@hotmail.com

- Grand Day, Grand Lake.  Our Cobequid Health Board is having its first ever Grand Days fundraiser on Sat, June 26th.  There are huge sponsors and prizes and we need volunteers to help, email me if interested.  All kayakers and canoeists are encouraged to sign up and win great prizes, go to  www.pledge.cobequidfoundation.ca

- July 1st Canada Days @ Lakeview Park  -  11:00 flag raising, cake and BBQ
- July 1st Canada Days @ Beaver Bank  -  starts with pancake breakfast under the tent at BBK Elementary School, events all day and fireworks that night at the ballfields.
- July 1st Canal Fest @ Fall River – starts with pancake breakfast at St Johns United, events on Lake Thomas and music in afternoon and evening at Rec Centre and fireworks from island in Lake Thomas at night.

Details in next issue, of Keloose Fair in Windsor Jct in August and Waverley Gold Rush in September.

Finally, this coming week HRM Council begins its 2010 budget deliberations.  We have a 30 million dollar funding gap to overcome and our Depts and Staff have been working for months to eliminate this gap while trying desperately to have no increase in the tax rate.  I do believe this can be done and will represent your comments to me that this is your wish.  I do ask that for the next couple of weeks that more than ever you direct calls fro HRM services (potholes, parks etc) to the HRM Service Line # 490-4000, it is open from 7am to 11pm 7 days a week.

Again, congratulations to the new Fall River Rec Centre Board members and a special thanks to all of our community volunteers.  Have a safe and enjoyable summer but please remember, its our kids out there  -  Please Slow Down!!

Also in late January, the consultants hired by the HRM & the Province to do a major traffic study in the areas from Waverley through Fall River & Windsor Jct. and up into Grand Lake & Wellington, presented its findings to the Fall River Vision Committee.  This in-depth package of both short and long-term suggested solutions for traffic issues in the area now goes to HRM Council & the Province for approval in late March, and I will then have it released to you through our local media.
  
I want to thank the Principle & teachers of Beaver Bank – Monarch Elementary School for inviting me to their Literacy Week; it was truly refreshing to relax and read to a number of classes, and made for an enjoyable day. 

I then got to attend my first Northwest Community Council meeting in Bedford along with Councillors from Bedford, Sackville and Hammonds Plains.  Items from the Beaver Bank area will now go to that Community Council while items from the Fall River-Waverley areas  will continue to go to Marine Drive, Valley, & Canal one, a benefit to all of our District 2 residents.
  
February began with a Public Meeting at the Waverley Legion, on an application from Municipal/Dexters to extend City Water Services to their lands on the Rocky Lake Road; after the hearing, a Recommendation was put forward to continue this process. 

I also attended our monthly meeting of the Shubenacadie Watershed Environmental Protection Society (SWEPS); this group continues to work for good, safe, environmental policies in our area. We can always use some more help, so if you are interested please let me know.  The group meets once a month at the Fall River Rec Centre.
  
Are you looking to help out and volunteer for a great cause?  Last fall, Peter Korecki came up with a great idea and took it to the Cobequid Health Centre.  All winter we have been meeting and planning for this years “Grand Day”.   On Saturday, June 26th, we are going to host this healthy lifestyles fundraiser at Grand Lake.  Many major sponsors are already committed and canoer’s and kayakers can sign up and get pledge sheets and take part; there are lots of terrific prizes and its for a wonderful cause.  We are still looking for sponsors to partner with for this event, and also looking for volunteers to come out that day and help with running booths, sign-in tables, assign parking, etc.  If you are interested or need more information please contact me.
  
Speaking of volunteers it is with extreme pleasure I can announce that the following residents of District 2 have been nominated to this years HRM’s Volunteer Recognition Night which will take place at the Dartmouth Harbourview Inn on April 21st.  Congratulations to Sandra Carr of Fall River, Julie Vials, Windsor Jct. (who was recently taken from us to be in a better place), Bill Horne from Wellington, Fred Gallup of Beaver Bank, and Abigail Fletcher of Fall River in the Youth category.  I also take great pleasure in telling you that in a brand new category for Volunteer Boards, the entire Staff and Board of the Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre are being recognized for their outstanding work.
  
In mid February we held a meeting at the Harold T. Barrett School, in attendance was our Principle, Karin Harrison, of the Beaver Bank Awareness Association, HRM Parks & Recreation, and myself.  The discussion was about plans for 2011, building a multi-use pad inside the oval area for things like basketball in the summer and skating in the winter. We have confirmed that we will begin planning for this project.
  
There was a Public Meeting at the Goff’s Fire Hall in regards to the HRM’s proposal to find possible solutions to future noise issues around the Airport.  At a jam-packed meeting, residents clearly spoke against these plans to restrict development and building on private lands around the Airport.  HRM Departments will take this information back and re-formulate ideas and find other means to work this through.
  
Congratulations are due again to the Beaver Bank – Kinsac Community Centre Fundraising Board. What a tremendous success the Monte Carlo Night was; let me thank the folks in Sackville for being such great neighbours and giving us their Centre for the night.  The affair was sold out, there were lots and lots of great prizes and all kinds of fun, and the Balloon game saw all 150 balloons sell out in about 15 minutes.  I must say that after being repeatedly “taken to the cleaners” while dealing, I don’t expect to get any future job offers in that area.
  
Our initial Public Consultation Stage of the HRM’s District Boundary Review has just finished with our 7th Public Hearing and thank God for Rural folk.  While attendance was very low to these meetings in the City, we had over 30 show up in Sackville, around 70 in Lawrencetown, and over 170 in Sheet Harbour.  These hearings along with surveys, emails, etc., will help the Committee determine a recommendation to Council on its future size and number of Councillors.  We will be coming back in the fall with another series of Open Meetings to determine where District Boundaries should be.  Did you know that District 2 currently has a population around 22,000, while many Urban Districts are down around 14,000 – this is the 3rd largest District in the HRM.  Do you feel this is fair and equal representation??
  
Many of you have heard by now that the upcoming year will be a tough one financially for the HRM; much of this is due to two main reasons.  One, is that the world-wide recession that we weathered so well here last year is catching up somewhat here locally and affecting revenue. Also, the timelines of spending monies which leveraged “Infrastructure Funds” from other levels of Government to do “once in a lifetime” projects must be done this coming year.  We have just begun the budget process for the upcoming year and I will keep you informed. I can tell you that we enter this with the vast majority of Councillors adamant that we will not raise taxes, but that means we do need to find ways to balance an anticipated shortfall of $30 million. Our Deptartments are coming back as early as next week with ideas on how we can do this.
  
Having said that, there will be cuts to some services & projects, so it is more important than ever to get project items pre-approved before the budget, and we’ve certainly been busy in this District doing just that. Some examples of items that are already pre-approved are:
- the Robinson Bridge on the Cobequid Road between Waverley & Windsor Jct. will be replaced.
- Florence & Hartland Drive streets in Grand Lake’s Brookhill Estates will be paved
- New sidewalks along the Beaver Bank Road from Danny Drive to Meadow are approved
- New Guard Rails along the Hwy #2 in Fletchers Lake will be installed.
  
On Feb 27th I had an opportunity to take part in two fun events.  The day started with a tour of the Aviation Museum that is located right here in District Two, I’m sad to say I hadn’t been there in many years and it is absolutely spectacular inside and a Must See for everyone.  Take the Highway up to the Airport and it is where the plane is sitting outdoors on the property on the other side of the highway from the Airport; it will be open this summer once again.   I then got to attend this years Winter Fest at the Oldfield Elementary School and promptly got thrown into the “mock” jail by the RCMP, at the request of students.  This was the second year in a row for this event and I am so pleased to see that it again was packed with kids and parents, and shows the huge support our area has for our schools, teachers, and staff – thanks to everyone who organizes and puts these events on. 

There are many highlights of being your Councillor - another fun event we hosted in early March was the Pre-Teen Dance held at the Grand Lake Community Hall. Thanks to all the volunteer Fire Fighters for chaperoning this event.
  
In early March we held an Open House and Public Presentation at the LWF Community Hall on a proposed Arts and Cultural Centre that could be built in the new CP Allen High School when it goes in at Bedford.  Many thanks to that Board for coming and presenting to our residents; this could be a great opportunity for our Communities to support and be involved in this project, and to build a facility within reach of future generations.  I’ve been attending their meetings for the past year and if you are interested in this Arts and Cultural concept please let me know.
  
On March 11th I was able to visit the Sackville RCMP’s Open House and appreciate their gesture of thanking residents for your huge show of support recently.  Right after that I attended the Public Announcement of DASC Industries (Dartmouth Adult Learning Centre) to build a new Centre in the Burnside Industrial Park.  As Vice-Chair of the HRM Grants Committee that turned the lands over for this project, I am thrilled to hear this announcement and that it is now underway.
  
By now, you have all heard something of the HRM’s Police Commission recommending taking away the RCMP from policing our rural and suburban areas.  After two contentious days of debate this Motion was defeated, and policing in the HRM will remain the same.  I voted and argued to keep the RCMP and the current status-quo in place and I did this for a number of reasons:
- we currently have the best of both worlds, two dedicated police forces that work extremely well together and push each other to be the best they can be, both forces working to their strengths.  We have enough real issues to deal with in this HRM, we don’t need to fix what isn’t broken.
- I was disgusted at how this was brought to Council, very suddenly and without due notice, and wrapped in secrecy without giving our residents the basic right to have their say.
- finally, this was presented as a way to save money and increase efficiency, but I spent 33 years in the RCMP and I know the figures and costs of policing, and I went over every single thing that was presented and I don’t believe for a moment that one cent would have been saved, and not one hour of police efficiency would have been created. I do firmly believe we would have lost our RCMP, and police services in the rural areas would have been crippled.
  
I do want to take this opportunity to personally say “thanks” to the hundreds and hundreds of residents who took the time to send in their messages and emails; please be patient as it will take a fair while to respond, but I will answer back to every single one as it was your support that allowed us to win this vote.
  
The same night as the Police vote, the Monarch/Rivendale Water Project came to Council for Public Hearing and Council vote.  This has been a year-long process with very expensive costs, Council did pass the project unanimously, and I am very pleased that water will be installed in these areas, however I do understand the costs involved.  We continue to work at trying to find funding partners and any means of reducing costs. On the HRM’s website, costs can be taken over 20 years, and if income is under, set amounts costs can be deferred. We are a long way from finished on this and will continue to try to find help with funding.
  
There are two Minor Sports registrations coming up very soon, both Scotia Soccer and LWF Baseball are holding registrations the end of March & early April. The sign board in front of the LWF Community Hall has dates and times for both, or you can contact me. 
  
Along the Sports line, the Waverley Sports Park Board is hosting an Open House Public Meeting at the Waverley Legion on Wednesday, March 24th, at 7:00pm.  Plans for the new ball-field will be unveiled, and there will be short presentations from the Shubie Canal Commission on walking trails, and the Cobequid Health Board on its Grand Day.  We are looking to hearing from you on future plans for the park, and as an added bonus I have cheques for all of our local Sports groups – details that night!
  
I would like to thank those people who applied for the Fall River Rec Centre’s Membership Selection Committee. We have a committee of three chosen and they are from Fall River Village, Lockview Road area, and Schwarzwald Subdivision.  Fairly shortly, we will be putting out ads looking for applicants to form the Volunteer Community Board that will take over operating the Centre. We will be looking for volunteers interested in operating the Centre in the best interests of the whole Community.  If you need more information or have any questions please contact me. 
  
Finally, there are two Open Public Meetings coming up later this month (March), if you reside in these areas:
- On March 29th at 7:00 at Shooters in Enfield there will be a Public Meeting in regards to HRM collecting Private Road Maintenance Fees for River Bend and River Court Roads.
- On March 31st at 7:00 at the Fall river Rec Centre LARA (Lockview & Area) is holding its AGM
  
Please slow down and watch for our children   -   Barry 

Barry Dalrymple
HRM Councillor District 2
Exec Director/Treasurer LWF Baseball Assoc
861-1171 (h)  222-0740 (c)
barry.dalrymple@halifax.ca

What is very obvious to virtually all of our District Two residents is that we pay the taxes like they do in the urban city with a slight suburban & rural discount but get little or no services in return, just a few examples:
- we all pay transit tax, the difference is that there are buses all over the urban area – virtually none out here.
- most of the urban areas have both city water & sewer, maybe 20% of District Two gets either and we have to pay for the installation of it ourselves
- All Rec Centres & rinks in the urban areas are paid for by General Tax Rates (everyone pays), out here we pay Area rates (only we pay for them) etc etc

This is obviously brutally unfair, I support and have argued for a new tax system based on three components and those are Assesed Value of a Home, Services provided and Income. The problem with the whole issue of Tax Reform is that ultimately there are more Urban City Councillors than there are Suburban & Rural ones so they will always hold the majority of votes, last week the 6 Dartmouth area Councillors voted against any kind of tax reform preferring the status quo. Ultimately they have voted against this because if we bring any kind of “Services Accountability” into the equation taxes out here where there are so few services would have to go down, that automatically means taxes in the city where all the services are would go up and urban Councillors are not going to allow that to happen. We continue to work away at this issue to try to bring some fairness to the mix.

DISTRICT BOUNDARY REVIEW

DISTRICT BOUNDARY REVIEW -  This issue has just begun to be mentioned in the media and so you are aware.  The HRM is mandated by the Province to review its governance and District Boundaries every 8 years and this review is due by the end of 2010.  I have volunteered to represent our Community Council on this Committee as I feel the matter is urgent for our District.  This review will determine the future size of Council, size of Districts and boundary lines of Districts as well as Governance issues.  As a member of this Committee I am committed to being neutral and & fair while we listen to residents comments and opinions on these issues and I certainly hear your comments pretty well every day in this regard.  Stage One covers Governance, powers of Community Councils, Committee’s etc and there will be 7 Public Meetings in February on these issues.  Our Community Council gets two of these (Sheet Harbour & Lawrencetown) and there will be a second set of Hearings in early Fall and one of those will be held here in this District.  Please come out and attend these meetings and give your informed opinion, there will be changes virtually no matter what.  The current mandate says that all Districts are supposed to be within 10% of each other on population, right now we have 22,000 people in this District while a number of City Districts are down around 13,000 or 14,000 – that cannot continue.

FALL RIVER REC CENTRE -  The HRM has decided that the Fall River Rec Centre should be run by a Community Volunteer Board instead of the HRM, much like the Beaver Bank one is operated.  After some discussions and negotiations I am completely in support of this plan but to make it work we urgently need volunteers to come forward who care for the community and will run this in the best interests of all.  Ads are being placed with local media outlets and please call me if you have any interest or questions.  The first step is that we need a Steering Committee of 3 residents who will work with HRM Staff to do the Board Selection Process, you will need to commit to one meeting a week from mid March through to the end of April, application deadline is February 19th.  We are looking for people who have some of the following attributes:
– involved in various aspects of volunteer service
– human resources knowledge
– leadership skills
– committed to benefits of recreation
Please call me if interested, I have information and application packages.

HRM SURVEY -  By now over 1,000 residents of District Two have received the HRM Service Survey & I implore you to take the time, fill it out and send it in.  While they are long they are very comprehensive and I can guarantee you that they will help to shape the future of this District and the HRM.  I will be reviewing the results from this District and it will definitely have an impact on knowing how you wish me to represent you in the future, please fill them out and get them in.

AREA TRAFFIC STUDY -  This Monday, Jan 18th the consultants that have been studying traffic issues in this District from Waverley thru Fall River and up into Grand Lake will be presenting their report to the Fall River Vision Committee.  This report includes many suggestions and solutions, both short & long term to area traffic woes and it covers roads and highways owned or operated by both the Province and the HRM.  Once its presented to the Vision Committee, HRM & the Province it will go to  HRM & Provincial Depts for review and will go to HRM Council for acceptance in February at which time it will be released to the media and to the public.  I have already requested HRM Dept’s to set up a Public Meeting in the area probably in March and we will post the place and date in all local media outlets.

DEVASTATION IN HAITI -  Last week a horrendous and devastating earthquake struck Haiti and we have all seen the tragic circumstances there.  In times like this Canadians have always come thru by opening their hearts & wallets to help out.  I am aware our local Fall River Lions Club has already sent a cheque for $500.00 to Lions International to help out and this week the Lions Christmas Express is sending another $500.00m thru the local Red Cross as our Federal Gov’t is matching all donations up to $50 million.   I am also aware the LWF Community Hall is donating proceeds from the upcoming Super Bowl party.  If you have the ability please extend a helping hand to aid the residents of Haiti.

Warmest regards, Barry

Before getting into whats underway I would like to pass on some richly deserved thanks to the following:

• To the design and re-build Board of the BBK Community Centre, a special thanks for a continuing huge effort; as of our meeting on Jan 14th we have a project design to take to HRM for approval and this includes significant additional space.
• Thank you to the Fall River & Beaver Bank Lions clubs for your continuing great work on the Christmas Parades – great floats, tremendous community support and perfect weather made it so wonderful for our families and kids along the routes, and I would like to personally thank our Mayor for attending the parade in Beaver Bank.
• To co-chairs Stephanie Dube & Bill Horne of the Fall River & District Lions Christmas Express, as well as to the many volunteers, sponsors, schools and Lakeview Homeowners who took part, this was the most successful year we have ever had – close to 100 families received the spirit of Christmas because of you.  To the Scotiabank ladies who came and packed food boxes and gave us a matching donation grant, thanks so much.
• We cannot thank Kathie and her group of dedicated volunteers with the Woodbine Family Association enough, another wonderful Christmas Dinner at the Brown hall which is quickly becoming a tradition.
• Finally, to all those who put on the New Years Levee’s (Waverley Legion, Beaver Bank Lions, Wellington Fire Hall, LWF Community Hall), thanks for the invite, its a great way to bring in a New Year with friends and family.

As we ended 2009, December was a hectic month. A few of the events that went on were:

• Our Marine Drive, Valley & Canal Community Council had its December meeting in Oyster Pond  and the Development Request for two new Maintenance/equipment Buildings for the Oakfield Golf Course was approved.
• Along with two other HRM Councillors I was able to attend a Biomass Tour & Presentation at the Agricultural College in Truro.  As a member of the HRM’s Energy & Underground Services Committee I was very impressed with the experimental work being done there on renewable energy ideas such as wood chip and grass pellets to be used in a mass scale hopefully here in N.S. soon.
• Our Parks & Rec Dept working with Public Works were able to move hundreds of loads of fill (donated by Ramar Construction) to Delaney Park in Beaver Bank. Land there is now being levelled and prepared and we are on target to build a new playground, park, and small trail this coming Summer, a long 5 year wait is getting close.
• For some of us that have been working for 10 years to build new ball fields in this District, Christmas this year brought an extra special present.  The Waverley Sports Park Board finally received the “Letter of Authority” from the Dept of Natural Resources. This was the final piece required and HRM surveyors are currently in the Park getting ready for a late Spring tender.
• Christmas also brought great news to the residents of Sunnylea Road in Wellington as we have finally worked out an agreement with HRM Planning to allow the developer to extend the road a few hundred feet and in return he will build the badly needed turning T at no cost to taxpayers.  Once this is completed in the summer, trucks, plows and buses will all be able to turn around in a safe and easy manner.

There were a number of projects that were advanced, finished, or started in December, here are some of those:

• COMPLETED – the process & approval for paving streets in Brookhill Estates in Grand Lake is now complete.  After Public Meetings and a 75% successful vote the HRM has given its approval and the letter to the Province giving the go ahead has been sent.
• ADVANCED – after Public Meetings and over 70% approval in a vote the Kings Road in Wellington request to have the HRM take over collection of Road Maintenance fees is officially on the HRM Council agenda for Jan 19th for approval.
• ADVANCED – after a series of Public Meetings and votes of over 80% approval in the Monarch/Rivendale areas of Beaver Bank on the installation of City Water the Dept Reports are done and the matter is scheduled to come to HRM Council for First reading on Jan 26th.
• INITIATED – On Dec 21st I attended an open Public Information Meeting with residents & reps from the River Bend & River Court Associations in Enfield to begin the process of bringing those private roads under the HRM’s Road Maintenace Fee collection program.  As of this week the Association has passed the 66% of votes required and this process is now underway.
• ADVANCED – as stated above, the re-design of the BBK Community Centre is mostly complete and ready to go to HRM for approval, this will add approximately 4000 sq feet to the building.
• SPECIAL THANKS TO THE HARBOUR EAST COMMUNITY COUNCILLORS
• At a meeting on Jan 14th, the 6 Dartmouth Area Councillors voted to donate $12,000.00 from their Capital District Funds to the rebuilding effort for the Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre.  This is a tremendous show of support and I will be thanking every one of them personally on your behalf at Council next week.
• DELAYED – sorry folks, the miserable, wet, fall prevented our efforts to get the bike park done at the Beaver Bank Commons but this is only a delay.  I have the funding in place and reserved for next spring.  Big congratulations to Wesley McNiel and friends who have raised another $4,000.00 for additions to the Skate Park in Beaver Bank, I have matched that with $4,000.00 from my Capital Fund and additional equipment will be ordered for the spring.
• ADVANCED – After many months of meetings with various HRM Depts, the HRM has admitted an error back in 1996 and has agreed to sell the Waverley Ratepayers/Museum building back to the Association for $1.00.  A letter of agreement is being drawn up and will go to Grants Committee and to HRM Council for approval asap.

The first 10 days in January have been busy, I am enthusiastic it shows a big year for this District; last week alone there were three Public Meetings on various topics:

• On Jan 11th the School Board held an Open House and presentation at Lockview High School on the plans to date of new proposed boundaries for Elementary School children for when the new Waverley Memorial School opens.
• On January 13th at Ash Lee School the HRM held a Public Information Meeting on its proposed policies in regards to future use of Wind Turbines in the HRM
• On January 14th the Province’s Dept of Natural Resources held a Public Meeting at Grand Lake on the re-development of Laurie Park.  I am getting a flood of calls & emails in this regard and just want to make you aware – this is a Provincial Park and this process falls under the mandate of the Provincial Dept of Natural Resources, the HRM has no authority or mandate in this matter.

HRM Council Meeting on January 12th
There were two important issues that were passed at last weeks Council meeting involving this District that you should be aware of:

• On my recommendation Council has agreed to start a Public Consultation process on the future use of lands in the fly paths of the Halifax International Airport.  I want this process so I can hear from you on your thoughts as to future development in these areas, for far too long we have failed to plan into the future, Public Meetings will be well published in local media outlets.
• ouncil also passed a Motion put forth by the North West Community Council (Sackville/Bedford) so that both myself and the Councillor for Hammonds Plains will join the 3 Counillors currently on this Community Council.  I will also remain on the Marine Drive, Valley & Canal Community Council so in effect will now be on two of them.  While it means twice the amount of meetings and extra preparation work etc the benefits and opportunities for residents of this District are large, I want to thank the Councillors from that Council  for this acceptance.

I realize this column is getting very long but I do want you to know what is happening in your community.  In a separate column I will be reporting to you with updates on the current state of Tax Reform within the HRM and on the District Boundary Review Committee and process, both have huge impacts on our area.

URGENT INFORMATION
In past years the HRM puts out a lot of its information material at its Service Offices in Alderney gate and Scotia Square, I have advised them over & over that does residents of District Two no good whatsoever.  To try to mitigate that I have grabbed boxes of important forms and information and I am bringing them to you.

On Monday night, January 25th at 7:00 pm I will be at the LWF Community Hall at 843 Fall River Road for an Open House, amongst other things I will be bringing with me:

• 2010 HRM Grant qualification packages and application forms
• 2010 HRM Volunteer Recognition Application forms

I am on both the HRM Grants Committee and the HRM Volunteer Awards Committee and can answer your questions, if you are a Community organization, Minor Sports Group or Not for Profit group please have someone from your group there.

In closing I want to urge everyone to support our local Legion in Waverley, did you know that every Friday from 11:30am to 12:45pm our Legion Ladies Auxiliary makes a fantastic Fish & Chips lunch and everyone is welcome, you will find me there most Fridays.  Happy New Year everyone.

I was also very honoured to have been invited to the Area Zone Banquet & Awards Night in Oakfield where I had the opportunity to present retiring Wellington Chief Peter Hawkins with a framed Certificate of Appreciation for over 25 years of Volunteer Service; thanks Peter from all of us.
 
I am also thrilled to have been able to advise the Fire fighters that evening that we have reached an agreement with Senior & retired officers to turn the old Station 45 (near Sobey’s) into an HRM Fire Museum, and they will begin moving trucks and equipment into the building next week-end with a target goal of a spring Grand Opening.  I believe a museum location in the heart of our community is a wonderful addition.
 
From fire to water, over 180 residents of Monarch/Rivendale sub/div’s in Beaver Bank attended the second Public Meeting on extending municipal water to listen to presentations by Halifax Water and HRM Dept’s and have their questions answered.  Survey ballots were sent out to residents on November 3rd and we will know by the end of November where we are headed in this project.
 
In the Fall River area the HRM is currently working on and upgrading the original cistern and piping at the Rec Centre and has put a tender out to install a 2nd cistern and filtration system to get water for showers and a better level of water supply.  In response to your many emails I have been assured by the HRM Dept that this partial solution does not preclude the HRM’s involvement in the only long term solution, which is bringing water lines down the Fall River Road to the Rec. Centre and our three schools.  In fact, for the first time I have been advised that there are already water lines in the ground from the Rec. Centre out to the road for eventual hook-up to water services.
 
October was a very busy month in many areas and was a very successful one for our District. I would like to pass on a few thanks to some of our organizations.
 
A few months ago I applied for and was appointed to the Shubie Canal Commission and am very pleased to see its work and successes on both water & land trails in our area.  After two years of planning with the Commission and many area artists this past 6 weeks resulted in the Board hosting five Canal Art Receptions, all the way from Maitland to Dartmouth and including the Advantage Frame in Fall River.  I was able to attend the events in Fall River and at the Fairbanks Centre and want to thank and congratulate all those who took part in a highly successful event.  I encourage all of our residents that are able, to get out and enjoy the beauty and history on these trails.
 
I also want to congratulate the parents, coaches, and kids of the Wellington Tai Kwon Do Club for their second Annual “Haunted House” presentation.  I believe over 800 visitors went through the tour and everyone agreed it was spectacular. A great job by all and thanks for the commitment of many hours to get this set up and put on.
 
Next I’d like to thank the Board members and volunteers of the Union Cemetery on a really successful year.  Anyone that has driven by the old cemetery on the hill on the Cobequid Road will remember for many years this was badly neglected and overgrown with woods & brush.  This group of volunteers has raised money, conducted research and planning, and have toiled all summer cutting brush, removing rocks, and planting grass and flowers.  The before and now pictures clearly show a terrific job and commitment.
 
I’d like to update everyone on a couple of recent paving projects, we are pleased that the paving of Pinebrook Street in Beaver Bank is now completed.  In Grand Lake we held a Public Meeting on a new and innovative way to finally pave both Hartland & Florence Streets in Brookhill Estates.  Close to 80 people attended to hear the presentation and ask questions; this is an area where three previous survey ballots failed to pass.  This time the final vote was 47 – 3 in favour of paving with 14 not returned which resulted in a 75% passing and I am happy to say that these streets will now go forward for paving for next year.  While I certainly understand the reasons for the votes against, it is weighed against the issues this has caused in the past with grading and plowing etc. and I am pleased to see it proceed.
 
As a person who has spent literally thousands of hours working towards obtaining desperately needed sports facilities in this area, October was a particularly gratifying month.  First I would like to thank and congratulate the Rocky Lake Board for sticking with it through many years of work; last week I was thrilled to attend their Grand Opening and this week the ice is open and operational and kids are playing hockey there.  I am proud to continue to work with and support future development there, and am happy to hear of planned National level indoor/outdoor tennis coming along with outdoor sports fields.
  
I am just as proud of the Waverley Sports Park Board for also staying with a long drawn out plan and was very happy to finally sign the “Letter of Authority” this past week which will now allow for the construction of the new ball-field at the Waverley location.  The HRM has committed $500,000.00 to the building of this sports field and we await the Provinces decision on their $250,000.00 towards the installation of lights.  As of next week surveyors will be on site and we will do final design work this winter and will tender the construction in early spring.
 
On a lighter side I think we all agree that all levels of Gov’t move at a snails pace and are fairly resistant to change.  Our Marine Drive, Valley & Canal Community Council recently made HRM history at its last meeting held at the LWF Community Hall.   For the first time at an official HRM meeting teleconferencing was  allowed so a family in Nfld could make an appeal to the Council, a small step but a huge boost to residents.
 
On a down side, the never ending rains of the past six weeks have delayed completion of a number of outdoor projects.  We were hoping by now to have the playground project at Delaney Park and the bike park at the Beaver Bank Commons completed but the soft ground and mud have prevented us from continuing.  If the weather will change before winter we are still planning on having the fill work done at Delaney and are hoping to complete the access road to the bike park prior to snowfall.  On both of these projects I have ensured that funding will stay in place until the jobs are completed.
 
To everyone looking for info on this years Christmas Parade please note:
- The Fall River Lions Christmas Express Parade will take place on Sunday, Nov 29th starting at 1:00 from the LWF Community Hall.  Donations of food items along the route is appreciated for the Christmas Express program, if you would like to make a donation to the Express please contact myself.

The Beaver Bank Lions Club Parade of Lights will take place the following Sunday, Dec 6th starting at 6:00pm from Barrett Lumber.
 
I am looking forward to exceptionally busy Council days in November & December; upcoming on the agendas are major items for our District including Tax Reform, future Transit plans and District Boundary Reviews.  I am certainly looking to help bring about badly needed change and fairness for all of our District in these areas.
 
On a more local note, HRM will be bringing forward a number of crucial studies and reports over  the next two months which pertain directly to our area.  The much anticipated Traffic Study with its recommendations (short & long term) will be released in December while the Shubenacadie Watershed Study will come out in January, along with these will come presentations and suggestions by the Fall River Vision Committee.  I have demanded extensive community consultations on these issues as they will all have long lasting implications on our communities and these will be advertised and announced early in the new year.
 
Finally I am pleased to announce that on Monday, Nov 30th myself and the RCMP will be hosting an open Town Hall meeting at the Fall River Rec Centre from 6:30 to 9:00pm.  There will be presentations and time for Q & A’s so please drop by.
 
Please feel free to contact me at any time, see contact info included in this publication.

Warmest regards, Barry       
 

I was very pleased to attend the HRM’s Volunteer Appreciation Night at the Harbourview Inn in Dartmouth and present awards to 6 District Two Volunteers of the Year and then the week after got to attend our District 2 Volunteer Awards Annual Dinner at the Beaver Bank Rec Centre, congragulations to all the nominees and to Bill Lockhart of Waverley for being named Volunteer of the Year.

I would also like to thank the Beaver Bank Community Awareness Association for putting on another tremendous Town Hall meeting, it was really well attended and the pictures of the future Vision of the Community really hit home, great job by all the presenters.

While the HRM’s budget debates begin this coming week we have already seen signifigent Public Works projects completed or put to tender, hopefully many more will be coming after the budget process and approval but to date a few of the items approved and/or completed are:

• new guard rails have been installed on Windgate Road between Windsor Jct and Beaver Bank Road, new guard rails are approved for highway 2 along Fletchers Lake.
• bridge repairs are approved for Waverley and also on Rossley Road and Robinson Drive.
• repaving of roads, Beaver Bank Road from Rossley to Tucker Lake and Richardson Drive in Fall River Village
• sidewalk extension on the Beaver Bank Road from Danny Drive north

Speaking of Public Works, we did have some of the worst rains and flooding in a very long time 6 weeks ago and road crews are still trying to catch up on the tremendous amount of wash outs. For any road issues and other various complaints and concerns please call the HRM service line # at 490-4000. This includes potholes and virtually all types of concerns, this number is manned by dispatch operators from 7am to 11pm all 7 days of the week.

We continue to work towards trying to find solutions to water issues in many parts of our District and in most cases the only real solution is City water. It is quite a process and we are trying to work on dual solutions. One is to continue to advance the process to bring city water to locations that need it and the other is to find a far better and easier process so that it isn’t near as long and difficult in the future. In all of these areas that are being worked on no decisions will be made without complete consultation with the communities affected.

While on the topic of long frsutrating processes we can certainly include rural transit expansion. This is a huge priority throughout our area and is an issue that I have spent signifigent time on and I believe we are making some progress. Many of you have emailed and called about the change in the transit tax that Council adopted a month ago. I realize that the press release made it look like an additonal tax was being added but that is certainly not the case, the transit tax that was approved last month replaces the old transit tax, it is not an additional one. Like most of you, I had no idea that we in District 2 have been paying a transit tax for many years with zero benefit to any of us in this area, that is absolutely unacceptable to me and I have stated that unequivocally to Council. The new transit tax system that was passed came after months of debate and many votes on various proposals, while it is not completely what I had hoped for it does actually lower the current tax that residents in this District pay and it does pave the way for future expansion of rural transit, it will also eliminate the extra area rated transit tax we pay in Beaver Bank. Its not the best deal but it is far superior to what we were paying for zero service.

I would also like to formally announce that the new baseball field complete with lights has been approved for the Waverley (McDonald) Sports Park and surveyors will be in the Park this week to begin preparation. Work will begin this Summer as HRM has approved in excess of $500,000.00 to have the field operational for next year. The Waverley Sports Park Board will announce dates for an Open House Community Meeting on the ballfield and park soon.

I am also very pleased to report that we are making great strides on a number of playgrounds throughout the District, continuing work started by our former Councilor the playground in Schwarzwald is now under construction and we have made excellant progress on the one at Delaney Drive in Beaver Bank. We also had a very enthusiastic start up meeting for the parklands in Lost Creek, a terrific turn out of people and the Association filled its various Board positions and have Fundraiser and Planning Committees in place, thanks to Larry and the Lost Creek Golf Course for offering use of the clubhouse for our meeting. For those folks in Lost Creek that aren’t aware yet please visit the website at www.lostcreekpark.com and if you would like to be put on their email newsletter please send your name and email address to jayandpaula@eastlink.ca or lostcreekpark@gmail.com

I have certainly had lots of inquiries about parks & playgrounds in other sub/div’s and communities, if you are interested please get a group together and email me and I would love to meet with your group and explain the process.

Last week a number of Community Groups got together at the LWF Hall and had a surprise Farewell function for Cst June Chiasson, our Community Policing Officer. June has been transferred to Ottawa and will be leaving within weeks, I know you will join with me in wishing her the best of luck at her new posting. A replacement officer has been named and will be here by the end of this month working out of the new Community Policing office at the Rec Centre.

Spring time is also about community fundraisers and I have been to many these past two months and always marvel at our communities ability to give and give to make this such a wonderful place to live, many many thanks to our local businesses and people for helping out, just a few examples of these events are:

• Wellington Driftclimbers Annual Auction & Dinner
• Oakfield Church Dinner & Auction held at the Oakfield Golf course
• Ash Lee Jefferson Auction and Spring Fair
• Holland Road Spring Fling

One thing many of us take great pride in is keeping our communities clean and again, examples of this are:

• 3 weeks ago the Fall River Ventures organized Scouts, Guides, Cubs, Brownies and Beavers into a huge community clean up. With over 100 participants they cleaned 11 roads, streets & locations while our Fall River & District Lions Club with support and sponsorship by Sobeys cooked hot dogs and supplied drinks, our Tim Hortons supplied all the tim bits they could eat.
• last week-end Capilano Sub/Div did its Annual community clean up, these folks have been at this for a number of years and certainly make a difference.
• also on-going for awhile is the annual clean up hosted by the Beaver Bank Community Awareness Association, this will be held on June 6th and I am pleased to be sponsoring their barbecue and drinks, you are invited to come out and help.

On this note I would like to point out that it can be very disappointing to those that work so hard so see, come garbage day the many places where bags are just thrown out on the side of the road for the crows and animals to break open and spread garbage all over. Please take the time to put your garbage in containers or under a blanket, please keep our communities clean.

One thing I would like to mention that rarely gets seen in the work done by various HRM Committees, while they are all important I can easily say that being on the Grants Committe is certainly a pleasure and especially at this time of year as many groups and organizations get much needed help. I was honoured and deeply touched by the Grants Committee decision to assist DASC obtain lands in Burnside to put up a new and bigger building, being able to assist with this terrific organization (Adult Learning Centre) is very rewarding.

Finally I would like to advise that I appreciate hearing from you and thank you for your patience. The next few weeks will be very full with the beginning of the HRM Budget debate and continuing with the HRM By Design process but I will certainly do my best to reply to any of your concerns asap.

February was a busy month with many happenings in our District:

Two weeks ago, we officially stopped the sale of the old Fire & the old Rec. Centre properties in Fall River . We received assurances both will be referred back to the Fall River Vision Committee, which is already consulting with the community for future uses of these properties.

Due to lack of community consultation, I had previously held the moving of the Cenotaph in Windsor Jct. I requested members of the Waverley Legion Executive and LWF Ratepayers Association to form a committee to give everyone a chance to voice their opinion. Last week an open Public Meeting at the Waverley Legion was held, with approximately 50 in attendance. The decision to move the Cenotaph was overturned by overwhelming choice. It will be repaired and remain at its current location.

I would personally like to thank the Cox family for being so helpful in allowing it to stay at its current spot in the yard of the Windsor Jct. School of Performing Arts.

I receive many emails and calls regarding extending water services. A Public Meeting was held in January at Ash Lee Jefferson with over 130 in attendance. As a result, a recommendation will be put forth to Council to extend the water boundary in Fall River. This is one small step in a long process. I will provide updates as we progress.

Extending the boundary in the Monarch/Rivendale area is another project underway. Again, this is the first step in a process. Residents will be given opportunities to voice their opinions.

Congratulations to the new Beaver Bank Recreation Committee, formed to re-vitalize the BB Commons (Ball fields & Park).

In January, they hosted a “Fun Nite at the Ball Park” event. There were games, hot chocolate, etc. but the main attraction was flooding the ball field and turning the big lights on, allowing evening skating. It was a huge hit with over 300 people taking part. As a result, the fun has continued on each Saturday night since.

We have slipped into March and hopefully a long difficult winter is almost over.

Two weeks ago, local Councillors again met with Public Works supervisors to update our efforts on snow and ice removal. It has been an exceptionally difficult year especially with all of the ice. The HRM had exceeded its total use of salt and sand for 4 of the past 5 years. Specific and general concerns were addressed as we strive to provide the best service possible.

This past Friday, for residents of Wellington, Grand Lake and Oakfield, I met with MLA Mr Paris and a resident of Acorn Drive to discuss ways of improving conditions for the balance of this year and next. We must not have another year like this one. We agreed the snow removal and ice sanding for the last two storms was much better than earlier in the season. We attribute this to the many calls we and you have made to DOT.

Everything of course is not all work. I have had the privilege of attending many great events this past month.

• School fundraisers like the Wine Tasting put on at Ash Lee Jefferson, where the set up and decorations were fantastic.
• The Kids Fun Day last week-end at Oakfield Elementary. Every classroom and bit of hall space was turned into games and functions. Outside, cars were parked as far as you could see. Special thanks goes to RCMP Officer Earl Dalphy for his fun participation.

A huge thanks to Cathy Nearing and the teachers & staff of the Holland Road Elementary school for inviting me to take part in the Grade 4 reading on “bullying”. Afterwards, we had a great discussion with the students.

• Thanks to the Beaver Bank & Fall River Lions Clubs for their open invitation to Friday evening suppers.
• Thanks to the Fall River Fire Dept for the honour of attending this years Banquet & Awards Ceremonies. Special congratulations to the award winners.
  I appreciated the warm hospitality extended by all, especially by Chief Mosher and Chief Currie. I know you all join with me in thanking all the men and women of our local Fire Departments for being there for us.
• A huge appreciation to Kathy Fougere and her group from the Woodbine Family Association, who rallied around one of our own who lost everything in a fire. The community stepped forward in so many ways. Kathy and her group worked tirelessly to organize and prepare a day of dinners, then worked well into the evening cooking, preparing and cleaning up. They raised over $2,000.00. All the while, being very polite and kind as MP Peter Stoffer and I stumbled around trying to do the serving.

I would like to acknowledge and thank all those who work so hard on behalf of our Churches. I am slowly getting around to each of them. Please feel free to let me know of any upcoming events. This past month I visited St Thomas Anglican with MP Mr Stoffer and MLA Mr Paris for a special kids event. I have attended a number of special birthday presentations at the St Johns United Church. I look forward to the monthly breakfasts at the Open Gate Church and was thrilled last night to see a packed Waverley Legion for the St Rose of Lima Annual Auction.

I would also like to thank the members and Executive of the Waverley Legion for allowing me to join and for doing the Swearing In Ceremony this past Thursday. I am very proud to be a part of an honoured organization.

I would be remiss if I didn’t pass on some general items for our area:

• We will making a formal announcement in approximately a month but I am very
  happy to tell you the Waverley Sports Park is now officially under way. We will begin construction of a new ball field there later this summer. There will be more information forthcoming.
• I have meet with many Departments and HRM staff on various road projects for the upcoming year. This week, I received the “planned” list that identifies the items that will be subject to upcoming budget discussions. I was very happy to see all of the planned projects for our District. Guard rails for Fletchers Lake and Windgate, more sidewalks for Beaver Bank, bridge repairs and road paving and repairs. I will provide more information as we progress.

I would also like to touch on one example of the terrific work being done behind the scenes on our Committees.

Over the past 3 months our HRM Grants Committee has worked with DASC Industries in Burnside on obtaining HRM lands in the Burnside Park, allowing them to build a
much larger and more modern building. This should eliminate the waiting list of clients and build hope for all that need it.

The mission of DASC, in association with its community, is to provide opportunities for adults with an intellectual disability and support them in realizing individual potential.

I am very pleased the Committee accepted my Motion to donate 70% of the land costs, which will allow DASC to purchase the needed land and begin construction. This item is going before the full Council this Tuesday night.

I would like to update everyone on the new Fall River Rec. Centre. There are still significant challenges to get everything working properly. Progress continues to be made and yes the clock will be fixed.

Security cameras have gone thru tender and will be installed.

A fence will be installed between the playground equipment and the fire bays.

Crosswalk traffic counts will take place in the Spring.

All items inside are being worked on.

The issues of lack of water from the wells and that they do not pass quality levels will not be solved easily or soon but they are being addressed.

There are many community events coming up and again too many to list them all, but here are a few:

• Thursday, March 5th 7:00 Public Information Meeting on Development request for Lost Creek – Beaver Bank Kinsac Rec. Centre
• Saturday, March 7th 1 – 4 pm Adult Crib Tournament – LWF Community Hall
• Saturday, March 7th 7 – 10pm Pre-Teen Dance Grand Lake Community Hall
• Wednesday, April 1st 7:00 Beaver Bank Kinsac Town Hall – BBK Rec. Centre
• Wednesdays 12:00 – 2:00 Seniors Academy LWF Community Hall
• Fridays, 11:30 – 12:45 Fish & Chips Waverley Legion
• Tuesdays 12:00 – 1:00 Seniors Lunch Brown Hall – Woodbine Family
  Assoc

EVENTS COMING SOON:

• Adult Table Tennis Nights – LWF Community Hall (watch for sign out front)
• Outdoor Ball Hockey League – coming this Summer
• LWF Minor Baseball Registration – end of March/early April
• March 29th – Pt Pleasant Park, Halifax Trek for Tourette’s (see separate article on district2news.com)

There is too much going on to include in this column, so I will list the various Committee’s that I attend (HRM & local) in the next one.

So much is happening throughout our District and in all of our communities, due to the incredible work our many volunteers undertake on our behalf. Did you know that a National magazine ranked Nova Scotians as having its citizens volunteer more hours per capita than anywhere else in the world? We are truly blessed to live where we do.

I do appreciate your patience. I acknowledge that I am normally behind in answering phone calls and emails, but you will get a reply. Please feel very free to pass along your concerns and thoughts. My contact numbers and emails are listed in these publications and can also be found on the HRM website.