Councillor’s Column – May, 2009
We are now well into May and Summer is coming quick, as April was Volunteer Month I would like to take one last opportunity to thank all the volunteers in our District for all their terrific work and efforts on our behalf.
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.