Councillor’s Column – March, 2010

I would like to start this column by reminding all of our residents that with Spring arriving, I can already see speeding in our subdivisions and on our residential roads increasing and quickly becoming a concern; I have already asked the RCMP to step up radar patrols in the area as enforcement seems to be the only answer to slowing people down, please slow down.
  
As January ended, we held a Public Meeting at the Ash Lee Jefferson School, to gather information for HRM to generate policy in regards to wind power. This has been a slow process but we are making headway through our Energy Services Committee. 

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