by Connie Tabbert
Editor
Honourariums to be discussed
COBDEN — What will it cost the municipality if residents were to form a committee and decide if there is a raise in honourarium for council of Whitewater Region Township?
That was the question to be asked of Bruce Beakley, the human resources manager at the County of Renfrew.
However, the question asked was how much would it cost if Mr. Beakley were to review the honourarium and provide an objective answer. That answer was $1,000 plus mileage, provided by chief administrative officer Christine FitzSimons.
CAO FitzSimons said she would ask the original question and send out an email to council with the answer.
Policy requested
Councillor Charlene Jackson wants a policy created on which staff members attend which conferences.
She noted there are many conferences held throughout the year that staff members would benefit from, and, there are also conferences staff members wouldn’t benefit from.
Councillor Chris Olmstead said CAO FitzSimons makes the decision as to which staff attend which conventions.
“She should know who goes when,” he said.
Coun. Jackson said the county has a policy and if a staff member wants to attend a conference, he or she would put in a request to the CAO and she would or would not sign off on it.
She wants CAO FitzSimons to review the county’s policy and bring it to council.
Reeve Terry Millar agreed that would be a good idea, this way council could review the document and see if it’s necessary.
Kyla’s Kids Program hoping for municipal funding
Hugh Martin and Dave Alexander spoke to council about approving funding for this year’s Kyla’s Kids program, which is held at the Beachburg Arena.
It was a program that began last year and was a success, Mr. Martin said.
“We had upwards of 78 kids participate,” he said.
He also brought along letters of support from parents.
Mr. Alexander was one of the coaches for the free hockey program. He was asked by Mr. Martin to help out and he agreed.
“It’s a great program,” he said.
Mr. Alexander knew Kyla, who died a couple of years ago.
“Kyla loved hockey and kids,” he said. “She was an assistant coach for two years.”
Mr. Alexander said there were no problems getting volunteers for the program. He recalled that on Day One of the program, there were 15 young people who had never been on skates.
“Within a month’s time, they were all skating,” he said.
The youngsters were not pushed to attend the program, Mr. Alexander said. Some of them came once or twice and were never seen again, he said. However, there are others who attended whenever they could, he added.
The youngsters have enjoyed learning to play hockey so much, that half the time they are learning and the other half they are playing a game, he said.
“It’s not about making them into hockey players, it’s about having fun while learning to play hockey,” Mr. Alexander said.
A survey was sent to the parents whose children participated in the event, and of the 78 children, 62 parents responded, Mr. Martin said.
He reviewed some of the statistics, such as 68 per cent were boys, 75 per cent would probably sign up to play in the hockey league.
“This was a program to help build their self image and self-confidence,” Mr. Alexander said. “They learned team play and fair play.
“All children were welcomed, even if they didn’t have the desire to play hockey,” he added.
When asked if the parents did any fundraising for the program, Mr. Martin said there was enough money there was no need to do that.
“We raised $6,000 through businesses and in-kind donations,” he said.
There was also a $1,500 contribution by the municipality, CAO FitzSimons noted.
Councillor Dave Mackay said he saw the program a few times and noted the children were having fun while learning.
Councillor Cathy Regier said, “I was one proud grandma watching my granddaughter.”
Coun. Olmstead questioned if there were sponsors for the program and Mr. Martin said between 15 and 20 were on board this year.
He’s hopeful of including information about the program in the tax bill to promote it more for this year.
Coun. Olmstead questioned if the program could be expanded beyond the Beachburg Arena.
Mr. Martin is hopeful this is a program that would expand beyond Renfrew County.
Council agreed the request of $2,500 will be reviewed during budget deliberations.
Mud hole not acceptable
The Taste of the Valley isn’t happening for a few more months, but planning must begin, CAO FitzSimons said. The first meeting will be in May.
One of the major decisions will be how to deal with the mud hole. She explained that last year the large rental tent really didn’t work because where it was situated became a large mud hole due to the unco-operative Mother Nature.
The Recreation Association has said it will charge the Taste of the Valley $2,500 a day to rent the parking lot.
She noted by doing this, the township is paying rent for a facility it owns.
CAO FitzSimons said the parking lot is the only area left that would bring the vendors out of the mud.
Coun. Olmstead said he will talk to Cobden Rec to see what the issues are and why such a large fee.
Fee review for community hall
The rental fee for the community hall in the municipal hall is under review.
Coun. McLaughlin noted the Cattlemen’s Association usually uses the Cobden Ag Hall for its monthly meetings.
However, there was a time when the hall was busy so wanted to use the community hall. The organization was charged $75, he said.
When Coun. McLaughlin used it for the Whitewater Historical Society, there was no charge.
“You can’t charge one without charging all,” he said.
Coun. Olmstead said he wasn’t familiar with this. He questioned why there would be a charge for certain groups.
“We need to lay out which groups are to be charged,” he said.
Coun. Jackson suggested not-for-profit groups use the hall. She believes there should be a minimum fee.
Reeve Millar said the fee should be scrapped since the township wouldn’t be out any money.
Coun. McLaughlin said no fee for the not-for-profit is fine, but there should be a charge for individuals who want to use it.
Mayor Hal Johnson said there needs to be something in writing regarding this room.
Coun. Jackson felt staff should review the situation and bring a recommendation to council.
Coun. McLaughlin suggested $20 for the night.
CAO FitzSimons said there have been no problems before the Cattlemen’s situation. The bylaw could be amended to say not-for-profit would be excluded from paying.
The bylaw could be left as it is and only charge if it’s a private group renting the room, she suggested.
Hoping to keep Cobden’s beach open this year
There are two opportunities for summer jobs at the Cobden Beach this year.
Council passed a motion from the recreation and culture committee that two positions be advertised — one is a swim instructor and the other is an assistant swim instructor.
The discussion about the swim program also included how to keep Cobden beach clear of the fowl feces.
Last year there was a myriad of problems at the beach and they began with the cancellation of the swim program, noted CAO FitzSimons. In order to have a swim program, a certified Red Cross instructor must be hired, and that’s not an easy person to find, she said.
Once the seagulls and geese realized many people weren’t spending time at the beach, they took it over, she continued.
The township received several angry emails and phone calls, she added.
The beach was eventually closed by the health unit due to E.coli and the blue green algae bloom occurred, CAO FitzSimons continued.
“The E.coli was exacberated by the bird droppings,” she said. “There wasn’t much we could do about the algae bloom.”
She suggested there be a pay increase for the swim instructor to $15 an hour and $11.50 an hour for an assistant.
The two people running the swim program could also keep the beach cleaned, she said.
They also do prep work for the program and get the beach house ready.
Elmer Winters opens and closes the washrooms, as well as cleans them and keeps them stocked, CAO FitzSimons said.The two people would work throughout July and August with a cost to the township of about $5,000, she noted.
Accessibility still in the works
There is plenty of work to be done to make the municipal buildings accessible to all.
Staff managers Doug Schultz and Steve Hodson have been working together on reviewing the buildings and making a plan to get them up to snuff.
The previous council agreed work on the tourist booth should be a priority since it’s what the public sees, Mr. Schultz said. The drawings are being done for the upgrade, he added.
This year, the Foresters Falls Library is being renovated and expanded and the municipal hall parking lot and rear door are being upgraded, Mr. Schultz said.
CAO FitzSimons noted there is “an awful lot of accessible work to be done.”
Mr. Schultz said by 2021 all municipal buildings have to be accessible, or, at the very least, show there is a plan and it’s being worked on.
He suggested an arena be next on the list to be made accessible. He also suggested a decision be made on how to deal with all of the arenas be made.
Coun. Jackson suggested arenas be put on hold and be included in the asset management plan.
Who will take care of the township’s parade float?
The township float used in parades seems to be causing havoc with council.
No one wants to take repsonsibility for it, and that was proven when it was left out in the snow all winter.
There was also discussion about the township’s banner on the float, which is beginning to look tattered.
Coun. Jackson noted there is a world kayak event in the township this year, and possibly the banner could be made so it can be used at various events.
She said it could even be hung up in the township’s villages to advertise events.
CAO FitzSimons said the Taste of the Valley banner was made so that the main name remains, but other information can be stripped off and replaced.
She will talk to Rick Kasaboski about the banner.
However, the discussion on the float still hasn’t been resolved.
Coun. McLaughlin said in January 2014 he put the float away and then declined being in charge of it.
“I’m still not interested in being in charge of it,” he said.
Coun. Jackson questioned if council would participate in the St. Paddy’s Day Parade in Douglas, but there was no one to take care of the float.
Questions arose as to who would decorate it.
“Do we give employee time to do it,” she questioned.
It doesn’t just have to be council, Coun. Jackson said.
Coun. McLaughlin noted he and former councillor Jacob Rook started the the float by constructing a rack for the banner and using a haywagon. That looked shabby and was difficult to decorate, he said.
When asked if public works employees could get the float out of the snow and into a dry place, Bill Misener said his guys are swamped.
CAO FitzSimons said since she arrived two years ago, the float has always been a “contentious” issue. Employee Talie Moore has been decorating it, but she has no time for it now.
“Who’s in charge of decorating it,” she questioned. “Staff does not want to do it.”
Coun. Jackson suggested tabling this discussion and find out what other municipalities do to participate in parades.
She wanted to know if Ms. Moore was given time in lieu of or did she volunteer her time.
This float is an economic development opportunity, Coun. Jackson said. It’s important the township continue to get its name out and about in whatever way it can, she added.
CAO FitzSimons said Ms. Moore used staff hours and she agreed it’s important to continue with economic development.
CAO FitzSimons will work with deputy-treasurer Erica Rice to see what can be done about decorating the float in the future.
However, it was a no for participating in the Douglas St. Paddy’s parade.
