Briefs from the August Whitewater Region Township council meeting.
In a letter to council, Curtis Bulmer questioned when the dock area would be spruced up. When he wrote the letter, he had been advised the bumpers for the wharfs had been ordered but were not in.
He further noted the boards continue to fall off when people dock and many are missing as well, although he has been advised they have been saved and will be put back up. He also wanted to know when the weeds on shore would be mowed down.
“I am embarrassed to say that I live in Cobden as for the state of the beach and boat launch,” Mr. Bulmer wrote. “Many tourists stop at the Chip Pit and then walk down to this area, only to find it in poor shape; not good public relations for the village, especially on Hwy. 17.
“How come Whitewater has such difficulties in looking after this area?” his letter concluded.
Chief administrative officer Christine FitzSimons noted the boards will be replaced when the water level drops. As for the bumper material, it has been delivered and when public works staff are able, they will be attached to the wharfs.
Disgruntled taxpayer
Calvin Ciphery submitted a variety of complaints to council. The complaint started with: “Attn: Who is running this over-run township the CAO or council get off your high horses and manage it properly. We do not need more managers.
He continues with the poor conditions of area roads due to pot holes; the high fees at the landfill site and the fact there is garbage pick-up when it’s not wanted. Mr. Ciphery suggested the township use clear plastic bags so that if recyclables are in the bags, they won’t be picked up.
He ends the letter with, “Council is not properly managing our taxpayers dollars. We the taxpayers voted you’s in, we will (vote) you’s out.”
When council finished reviewing the letter, Councillor Joey Trimm said, “Since we do make complaint forms available, they can’t just be read. There has to be some kind of response.”
He’s not sure how to answer it, because Mr. Ciphery is only talking for himself, which is one person out of how many within the township.
Ms. FitzSimons will respond with a letter, but with so many items in one letter, she wanted guidance from council as to how to deal with the letter. She noted she will draft a letter, let all of council read it, and then send it to Mr. Ciphery.
Reeve Don Rathwell said in response to the waste management system, he believes it’s working well for the municipality. He suggested writing there is no plan on changing how waste is handled within the township.
Coun. Trimm and Reeve Rathwell said giving council an opportunity to review the letter prior to being sent out is a good idea.
Deputy-Mayor Izett McBride was upset with the letter.
“This whole letter jarred me,” he said. “There were some personal shots that were not appropriate.”
Mayor Jim Labow agreed, saying some comments “were very close to slander and libel.”
Department Briefs
Public Works
Coun. Trimm is pleased with how the township’s new brush cutter head operates.
“I saw it working at the Westmeath dock and I’m impressed,” he said.
Ms. FitzSimons advised council that for the most part the township’s road signage is not passing the reflectivity testing.
In a report from public works manager Bill Misener, it was noted 867 signs were tested, as well as 694 posts/supports checked. Of those, 404 signs received a pass; 138 signs received a war and 325 signs received a fail.
At this time it was brought to our attention that the “Engineer Grade” material used for certain signs is not meeting the high intensity standards therefore all signs will have to be ordered with the “High Intensity Grade” material that we order for required regulatory signs like stop signs, major curve signs etc
A considerable amount of money will need to be budgeted for next year to bring the signs up to code, Ms. FitzSimons said.
While Councillor Allen Dick suggested the manufacturer should be responsible for replacing the signs that aren’t up to code, Ms. FitzSimons said it’s due to new regulations the signs aren’t meeting code.
“The reflective standards have been upgraded,” she said.
Ms. FitzSimons said she will investigate if there is a time period to meet the new standards, hoping it can be done over a few years so it’s not a large outlay of money at one time.
Fire
The new truck is now in service and is at the Westmeath Station. Staff has been trained.
Coun. Trimm questioned when there will be an auction for surplus vehicles. He is hopeful they won’t have to be wintered at the Ross garage site.
Ms. FitzSimons said there is more equipment than just trucks. She will get a list together and see if they will be auctioned or tendered.
Building
There were 19 building permits in July, with a construction value at $823,659.00. The permits included one single family dwellings, five single family additions, four demolition permits, two septic permits, five accessory buildings and two agricultural.
Staff has been working on severances, minor variances building permit
and the Wren subdivision file.
We are working on a tender package for the Beachburg Arena roof installation.
Environmental Services
In his report to council, manager Steve Hodson noted the 163 refrigerated appliances at the Ross landfill site were pumped, tagged and recycled. The John Deere loader crawler for the site should arrive sometime in August.
