Hall will rise from the ashes

At the May 15th South Dundas council meeting, manager of recreation and facilities Don Lewis presented council with quotations for three tenders: playground equipment for three locations, interior painting at Matilda Hall in Dixon’s Corners, and a roof replacement for the Morrisburg dock washroom.

In his first presentation, he asked that council accept a quotation from Henderson Recreation Equipment Ltd. in the amount of $36,055.87 plus HST for the replacement of playground equipment in Winchester Springs as well as in two locations in Morrisburg: Rowan Drive and Coyle Drive.

Three companies were contacted by phone and all three submitted quotes. Henderson Recreation Equipment Ltd. was the lowest bid, providing free delivery and installation.

 The playground equipment is $1,500 lower than the allotted budget. The money comes from the Parkland Reserve fund.

In his second presentation, which focussed on the painting of the interior of Matilda Hall in Dixon’s Corners, Lewis requested that council accept a quote from Precision Painting Services in the amount of $5,090 plus HST.

Following advertisements in local newspapers and on the township website, five companies submitted quotes for the painting job. Precision Painting Services had the lowest bid. The Matilda Hall project came in approximately $1,000 under budget.

Lewis’ third and final presentation was for a replacement roof on the Morrisburg Dock’s washroom. According to Lewis, the project was advertised in the local papers and on the township’s website.

Out of the four companies that responded, Roof Works was chosen for its low bid in the amount of $3,300 plus HST. This project comes in at eight cents over budget.

[…]

 “Writing is something you either want to do, or you don’t want to. I have to write. It’s a passion, one that isn’t going away,” said Brian Howald, home in Morrisburg to discuss the launch of his new novel, Inside Looking Out.

Howald, a graduate of Morrisburg Public School, and, in 1982, Seaway District High School in Iroquois, talked about his writing career on October 31. 

He originally studied broadcasting at Loyalist College, then lived for a time in Toronto, working for a casting/modeling agency and taking part in the Toronto music scene. 

A move to Kingston in the late 80s led to work with Theatre 5, and some writing of music and film reviews for a small independent newspaper. He also took a full time writing course at St. Lawrence College, an option he found very valuable. 

Eventually, however, Howald was drawn to writing full time.  In 1993 he formed a company called Bookworm Literary Productions. For him, it was the best of both worlds; publishing books, with  ample time to work on his own writing.

His first book, The Chopper of Lucy Electra, appeared in 1996. 

It was “ a murder mystery which was set in both the Seaway of the 1950s, and partially in modern times.”  

Other articles and books followed since Howald does not restrict his writing to one particular genre. What ever strikes him as interesting, with potential as story material, that is what he will write about.

His 2011 novel, Inside Looking Out, is being launched at Bookworm in Kingston on November 11. Inside Looking Out, is set in the very early years of  World War II.

“I began exploring a lot of historical accounts of World War II, researching military engagements and doing a great deal of reading,” Howald said. “My story and characters grew out of this.”

Inside Looking Out follows two young men, one a civilian pilot contracted to the R.A.F.,  the other a soldier who did not make it out during the hurried evacuation  of stranded British troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in early June of 1940. 

The two men ultimately meet in a German prisoner-of-war camp, eventually taking part in a daring and desperate escape across occupied Europe to Denmark, and then Sweden.

“The characters of Pete and Terry came out of my research. They are as real as I could make them. For young men in their 20s war is a kind of ultimate adventure,”  the author said.

Howald stresses that his German characters are not “stick figures. This is a time when the Germans are at their most triumphant. They expect to win the war. I would call this story a dramatic thriller in the old style meaning of the term.” 

He did not deliberately set out to release the novel on Remembrance Day, but it is perhaps fitting that it will be available starting November 11.

Brian Howald is an old fashioned writer in one way. 

“When I write, I use traditional, spiral notebooks and I write long hand,” he laughed. “I do not like the “box”, my word for the word processor. I have people who are much better at processing my work than I am.”

His preferred writing venue is also a little unusual.

“I am far more comfortable writing in restaurants and coffee shops,” he said. “I actually prefer the noise and music that forms  the background in these places. I think I got used to that kind of ambiance when I was writing in Toronto.”

Howald is currently at work  polishing a new novel called The Spot Marked X, also tied into events of World War II, which should be coming out in 2012.

In the meantime, he continues to devote himself to a challenging but ultimately rewarding career. 

“Writing is not an easy choice in life. There are years spent writing a book, not to mention the endless editing and rewrites. But if this is what you love, you have to write,” he said.

Howald’s original novel Inside Looking Out should soon be available at the Seaway Pharmacy and the Basket Case, Morrisburg. Contact Brian Howald at brianhowald@rocketmail.com.

[…]

A snapshot of tourists in South Dundas: Generally, they tend to be adults, they come from within a 100 kilometer radius, are either here on a day trip or here visiting family and friends. While here, they want to enjoy the outdoors, cycle along the waterfront trail, visit Upper Canada Village, or maybe see the ships passing through the Iroquois Locks. While enjoying these activities they want to enjoy a fairly unplanned but truly authentic experience.

Having done all the research to create this snapshot of tourists in South Dundas, a project team of 10 people recruited from stakeholders in the local tourism industry, with South Dundas economic development officer Nicole Sullivan, have come up with at strategy which identifies what they believe the priority areas should be to successfully grow South Dundas’ tourism sector. 

“This is our stab at it,” says Sullivan. “What we need now is for the community to come and check out our strategy to help us determine if our priorities match the community’s.”

The team believes that the historical sector should be a top priority, followed by the arts and culture sector, the cycling sector, motorcycling sector and the fishing and boating sector.

“The historical sector is fascinating, as it can be used to enhance everything else, by adding to the visitor’s experience,” said Sullivan, who sees the historical sector as a natural top priority for South Dundas.

Using this list of priorities, the team is working on a draft Tourism Sector Development Action Plan and are wanting community input to ensure that they are working in a direction that suits the community’s needs.

Sullivan, along with members of the project team, will be hosting an event, called Our Passport to the Future: A Tourism Stakeholder Discussion Forum, November 29, from 5-8 p.m. at the McIntosh Inn, Morrisburg. 

“This is not your traditional type of public meeting,” said Sullivan explaining that it’s more of an open house forum whereby people are welcome to drop in at their convenience to see the plans and provide their feedback. 

The meeting will be set up in four stations with a facilitator at each station to listen and discuss with those attending.

“I really want it to be a relaxed atmosphere that will allow for discussions,” said Sullivan. “What we really need is feedback and comments about the priorities and a general feeling about whether our perspective matches that of the community.”

[…]