Kid Construction Crew works on IPS new playground equipment

 

At the June 26th South Dundas council meeting, manager of public works Hugh Garlough made three presentations asking for permission to purchase some items and sell some items.

First on the docket was the request to purchase a single axle salter snow plow from Tallman Truck Centre in the amount of $171,703.09 plus HST.

According to Garlough, “this is a new 2013 model truck” and it is fully equipped.

As part of the request, Garlough explained that the new truck is over budget by $14,725.18 and he was, therefore, requesting approval for an increase to the 2012 budget allotment for the item. The extra money, he said, would come from the Fleet Replacement Reserve.

Up next, Garlough requested permission to purchase a backhoe loader from Nortrax in the amount of $82,650 plus HST.

This item came in under the budgeted amount of $100,000.

Tenders for both items were advertised in local newspapers as well as on the South Dundas website.

Following the approval of the new purchases, the question became what to do with the old truck and backhoe, which Garlough explained, are now surplus. He recommended that council approve the sale of the surplus items at Rideau Auctions in Winchester.

The surplus items for sale will include a 1993 IHC single axle snow plow salter and a 1994 backhoe loader. Proceeds from the sales will go to the Sale of Asset Reserve Fund.

All requests were approved, although not quite unanimously. Deputy-mayor Jim Locke, who hadn’t been on board with a new backhoe loader during budget talks, asked, “Did we decide on the backhoe?”

“Yes,” replied mayor Steven Byvelds, “you lost on that one.” 

[…]

Starting January 1, 2012, businesses were required to be in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA). Enacted in 2005, the AODA provides standards for accessibility in all areas of daily life.

Accessibility standards identify, remove and prevent barriers for people with disabilities in the areas such as Customer Service, Information and Communications, Employment, and Public Spaces. All businesses with one or more employees must meet a variety of mandatory requirements.

“Consideration of accessibility is not an option for a business. These days it’s a basic business practice.” explains Constance Exley, CEO of Accessibility Ontario. “We have an aging population and the numbers of Ontarians with a disability is increasing.”

Exley is one of two keynote speakers who will present at the 1st Annual South Dundas Business Summit, taking place on Thursday, February 26, at the McIntosh Country Inn in Morrisburg.

In its inaugural year, the South Dundas Business Summit will present a unique opportunity to hear expert speakers who will provide advice on accessibility for businesses. 

“The South Dundas Business Summit will provide business owners with a clear understanding of what they need to do to comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act,” explains South Dundas Economic Development Officer Nicole Sullivan.

“Businesses need to be proactive in their response to these changes in order to stay relevant to their customer base and to keep their competitive edge,” added Exley. “Accessibility does not need to be expensive or complicated, and there are many things you can do that are low cost or no cost.”

Exley’s workshop will specifically outline how accessibility can build profit, increase a customer base and facilitate employee engagement.

The AODA standards not only apply in the physical workspace, but also the web. 

Bernard Charlebois, Principal Consultant at Boumstrategies and Professor at La Cite Collegial, will speak on making websites and other e-business tools accessible to people with disabilities and the aging population.

The Business Summit is being hosted by the Morrisburg Downtown Business Improvement Association, the Municipality of South Dundas, the South Dundas Chamber of Commerce, and the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre. 

It is presented by the Ontario BIA Association, with support from the Eastern Ontario Training Board and the Government of Ontario. 

To register or to make accommodations in order to attend, please contact: Nicole Sullivan, Economic Development Officer 613-543-2673 or nsullivan@southdundas.com

[…]

 

A farmer’s brush fire set Saturday, along Ridge Road at Dundela, got so out of control South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services had to call in help from above to extinguish the blaze.

The fire to dispose of brush left over from land clearing lit Monday morning was out of control by 1-2 p.m. Monday, when firefighters were called in to try and extinguish the blaze which was starting to spread.

Iroquois, Williamsburg and Morrisburg firefighters were all on scene fighting the blaze from the ground.

“We had 1,600 feet of hose on the ground and we couldn’t get it under control said Chris McDonough, fire chief of South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services, who also reported that it was difficult to access the fire.

“The situation got really dangerous,” said McDonough. “Four guys were caught in a vortex, where there was fire all around them,” he said, of the very dangerous situation, that they managed to escape. 

However at that point, McDonough knew that drastic measures were needed to avoid injuries to the firefighters and to keep the fire from spreading.

“We had depleted all our resources,” he said, “We only had one truck left in Morrisburg, in case of some other emergency.”

So, about three to four hours after they were called to the scene, McDonough called in the Ministry of Natural Resources with their water tanker and spotter airplanes to extinguish the blaze that was starting to spread into an adjacent tree line towards the east.

The water tanker from North Bay was able to extinguish the fire in about four passes dropping a fire suppressant foam. 

“We were really fortunate to get the tanker,” he said. “Their turn around time between loads was 7-8 minutes. They did a really good job.”

One firefighter was treated by EMS for heat exhaustion and breathing issues.

The landowner, Alfred Ettlin, did have a burn permit, however the brush was piled in very large wind rows rather than piles. McDonough says these huge wind rows are the main source of the problem. 

“He had six rows (of brush) about 15 feet high and 500 feet long, spaced about 50-75 feet apart, so what was happening was the first wind row would start the next one, making it a very intense fire,” explained McDonough.

According to McDonough the farmer who owns the property will be responsible for paying for the cost of fighting the fire including the services of the fire bomber. 

The MNR rate for the services of the water tanker is $3,657.49 per hour. The required spotter plane costs $1,244.77 per hour and each load of foam dropped by the plane is $135.

[…]