Iroquois waterfront plans received by South Dundas council

“Nicole certainly has some good ideas on how to revitalize this committee,” said South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds, “She’s certainly not letting it drop off.”

South Dundas economic development officer Nicole Sullivan presented council with recommendations for reformatting the structure of the Economic Development Advisory Committee during the July 17th council meeting in Williamsburg.

Council agreed with Sullivan’s recommendation that they turn from an Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) structure and move to an Economic Development Advisory and Project Teams (EDAPT) structure.

The switch will allow for one advisory team that oversees the various project teams. 

One of the benefits of EDAPT, said Sullivan, is that “it helps us to include participants who might not otherwise have wanted to commit time.” 

Project teams have defined parameters with specific goals. People who might not normally join an advisory team due to its broad scope and large time commitment, might now join a project team with a specific time frame and an agenda that interests them personally, thus bringing in new ideas and perspectives.

According to Sullivan, the South Dundas Economic Development Advisory Committee met on June 13th to discuss and formulate a forward action plan in relation to suggestions made in the South Dundas Economic Development Strategy Update, adopted by council on June 5th.

During the meeting, the committee identified four initiatives they feel are priorities for South Dundas.

The identified initiatives include:

• Develop a tourism strategy

• Develop and continually update marketing and investment attraction materials

• Develop a more tourist-friendly community

• Identify what brand works best, and fully engage the brand

The bottom two initiatives will be focussed on internally by Sullivan herself, while the top two initiatives will be divided and addressed by two separate project teams.

Currently, the Tourism Strategy Project Team consists of Donnie Bowes of Upper Canada Playhouse, Michael Burton of Russell Manor, Sally Francis of Iroquois Marina, Susan Le Clair of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission, Hanna Rycroft of the Basket Case Gallery and Café, Tom Morrow of the McIntosh Country Inn, Linda Wilson of Cornwall and the Counties Tourism, and South Dundas councillor Jim Graham.

The Investment Attraction Materials Project Team consists of John Allison of John Allison Real Estate, Stephen Law of Iroquois, Mark Miron of the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario, Steve Walsh of Udder Comfort, and South Dundas councillor Evonne Delegarde.

The Advisory Team consists of EDAC chairperson Mart Prost, director of South Dundas Chamber of Commerce Michel Proulx, South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds, and the chairs of each of the two project teams.

Sullivan is also a member of each of the three teams. 

Anyone interested in joining one of the teams should submit a statement of interest along with a detailed synopsis outlining their reasons for joining and their unique qualifications to nsullivan@southdundas.com.

[…]

A “training video” released virally on YouTube this week shows how easy it is to train for the Winchester District Memorial Hospital Foundation’s September 8 fundraiser, the Heel ’n Wheel for Local Cancer Care.

The training grounds in the video are right in front of WDMH, in the roundabout, but your training grounds can be anywhere. Staff organizer, Christina Enright, said, “you can walk or bike a little or a lot; in your own backyard, or through the streets of your hometown.”

“However you choose to train, we’re encouraging you to get moving, because we want you to enjoy this event with no pain, and lots of gains!”

“We hope that this funny video shows people that they can still have fun while they’re training,” she continued.  

The video features several current and former Winchester Hospital Heelers (occasionally in costume), Janet Hutt, Tanya Keats, Heather Harper, and WDMH Dietician, Lisa Raoul Watt, along with some neighbours and friends.  Check it out on YouTube under the name: Training Laps for the Heel ’n Wheel.

To start your own walking club or cycling group for the event, you first have to register yourself or your team at heelnwheel.ca.  

Then, to get your team active, you can easily make a phone or email tree, and reach out to your teammates to arrange your weekly training walk or bike ride.  

Or, you could mobilize on Facebook or on the Heel ’n Wheel event website, where there are tools that will get you talking and moving in preparation for the event.

The event will be held on September 8, 2012. There are seven starting locations including Greely, Osgoode, Russell, Crysler, Finch, Morrisburg and South Mountain. This event is open to all ages. 

The Heel ’n Wheel will wrap up in the early evening with a celebration barbecue in front of WDMH, complete with musical entertainment, children’s activities, and a presentation of awards.

[…]

Although it has experienced a solid test run since July of 2011, Upper Canada Playhouse’s new addition, containing an attractive and versatile box office and new administrative offices for Playhouse staff, was officially opened on Friday, February 17, 2012.

“We decided to wait until now to officially open it,” said artistic director, Donnie Bowes, “to coincide with the opening of our first show of the 2012 season, the hilarious comedy, The Foursome.”

Upper Canada Playhouse is one of Ontario’s most successful theatres. To accommodate its growing audience and the increasing number of shows the Playhouse is presenting in a season, the theatre had to expand its facilities.

“The box office is a separate part of the theatre at the west end, conveniently connected to the main lobby where audiences enter the theatre at show time,” Bowes explained. “The box office is a spacious, customer-friendly area with plenty of seating and three efficient areas to book tickets. It also provides new offices for our administrative staff. They appreciate the increased space.”

This new facility has drawn rave reviews from the public and the staff.

The original box office, located at the east side of the Playhouse, was directly attached to back stage and production zones. As Bowes joked with his guests, “people waiting to buy tickets might have to dodge stage crew carrying planks and sets through the area.”

The Playhouse addition was built by Swank Construction.

Following this new addition, the Playhouse is preparing to enter phase II of its expansion project: development of the production department’s storage space which the theatre’s increased programming demands. 

South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds, on hand with other dignitaries to help cut the official ribbon, said that the new addition was a real asset to the theatre.

“It’s great that we were here to celebrate the opening of this box office,” he said. “Upper Canada Playhouse has experienced phenomenal growth and is a vital part of the South Dundas community. We look forward to continuing to work with the Playhouse.”

Following a brief reception, Bowes invited members of the South Dundas recreation and economic development committees, as well as Playhouse board members and councillors back stage for a quick look at the outstanding sets  under construction for the March 16 opening of the riotous Norm Foster golf “classic,” The Foursome. 

“March is a new time slot for us, and we can’t think of a better show to start the season and  officially open our new box office than this  comedy production,” said Bowes. 

[…]