Traditional food fare and much more at upcoming Food Lovers’ Field Days

A dramatic last minute change of heart saved the former Morrisburg Collegiate Institute restoration project from being scrapped and the historic building from being slated for demolition.

After deferring the decision from the August council meeting, the final decision took place at the September 4 South Dundas council meeting. 

By the slimmest of margins South Dundas council voted to pursue the renovation of the old high school in Morrisburg.

At the meeting when the mayor first returned discussions to the table after the deferral, the majority opted to start over with a new plan.

When the mayor asked each council member to state their position for discussion before the final vote, deputy mayor Jim Locke and councillors Evonne Delegarde and Archie Mellan were in favour of scrapping the renovation project, tearing down the historic building, and starting the process from scratch with a view to constructing a new, smaller building.

Locke said, “I’ve done a lot of thinking on it, and I’ve come to the firm conclusion that it would be in the best interest of our taxpayers to invest in replacing the three storey portion of that building.” 

He suggested tearing down the old high school and building a much smaller new building to accommodate the municipality’s needs, excluding the library.

The relocation of the Morrisburg library branch to part of the vacated Morrisburg clinic space was one of the planned spin-off projects of the renovation.

Councillor Graham, who was firmly in favour of the restoration of the former Morrisburg Collegiate Institute at the August meeting, did not change his position.

He explained that, although it is a big project with a lot of money involved, in the worst cased scenario, the municipality will be looking to finance about $2 million, once the income from the agreement with the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic doctors and other internal funding allocations are taken into account.

“If we are lucky enough to be successful in our grant application, then we will only be looking for $1 million in our budget,” said Graham. “I don’t think we can afford to build new.” 

In his estimation, with a new build they would be looking for much more from the municipality’s budget. “Our budget couldn’t sustain $7 million. Restoring that building is the best thing, and the right thing to do for this community.”

The August 14 report to council showed that a new build of a 25,000 square foot building would likely cost between $6 and $7.5 million.

Councillor Delegarde continued to support a new build.

“The gap between rehabilitating the old building and building a new building is down to about half a million dollars to me,” she said explaining that she would like to see a 15,000 square foot one storey building like that of South Stormont.

“She’s a grand old, well built building, but I think it’s time we say goodbye to the old girl and build new,” said councillor Archie Mellan, who was struggling with this difficult  decision.

With three council members sharing the same opinion, South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds said that although it appeared he was not going to get the opportunity to break a tie vote, he still wanted to make his opinion known.

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“I have faith in the work that has been done, in the skills of the firm, in the engineering that has been done and in the building,” said Mayor Byvelds. 

He added that resetting the project for a different one and delaying it for at least another year was a major challenge for him, and one that he took seriously into account through his decision making process. 

“I am disappointed to see council going in the direction they are going,” said councillor Graham. “If you do this, we’ve lost all the money we’ve put into the studies and plans, and are adding demolition costs. And, now what do we do for the doctors? If we do this, we could be looking at delaying having something for them two to three more years down the road. With this decision, we would be throwing a lot of money out the window.”

Councillor Archie Mellan then spoke up. 

“I’ve changed my mind on this six times today and I’m going to change my mind again,” he said. “I’d hate to see us lose that old building. I want to see the old high school kept. I’m not going to let her go. I say rehabilitate it. Let’s keep the old high school. I’m not going to change my mind again.”

After a recorded vote, requested by Delegarde, Mayor Byvelds said, “I know this was a challenging decision, but now we have voted as a council to move forward with this project.”

“I will support council’s decision 100 percent through this project,” added deputy mayor Locke. “We all ride the horse in the same direction, that’s the only way this works.” 

Council passed a motion to allow staff to negotiate with Robert J. Bourgeon & Associates Ltd., the contractor that submitted the lowest bid of $3,857,000 to get the renovation project started.

[…]

On September 6th, South Dundas councillor Archie Mellan raised the issue of a back-up generator for the Williamsburg waste treatment plant.

According to Mellan, “the previous council had recognized the need for one and had set up a plan to set aside money over a five year period to purchase one.”

He suggested that council  “should go ahead and finance the generator – sooner rather than later.”

Manager of Public Works, Hugh Garlough, agreed saying he would meet with Treasurer Shannon Geraghty to determine how much money has already been set aside versus how much it will cost to buy one.

Geraghty stated that he believed, but would need to verify, that council had been putting $8,000 aside per year for three years. He went on to estimate the cost being somewhere in the vicinity of $40,000.

Mayor Steven Byvelds ended the discussion saying, “Let’s see if we can find the dollars to do it.”

Mellan informed the Leader later that “council felt it would be better to be proactive on this matter to try and avoid a situation where a power outage could cause a problem for the residents of Williamsburg.”

“It should be noted that Morrisburg’s new waste treatment plant and the water plant have back-up power and Iroquois’s new waste treatment plant will have back-up power when completed.”

[…]

 

“We serve” is the Lions International motto, established back in 1917 when the organization was first founded.

That same philosophy of service to the people and institutions of the community of South Dundas has been part of the spirit of the Iroquois-Matilda Lions club for 65 years. At a unique and very special evening, Saturday, October 27, at the Matilda Hall, the Lions are inviting the entire community to join them for a celebration of their more than six decades of service to South Dundas.

There are currently 36 active members of the Iroquois-Matilda Lions, led by 2012-13 president Steve Wilson. 

“We really have three objectives for our 65th Charter and International Night on October 27 at the Matilda Hall in Dixon’s Corners,” Wilson said. 

“First, is to celebrate the 65 years the Lions have served this community. Second, is to offer our guests a delicious meal and some outstanding entertainment from the comedy team of Bowser and Blue. And third, we hope to raise funds for the Glaucoma Society of Canada.”

Wilson explained that the gala is linked to the “sight mandate” of Lions International.

“Lions have always supported sight related causes. We felt that raising funds during our celebration for the Glaucoma Society was the perfect fit for us. Ruth, wife of Lion Paul Robertson, has glaucoma. She and Paul have become strong advocates of raising awareness about glaucoma, and helping in the search for a permanent cure.”

Quite aside from the good cause the Lions are supporting, guests at the gala can expect to enjoy a wonderful evening of great food and sparkling entertainment.

The Lions are definitely bringing in some stellar talent for their anniversary.

George Bowser and Ricky Blue, the team of Bowser and Blue, have been A-list entertainers since they first created a professional partnership in 1978. Musicians and comedians, they have performed in concert halls and theatres across Canada: since 2007, they have headlined in the Canadian Snowbird Extravaganza concert series across North America.

Regularly guests at the Just for Laughs comedy festival, Bowser and Blue can often be seen on CBC television and the Comedy Channel. Their Christmas CTV special, “Two Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” was nominated for a Gemini award. 

They have recorded for Supertramp’s Rick Davies, created  a number of sold-out musical comedies for Montreal’s Centaur Theatre, and collaborated on 12 CDs. 

For the Iroquois-Matilda Lions, Bowser and Blue have promised an evening of rip-roaring music and comedy that will leave gala guests “rolling in the aisles.”

The Lions hope that all members of their South Dundas community will come out to support their 65th anniversary celebration next week. 

“Groups like the Lions are a vital part of the community,” said president Steve Wilson. “In a time where membership in service groups is declining, and many groups have been forced to end their organizations, it is important that the community encourage and support the Lions, who truly are dedicated to serving those less fortunate than themselves.” 

There will be a silent auction, a dinner, catered by Ruth Wells, and a draw prize of three nights in Quebec City at the Fairmont Le Chateau, Frontenac. 

Tickets for the gala 65th Charter and International Night celebration on Saturday, October 27, at the Matilda Hall in Dixon’s Corners, starting at 5 p.m., are $50 each, and are available from Lions club members or from Mustard’s Variety in Iroquois.

[…]