Over 6 tons of food collected during OPP Auxiliary drive

Joy and Leanne Casselman of Old Homestead Farm welcomed several two-legged and four-legged guests to their farm September 11, when the Giddy-Up for Bonnie fundraising ride passed through South Dundas. The seven people, and eight horses, were riding from Lindsay to St. Andrew’s West, to raise funds for a dear friend battling cancer. The 440 kilometre journey, included most of the group on horseback, with a team hitched to a covered wagon. Joy was thrilled that the group found her farm, where they camped for the night. The organizer of the ride had driven the back-roads route a few weeks before, stopping at various farms suitable to overnight the camping riders’ horses. They were here on day 12 of their 14 day journey. The ride was more challenging than they anticipated. However, making it a little easier were the people they encountered along the way.

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   Fire chief Chris McDonough of the South Dundas Fire & Emergency Services is crediting a working smoke detector with saving the lives of residents of Unit 33 in Hill’s Trailer Park at an early […]

The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry and the lower-tier municipalities within it are working on agreements that will change the snowplowing service to some area roads.

In April, SDG’s eight contract plow routes expired. 

Rather than re-tendering the routes, the SDG is proposing to contract certain roads to local municipalities. This will eliminate the need for three contract trucks, and even with the compensation that will be provided to municipalities for their services, a savings of $165,000 could be realized over the five year contract term.

“There will be changes in the level of service,” said South Dundas manager of public works Chris Bazinet. Local municipal roads have a lower minimum maintenance standard than County Roads, so the roads changing from Counties to municipal snowplowing services will see a lesser level of service.

Those roads likely to change hands in South Dundas are County Road 4 (Lakeshore Drive), County Road 1 (Carman Road) south from County Road 2, and County Road 40 (Stampville Road). 

South Dundas would receive about $20,000 financial compensation. 

Two sections of County Roads in South Dundas will see new snowplow service providers if this plan comes to pass. The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville will take over plowing SDG County Road 2 from Marine Station Road to County Road 1 and SDG County Road 18 from Byker Road to County Road 1. In exchange, SDG will plow a Leeds and Grenville section of County Roads 43 and 20.

“The proposed plan represents a significant change to the winter maintenance operations and will result in measurable savings with minimal impact to the overall service provided by the County,” said Ben deHaan, SDG County Roads engineer. 

“It’s a great plan,” South Dundas deputy mayor Jim Locke told South Dundas council when he provided his regular County council update to South Dundas council, May 19th. “It’s common sense.”

South Dundas mayor Evonne Delegarde added that Riverside Drive is being considered for a change in service too. She said that it would be plowed by the Counties rather than the municipality of South Dundas. 

If that happens, Riverside Drive residents are likely to see a higher level of service than in the past.

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