Month: August 2014

A water system repair that was planned for 2015 had to be done much sooner than expected.

A detailed investigation, including an exploratory dive, revealed that while the cribbing and water intake line were in good condition, the chlorine intake line and diffuser were severely choked to a point where their performance was compromised. 

The result was a $40,000 repair  that was completed in July.

This unexpected hit to the water and sewer budget was not the only one.  Recently, an electrical engineer identified the electrical plan at the Williamsburg Sewage Lagoon as a significant risk of major injury. “Given that municipal employees regularly access the panel to replace blown capacitors, it was decided to proceed with the engineer recommended repairs immediately,” said Chris Bazinet, manager of public works in a key information report to South Dundas council. 

The repair estimate is $50,000.

[…]

The Great Waterfront Trail Adventure participants experience all kinds of weather, from extreme heat to extreme rain to extreme cold in their five day journey from Brighton to Cornwall, but they were still all smiles when they left Iroquois early Friday morning towards their final destination.

Cyclists, 150 of them, participated in the journey offered by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and partner CAA.

Their final overnight stop was Iroquois, where many camped at the Iroquois Municipal Campsite, while others stayed at the McIntosh Inn, Morrsiburg.

Great Waterfront Trail adventures have been taking place for seven years, but this shorter adventure focused on the St. Lawrence River and its communities, is a first. Marlaine Koehler, executive director for the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, said they are committed to continuing this and similar rides in future.

This ride covered about 300 km of the Waterfront Trail which spans 1,400 km.

While 90 per cent of the cyclist on this trip are from the Greater Toronto Area, there were participants from five states and two provinces.

“Our demographics aren’t the hardcore cyclists, it’s more people who want to enjoy a holiday by bike,” said Vicki Barron, also of WRT. “A lot of these people have never been off the 401, and they are very impressed by what they seeing and many will come back.”

“Iroquois, quietly, is a real gem. The Seaway story is compelling, and the history of the area is well told through its historical plaques,” said Koehler. She, and the other cyclists thoroughly enjoyed the meals, hospitality and scenery of this community, including the Iroquois Locks and the passing ships, seen during their short visit.

“We’re bicycle friendly, and we’re looking forward to having you back,” said Mayor Byvelds, pointing out the Cornwall and Counties Tourism Cycling maps that are part of an initiative to bring more cycle tourists to the area.

“This whole trip has been delightful,” said Eugenia Sowicz of Reading, Pensylvannia. She does about two of these large cycling trips each year, with this being her first to this area of Canada.

While she loves cycling, she says she is not th strongest cyclist, so this trip was perfect for her. Tuesday, the tour passed through the Kingston area facing hurricane-type weather, but that day, Eugenia opted to board the shuttle to Napanee, where they enjoyed a delightful day, rather than facing the elements. “We had a terrific time learning about the area’s history and geography, even though it was raining,” she said.

Even though many of the travellers opt to camp, they don’t have to worry about camping gear, as a tent service is available, whereby they ride from stop to stop, when they arrive, a fully assembled tent and filled air mattress are waiting for them. Their luggage is also shuttled from place to place.

Comparing this ride to others she has completed, Eugenia says this one was extremely well organized, the staff were tremendous and the people in the communities they visited were wonderfully welcoming. She really liked the community aspect of this ride. “Because we are travelling right through the community, the experience is really local. It gives us an opportunity to support these local economies, and I love that. You really get to experience the flavour of the whole region.” She said that this area is definitely an area she will come to visit again.

[…]

Ontario East British Home Child Family working in conjunction with the Chesterville & District Historical Society is pleased to present “British Home Children in Eastern Ontario” on September 5 at 7pm at the Chesterville Heritage Centre, Victoria Street Chesterville.   

OEBHCF member Tom Brownell of Lombardy will speak on how the discovery of a British Home Child in his family was a catalyst for the increased awareness and recognition of this subject throughout Ontario and beyond.

Tom’s grandmother, Mary Pearson, was a young girl when she and her sister became wards of Quarrier’s Homes in Scotland.  Within a few years she was sent to Canada, eventually settling in Eastern Ontario.   She worked, married and raised her family, but like many of her fellow British Home Children did not speak in any great detail of her part in the Child Migration Scheme of the British Government. 

Brownell will speak on his grandmother, how her grandson Jim Brownell discovered her story, which became  the  catalyst for increased awareness of the British Home Children and the resultant adoption of September 28 as “British Home Child Day in Ontario by the Ontario Legislative Assembly which led to subsequent events being held at Upper Canada Village and other locations in Eastern Ontario.  Their sister, Judy Neville, has been instrumental in the organizing of various events, facilitating the organization of volunteers which has led to the formation of the Ontario East British Home Child Family group.

Like many families who have a British Home Child in their family tree, the members of the Brownell family have worked tirelessly to promote, preserve and educate the public about this most important aspect of our Canadian culture.  Come join these two historical groups to hear the stories and break the silence that has existed about this subject for decades.  Who knows – perhaps you will find out that you have a connection to these children yourself!

There is no cost for attending this event, but donations will be shared between the two organizations and light refreshments will be served.  For more information please contact carol.goddard@sympatico.ca or jneville0@gmail.com.

 

[…]

Morrisburg and Iroquois residents hooked in to the municipal water and sewer system are going to see a substantial increase in their water and sewer bills this fall. 

Municipal officials have been warning that an increase is necessary to cover the operational cost of the municipality’s waterworks since budget time. Last week, staff presented council with the numbers showing just how big an increase is needed. 

Staff told council that the monthly base water rate would have to jump to $30.26 from the current $21.99 to sufficiently fund current operating and capital requirements.

Council was not willing to commit to that big of an increase at this point, and opted for an alternative sufficient to meet the 2014 budget needs, which is a monthly base water rate of $27.52. 

Once the water consumption charges, capital levy and sewer charges are factored in to the equation, the average Morrisburg water/sewer user will pay just over $96 a month and the average Iroquois user will pay just over $106 a month. Currently, Morrisburg users paying about $85 monthly and Iroquois users $94.

South Dundas chief administrative officer Steve McDonald explained that a huge decrease in water consumption has made it more and more difficult for the municipality to cover the operational costs of the water plant, which within the next few years will need a significant investment of funds as the plant’s costly Xenon filters are nearing the end of their expected lifespan. Meters are also reaching the end of their lifespan, and a replacement program with smart meters will be needed in the near future.

From 2007 to 2013 water consumption dropped by almost 22 per cent here in South Dundas. This trend is similar to that seen across the province, which has seen a 19 per cent decrease in consumption.

Declining water use is related to changes in plumbing codes, higher water rates prompting consumers to cut back, and changes in consumer attitudes which have brought more efficient appliances into their homes. (For example, a high efficiency clothes washing machine uses about 100 litres of water less per load than a traditional washer.) Formerly common practices like lawn watering and car washing have also been reduced. 

Despite the fact that bringing water and sewer operations in house has saved South Dundas $65,000 in payroll costs from the previous contract, South Dundas is still needing to dip into water reserves to cover 2014 operational and capital costs.

Last year, almost $400,000 had to be drawn from the water reserve, and the treasury is estimating that almost $300,000 will need to be drawn from the reserve in 2014, depleting it to less than $50,000.

While the water reserve is being depleted, the sewer reserve remains healthy, at about $1 million between the Morrisburg ($700,000) and Iroquois ($300,000) reserves.

Council and staff, at this point, agreed that those sewer reserves should not be touched until the new Iroquois waste water treatment plant has been operating at least a year. 

From experience they know that the cost of operating a new secondary treatment plant, especially the hydro cost, is much higher than the former primary treatment plant.

“There’s no magic. It’s user pay, and it’s got to be dealt with,” said South Dundas deputy mayor Jim Locke. 

“For this year we have to increase it to what we need, and then do it again next year,” said councillor Jim Graham.

“We’re going to have to do annual increases. We’re not meeting what’s needed in the budget,” said councillor Evonne Delegarde. “We need to increase the rates every year until we are caught up, so we don’t fall further and further behind.”

“We have to have the money to run the plant,” said councillor Archie Mellan. “We are in a predicament because we are trying to play catch up.”

“We can’t let it go,” said South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds. “That would not be fair to the next council. We can’t ignore this.”

The bylaw to approve the rate increase will go to council in September, and staff are expecting to implement the change October 1, 2014.

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