Third Ride for Dad ready to go March 7th

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It’s a go! With the Morrisburg and District Lions Club making a huge $20,000 splash on Monday evening, the $200,000 Splash Pad Project goal has been reached and kiddies from throughout South Dundas can expect to see shovels in the ground this week. If all goes well, they could be splashing away by early July.

“This finishes off the fundraising,” said Mike Domanko who was wearing two coats at the Monday night’s presentation as a Lions Club member and a member of the Splash Pad committee.

“This donation is wonderful. We finished the play park in 2011, and we have been actively working towards the splash pad for the last couple of years. It took a bit longer than we had anticipated, but we have made it.”

This latest donation from the Morrisburg and District Lions Club, under president Bruce MacIntosh is in addition to $5,000 donated when the project first launched.

“We wanted to finish it off,” said Lion Judy Charette.

“We [The Lions] are always helping the community,” said MacIntosh. “And we are always happy to help the kids.”

The Lions donation of $20,000 is from the operation of their Docksyde Snack Bar, located near the Morrisburg public dock area. MacIntosh explained that it is mandated that money made at the Docksyde goes back into the local parkland.

Previous projects that Docksyde money has funded include the lighting along the waterfront walkway, the beautiful Lions Pavilion, the interlocking paving enhancement around the Morrisburg Legion Branch 48 Memorial and the finger docks.

The Docksyde has just started its 12th season of operation. “It is just great,” said Charette of the Docksyde operation. “We get a grant to hire students, and this helps us to make ends meet in addition to providing employment for our local kids.”

The Lions donation total of $25,000 is part of a $200,000 South Dundas community fundraising effort that was generously supported by clubs, businesses and individuals over the past couple of years. In addition, the Splash Pad committee organized several fundraising runs which were hugely supported by the community, young and old.

Coming up, the excavation, expected to take place this week, is donated by Cruickshank Construction. The local company has also donated the gravel, and Lloyd McMillan Equipment has donated the trucking to deliver the gravel.

“The splash pad people are scheduled to be here Monday, and it takes them one week,” said Domanko. “The municipality has set a tender to supply water, sewer and electricity to the Splash Pad, and it is closing June 10.” 

With all the splash ducks now in order, Domanko, wouldn’t commit to a July 1st splash, but did suggest it is a possibility.

On hand representing the Morrisburg Splash Committee were Rosemary Laurin and Jack Barkley.

Happily handing over the $20,000 donation were Lions Bruce MacIntosh, Judy Charette, Shirley Gillmor Keith Robinson, Diana Stewart, Tracey Veinotte, Brian Erratt, Fred Langlotz and Jim and Viviane Martin.

[…]

Jim McDonell, MPP for Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry, attended the February 5th screening of Windfall, a documentary shown at DC Community Centre in Dixon’s Corners, sponsored by the South Branch Wind Opposition Group (SBWOG). 

While agreeing that division of communities is a major and negative issue facing rural Ontario landscapes targeted by the wind energy industry, McDonell’s main concern is with what the Green Energy Act is costing all Ontarians.

“We don’t believe the Green Energy Act is smart. Economically it makes no sense. We are overpaying for electricity.”

“When you look at the big picture,” he continued, the McGuinty government “went ahead without any business plan being done.”

McDonell referred repeatedly to the Auditor General’s Report which highlighted the ways in which the Green Energy Act has failed Ontario.

“It’s time to stop and look at the cost and see whether it makes sense to proceed.”

According to McDonell, he and his colleagues have been “advocating” that municipalities have their power returned to them. “Everything has been taken away,” he said, referring to the Green Energy Act which removes any power or voice municipalities once had concerning industrial wind turbines invading their rural communities.

Representatives from SBWOG will be meeting with McDonell on February 9th.

While he can’t do anything directly to help SBWOG, McDonell said that he intends to “take some of their concerns up to Toronto.” 

[…]