News

 

South Dundas will see some work done on portions of County Road 18 and County Road 31 in the coming months.

During the June 26th South Dundas council meeting, deputy-mayor Jim Locke reported that work is to be done on the portion of County Road 18 between Dixon’s Corners and Hanesville as well as on the portion of County Road 31 between Williamsburg and Winchester Springs.

Contacted following the township meeting, United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry engineer Ben De Haan confirmed this, but could not give a specific start date for the work. 

According to De Haan, the contractor is currently working on projects in North and South Glengarry and is expected to arrive in Dundas county in early August.

In addition, it was reported that the portion of County Road 31 just north of Morrisburg that has a substantial and noticeable vertical rut will be investigated sometime in August or September of this year.

“We are going to do a test pit,” said De Haan. “We are planning to excavate a one foot wide hole through the rut and down to the sub-grade to try and determine what is causing the issue.”

“I expect we will see thicker road base under the center part of the road and thinner road base or questionable material at the exterior,” he explained.

“This analysis will help us determine how to repair this section of the road.”

De Haan said he would prefer to “do it once and do it right.”

[…]

 

At the June 26th South Dundas council meeting, councillor Evonne Delegarde informed council of complaints she’d received from several Iroquois residents concerning use of the Iroquois Campsite dumping station.

According to Delegarde, Iroquois residents who had previously used the dumping station for free have now found that it is locked. To gain access they must pay a small fee.

“I’d like to propose that we remove the lock and eliminate the three dollar fee,” said Delegarde. 

“The people that I spoke to,” she continued, “use it only a handful of times.”

She proposed that council “in good faith allow residents to use the dumping station,” suggesting that Morrisburg and area residents have free access to the dumping station at Canadian Tire in Morrisburg and, therefore, Iroquois residents should have free access to the dumping station at the Iroquois Campsite. 

Clerk Brenda Brunt said, “the dumping station is for the campers. I’m not sure why residents who aren’t camping there, dump there.”

Deputy-mayor Jim Locke agreed with Brunt, saying, “I don’t know why they wouldn’t dump at the campground they’re coming from.”

In the end, mayor Steven Byvelds reminded that “there’s no free ride.” 

Delegarde’s proposal was voted down four to one.

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This year’s Morrisburg Tubie Festival will take place on the weekend of August 4th and 5th.

The Township of South Dundas recently received a letter from the Morrisburg and District Lions Club with a list of requests for the 42nd annual Tubie weekend.

The requests included: 

• Use of the waterfront park and ball diamond area on August 4th for “parade staging, antique car show, hospitality tent, and an evening concert featuring Ambush.”

• Exception to the noise by-law to allow the Saturday night concert to proceed until midnight.

• Use of the Cruickshank Amphitheatre for children’s entertainment.

• Use of the dock and beach facilities for the Sunday Tubie Race.

Council, unanimously and without comment, agreed to all of the Lions Club requests at the June 26th council meeting. 

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With the recent retirement of long-time volunteer treasurers Gladys and Gordon Garlough, the Williamsburg Community Cemetery board searched, without success, for a replacement.

At the June 26th South Dundas council meeting, treasurer Shannon Geraghty formally requested “that council approve the transfer of all financial activities and reporting for the Williamsburg Community Cemetery to the Township of South Dundas at a fee of $1,750 annually.”

The request came after a previous discussion on the issue was raised at the June 5th council meeting by councillor Archie Mellan on behalf of the Williamsburg Community Cemetery board.

According to Geraghty, “the costs being proposed by staff would cover the preparation of annual financial statements by our current auditors in the amount of $750 to $1,000 along with staff time at 1 to 1.5 hours monthly.”

Mellan, who had discussed the proposal with cemetery board chair John Knier earlier that day, said, “$1,750 is way too much. Originally, they were getting it done for nothing.”

“They wish to keep what money they have coming in to go toward the cemetery.”

“If it’s too much of a financial strap,” continued Mellan, “they’ll have to fold up, in which case the township will have to take over.”

With that said, Mellan revealed that the board wasn’t prepared to pay more than $750 per year, if they had to pay anything at all.

Several council members expressed concern that they would be setting a  precedent whereby other cemetery boards could come forward looking to the township to provide similar services for free or for a discounted rate.

The main issue, it was revealed, lay with the auditor’s fee. On their own, the cemetery board doesn’t need an auditor’s report. The township, however, cannot take responsibility for the cemetery’s finances without one.

While some councillor’s argued in favour of the $1,750, others agreed that the cost should be dropped.

The final decision: the township agrees to take over management of the cemetery board’s financial activities for a fee of $1,000 per year. At the end of the first year, staff will report on the actual cost associated with the task and council will re-evaluate what the fee should be going forward.

[…]

 

Thefts have been reported at two local golf courses in South Dundas.

Sometime between 7:30 p.m. on June 17th and 6:30 a.m. on June 18th, unknown suspects gained entry into the Iroquois Golf Course compound and took two golf carts.

One golf cart was later recovered from the St. Lawrence River by the Iroquois boathouse, but the other remains missing.

The missing golf cart has a number 10 on the side and a sign saying “maintenance” attached to the rear of the cart.

Damage is estimated at $2,000.

According to Constable Theresa Lauzon, sometime between the evening of June 22nd and 5 a.m. on June 23rd, unknown suspects “took two golf carts from the open area where the golf carts are stored” at Upper Canada Golf Course.

There was no other damage reported and one of the golf carts was later recovered from a residence in Morrisburg. 

There is no connection between the owner of the residence and the theft, said Lauzon.

The missing golf cart is a green club car with a white roof. It has the number 48 on the side.

Damage is estimated at $4,000.

At this point, said Lauzon, “we can’t say with certainty that the two incidents are related.”

The investigation is ongoing and the Ontario Provincial Police encourage anyone with information to call the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

[…]

 

“We made a commitment to these people,” said South Dundas deputy-mayor Jim Locke, “and I personally don’t want to go back on my word.”

Locke was one of many who spoke in favour of moving forward with the rebuilding of the Dunbar Recreation Centre at the June 26th South Dundas council meeting.

Since its fatal brush with fire on October 8, 2011, the recreation centre has been facing a slow-moving recovery process.

Demolition and removal of the charred remains were approved by council at their November 1, 2011 meeting.

A month later, on December 6th, the decision to rebuild was debated by council. While the vote wasn’t unanimous, it was decided that Dunbar Recreation Centre would be rebuilt.

Since December, at almost every council meeting, deputy-mayor Jim Locke has persistently requested updates on the progress of the recreation centre. Delays were reported due to various reasons, the last of which was the need for a status report on the present sewage system.

On June 26th, manager of planning and enforcement Don Lewis informed council that the status report on the requirements for upgrading the septic system was complete.

The report, prepared by Kollaard Associates, recommended the abandonment of the existing sewage tank and the installation of two new tanks, a 5,376 gallon tank and a 2,974 gallon balancing tank. The existing septic bed will be used.

According to Lewis, the report was sent to South Nation Conservation for approval. 

In response, “South Nation Conservation has reported that they will issue a ‘conditional permit’ with the condition that a water meter be installed and that our consultant monitors these readings from the well for one year to justify daily flows are accurate.”

Lewis estimated the cost of the changes to be in the range of $19,907 plus taxes.

Following Lewis’ report, councillor Evonne Delegarde said, “I would like to have staff give us a quote on the buy-out as opposed to the rebuild. It was only used about 10 times in 18 months.”

She then suggested that those residents who used the hall prior to the fire could, going forward, use the old Elma Public school instead. It has rooms available, she reported, and it’s an “alternative spot that’s not that far away.”

In response, councillor Archie Mellan said, “it’s an expense, but this is the deal you get when something burns.”

“The residents down there have supported the township,” he continued, “and it’s time to support them. The hall is worth it.”

“I think we should rebuild,” agreed mayor Steven Byvelds. “We committed earlier on that we were going to rebuild it.”

After reaffirming the commitment to rebuild, the discussion took another turn. 

The focus became a question of how to move forward with the actual build.

Staff had suggested hiring one firm to design and build the hall, but Locke objected: “Why would we not have a plan? I think we should have a plan.”

Byvelds, adding to Locke’s concern, asked if committee members from Dunbar Recreation Centre had been consulted for input on the design. They hadn’t.

The discussion ended with the following resolutions in place:

• Dunbar Recreation Centre will be rebuilt.

• Two new sewage tanks will be installed. First, a request for quotations will be posted. Second, council will approve the selection of a company to do the work. 

• Staff will return to council with procedural options concerning the planning and rebuilding of the recreation centre.

[…]

 

The “stop up and close” of Clinic Road in Morrisburg became official on June 26th with the passing of a by-law during the South Dundas council meeting.

Clerk Brenda Brunt told council that there would be an easement for Morrisburg Public School’s (MPS) snow removal.

The MPS crossing guard station at the corner of Clinic Road and Ottawa Street will be rerouted to Second Street for the coming school year in September.

Chief administrative officer Stephen McDonald said that “closing Clinic Road will have no impact on the parking area” for the clinic.

The road closure was just one of many necessary steps in remaking the old high school.

According to McDonald, “tenders on the high school project have been invited from six pre-qualified general contractors.”

“Tenders close in July and a recommendation will then go forward to council.”

Until that time, information on when and how construction will proceed is unavailable. 

[…]

 

“Norm Foster is a Canadian gem,” said actor Melanie Janzen, who will be starring in the Upper Canada Playhouse’s production of Here on the Flight Path, on stage at the Playhouse starting July 5. “His plays can be almost deceptive, light and hilarious, but there is real meat to them. Norm looks at the need for men and women to connect and to find meaning in their relationships.”

“The main reason that Norm gets laughs is no one writes battle of the sexes comedies like he does,”  said  Playhouse artistic director, Donnie Bowes. “He’s a funny, funny writer, and when you watch the audience, you can see that both men and women are totally enjoying the play. I think a real case can be made that Norm Foster should be recognized as Canada’s national playwright.”

Audiences should eagerly anticipate one of Foster’s most delightful plays, Here on the Flight Path, which opens at the Playhouse next week. As well as Janzen, the production stars Jamie Williams as John,  with direction by Walter Learning, both of them familiar names and familiar faces to area crowds.

This is, in fact, the third production of Flight Path Walter Learning has directed.  (“And I mean to keep doing it until I get it right,” he declared to much laughter at the press conference). He described the upcoming show as “a joy”, and “enormous fun” and is delighted to be working with Janzen and Williams again. The three previously shared the Playhouse stage in The Long Weekend and There Goes the Bride.

Here on the Flight Path takes place on two side by side fourth floor balconies, very near a major airport. John, played by  Jamie Williams, is a journalist with a “fantasy about writing a novel,” the actor explained. “He’s newly divorced and rather easily distracted by women. On a superficial level, he is interested in dating the three women who move into the apartment next to him, but with each woman, the relationship will go much deeper.”

Foster’s play presents an intriguing challenge for its female lead. All three of the women in the show are played by the same woman.

“It is incredibly exciting, bringing three characters to life,” Melanie Janzen said. “They are three very different women, with three very different personalities.  When you play a single role, you sort of ‘hack into’ the motivating factors. The challenge here is that each of these women has a different motivation. And I have to establish each woman with the audience right away.” 

Costuming (controlled by experienced stage manager Jackie McCormick) and the swift changes made on Sean Free’s innovative set during the show, help in the illusion that these are three different ladies.

“I have 14 costume changes,” Janzen laughed. “It’s lots of fun for the audience to see them. I think all those clothing changes will be fun for me too…eventually,” she added to laughter.

Melanie Janzen and Jamie Williams are husband and wife in real life. With their 10-year-old daughter, they make their home in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Both have worked extensively in theatres around Canada and at Stratford and the Shaw Festival. They describe Upper Canada Playhouse as a theatre that they love coming back to. 

“Actually, the Playhouse is as close to a repertory theatre as I’ve seen in regional theatre,” director Learning said. “We have actors working here over a period of time, developing a sense of ease with each other and a shorthand on stage. There is a real feeling of family here.”

“In a great show like Flight Path, people will laugh hysterically throughout the play, because Foster is simply so funny,” Donnie Bowes said. 

“Foster’s writing in Here on the Flight Path is so good, we actors just have to do our job,” Williams added. “His dialogue is wonderful and realistic and the laughter is right there in his words.”

 Norm Foster’s comedy Here on the Flight Path runs from July 5-29 at Upper Canada Playhouse. For information and tickets for evening shows and matinees, contact 613-543-3713.

[…]

 

 Red and white were definitely the colours of choice for the hundreds of people enjoying Canada’s 145th birthday, July 1, 2012, in South Dundas.

Sunny skies and great temperatures ensured big turnouts in Iroquois and Morrisburg. Or, as MP Guy Lauzon jokingly told the Morrisburg crowd, “I just want you to know that the Federal government is responsible for this beautiful weather. If it rains, that’s the provincial government’s fault.” 

Canada Day organizers for both communities were pleased with the great support they received from volunteers and area businesses and from the public. MPP Jim McDonnell and mayor Steven Byvelds joined Lauzon in thanking the committees for the hours and months of work they put in to make this Canada Day a success. 

There was plenty to see and to do at area celebrations. Rides and games, petting zoos and bike decorating contests, giant inflatable slides and paddle boats entertained the smaller partiers. Adults could relax and take in some of the outstanding performers on stage in Earl Baker Park or at the Point. 

As well as conventional hot dogs, hamburgers, cotton candy, strawberry short cake and candy apples, Morrisburg held an evening lobster feast and Iroquois-Matilda Lions hosted their annual chicken barbecue. 

Vendors at the Morrisburg Market offered something interesting for every shopping taste. Visitors could also enjoy a chat with John Carruthers, who had a display of 1812 weapons and musket balls at his table, in keeping with the 200th anniversary of the War. 

The ecumenical service held outside in Iroquois in the early morning drew many worshippers.

Morrisburg’s K9 Agility events were crowd pleasers as was the TimBits soccer tournament held at the Point. The Car Show in Iroquois also proved popular, with 210 entrants coming out to talk about and show their cars.

Spectacular fireworks rounded out a full day of celebration in South Dundas. The word used most often to describe those shows at both Iroquois and Morrisburg was “awesome.”

Happy birthday, Canada. You’re looking mighty good for 145 years. 

[…]

 

On June 25th, at Timmy’s Place in the Morrisburg Plaza, Friends of Timothy Christian School donated $500 to the Dundas County Food Bank. According to ‘Friends of Timothy’ member Richard Zandbergen, due to the generous support of the community, the local charity is doing quite well and, therefore, decided to share the wealth with another worthwhile charity. Also on hand for the cheque presentation was ‘Friends of Timothy’ member John Knier as well as three representatives from the Dundas County Food Bank’s board of directors. Former board chair, Brenda Millard said that the donation is greatly appreciated, especially at this time of year when donations and stock are usually low. Currently, the food bank is in need of the following items: brown beans, canned vegetables, canned meat, canned fish, Kraft Dinner, spaghetti sauce, and “fresh produce from local gardens is also greatly appreciated,” said food bank administrator Donna Quesnel.

[…]