News

 

With spring well underway, the grass is growing and South Dundas is ready with a brand new mower.

South Dundas council approved the purchase of a new roadside mower for the public works department during the May 1st council meeting in Williamsburg.

Hugh Garlough, manager of public works for the township, recommended council accept a quote, the lowest, from B&G Loughlin Tractors Inc. at a cost of $8,640 plus HST. The amount is less than the allotted budget of $15,000.

As for the actual mower being purchased, council had several questions surrounding its quality and durability.

According to Garlough, the Berti, model number TA/S200, is a “flail mower with outside gear box with hammer flails.”

He told council that he “talked to one of the local Matilda farmers who has it and he’s happy with it.”

Mayor Steven Byvelds pointed out that the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry use that same mower.

“They’ve had good luck,” he said.

In addition to B&G Loughlin Tractors Inc., quotes were also received from Green Tech Ag & Turf Inc, Reis Equipment, Dan R Equipment, and Weagant Farm Supplies Limited.

[…]

 

It’s finally spring in South Dundas, and that means people can look forward to one of the special joys of the season: a new concert by the Seaway Singers.

The Seaway Singers, 33 members strong, will be presenting a performance entitled ‘Gavottes to Gershwin,’ at the Williamsburg Christian Reformed Church on Friday, May 11, at 7:30 p.m.

Under the able direction of conductor Robert Jones, with Margaret Whisselle as accompanist, the Singers will present a wide variety of music. The audience can look forward to hearing beautiful seasonal pieces (“Hail the Welcome Signs of Spring”) as well as a medley of the upbeat, infectious songs of George Gershwin from his Broadway hit, Crazy for You.

Conductor Jones has designed a program which will appeal to all musical tastes.

Choral arrangements of two gavottes by Bach, a Welsh Air and a selection of Five Nursery Rhymes will be part of the concert. So too will John Denver’s beautiful “Annie’s Song.’ 

The Seaway Singers tend to be a very versatile musical group.As well as their very evident vocal talents, two choir members, Daniel Edwards and Randy Lacey, usually found in the bass section, will perform on the violin and guitar during the concert. 

The Seaway Singers present two concerts a year, one near Christmas and another to welcome the spring. 

Friday, May 11, 7:30 p.m., is a chance to see and hear why the Singers are highly regarded by audiences throughout the area.

Tickets are only $10 and can be purchased in advance at Seaway Pharmacies or at the door of the Williamsburg Christian Reformed Church Friday evening.

[…]

 

Dating is tough.Being set up by friends is tough. But the toughest test of finding true love has got to be the dreaded blind date.

At least that’s the premise of Check, Please! by Jonathan Rand, an hilarious look at the perils and pitfalls of modern dating being presented on Friday, May 11, 6 p.m., at Seaway District High School in Iroquois. 

Under the direction of teachers Emma Mayer and Kim Lalonde, 21 senior drama students will perform the timely and funny production as part of the 7th annual dinner theatre night at the high school. 

“The actors have been working extremely hard,” said Lalonde. “It’s going to be a great show. There were a lot of funny moments just in rehearsals, especially as the kids began to identify their characters with the costumes and make-up. And,” Lalonde added, laughing, “the day we put the boys into make up for the first time, is now known as David Bowie Day. It was hilarious. However, they’re getting used to the whole stage thing now.”

I had the opportunity to speak to four members of the cast about the play, and about their roles. 

Rebecca Helmer, who plays “the Girl” describes her character as a bit desperate, trying to find “the one.” “She can be sarcastic (she’s faced some bad situations), but she’s also a lot of fun to play. Does she find love? Well there is a twist at the end of the play that will let the audience know that.”

Jared Gibson, “the Guy,” is coming from a world of bad dates including one with a rabid Chicago Bears fan, another with a woman who talks only in internet abbreviations. “Everybody has had them, the bad dates, the embarrassment of bad dates. My character is getting a little desperate. He would just like to find a nice, normal, average girl next door.”

Judging from the characters played by Haley VanAllen and Nicole Hallam,  that girl next door is going to be pretty hard to find.

“My Cleo is a pyschic,” Haley explained. “The problem is she reads feet. Yup, she’s pretty insane, definitely ditzy. Her version of seeing the future is to say ‘I saw I was going to fail the math exam, and guess what? I did!’”

Does she find love?

“I think we might have to wait for the Cleo spin off,” Jared said straight-faced.

Nicole Hallam’s Mary is the kind of girl who shows up on a blind date carrying a Brides magazine under her arm.

“She has her entire wedding planned, from church and reception to the honeymoon. The only catch: no groom,” Nicole explained. “What she’s really looking for is a guy who will fit into the tuxedo. Thirty seconds into the date, she’s asking the guy if he’d like to help her pick out the wedding dress. She’s hilarious.”

“The script for Check, Please! is very funny, and very well written,” Haley said.  “Everyone can relate to these characters, and not feel so bad about their own dating experiences.”

“Everything that can go wrong, does, in this play,” added Nicole.

“Think of worst case scenarios and then think how funny they can be,” Jared said.

“It’s really a laugh out loud play,” Rebecca said. “We all still laugh even in our rehearsals.” 

The dinner theatre is being sponsored by the SDHS parents council. The funds raised, including those coming from the silent auction, will go towards new technology for the school. Tickets are $10 per person for the delicious lasagna dinner and the show, and are available in advance by calling 613-652-4878.

Come out on Friday, May 11, to share the laughter and memories of first dates.

[…]

 

The Williamsburg United Church will take its final breath as a church this Sunday, May 13th when congregants join for one last service in the historical building.

In January 2012, the church was listed for sale. Not quite three months later, in March, the congregation voted to accept a conditional offer of purchase. The condition required the property to be rezoned to permit residential.

A zoning bylaw was passed on April 17th. Following the standard wait period, the sale should become final and the new owners will be able to turn the church into a home (or homes, as it was rezoned to include the possibility of a duplex or semi). 

While it is impossible to know exactly what the church will look like when its eventual transformation is finished, it seems like now might be a good time to take a look back at its history.

A brief history of the Williamsburg United Church was printed in the January 23, 1980 edition of The Leader as part of the Churches of the Area series.

To be clear, the history of Williamsburg United Church is lengthy, detailed, and includes the coming together of many different congregations from many different faiths and churches.

Right now, however, it is the church building itself that is being disbanded and so it is a history of this very old, very unique building that will be the focus here today.

In the early 1800’s, the tiny village of North Williamsburg was comprised of mainly two denominations, the Lutherans and the Presbyterians. These two religious families chose to unite as one in 1827.

In 1866, after more than 40 years of worship, this group constructed a stone church which they christened St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. This stone church would eventually become what is now the front portion of the church building.

Then, in 1877, 50 years after the Lutherans and Presbyterians united to form a new group of Presbyterians, disagreements divided the congregation in two. 

Members who chose to leave the church, calling themselves the Free Presbyterians, eventually built their own church in 1882. The ‘White Church’, as it was known then, became what is now the back portion of the church.

In the early 1890s, the Free Presbyterians rejoined their former church family at St. Andrew’s. Following this physical reunion, the former ‘Free Presbyterians’ sold the ‘White Church’ to the local Methodists in 1893. 

Together again, the large congregation found it necessary, at the end of the nineteenth century, to build a Sunday School for their children and youth. The Sunday School was built at the South end of the stone church. 

In 1915, electric lighting was installed in the church. 

In June of 1925, the Methodists of Williamsburg joined the Presbyterians. It was then, in 1925, that the Williamsburg United Church was born. The stone church let go of its former identity, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, and embraced its new one, the Williamsburg United Church.

These Methodists were comprised of congregations from Williamsburg, Hoasic, Grantly, Winchester Springs and Elma.

In 1926, the side doors in the vestibule were changed and a double door was made in the entry, opening onto the centre aisle of the church. These side doors and double door entry are, for the moment, still intact today.

Finally, in 1928, the ‘White Church’ took its final resting place in what is now the back half or the hall portion of the Williamsburg United Church.

The ‘White Church’, moved across fields to join the stone church, replaced the former Sunday School hall. For the move, the church was raised on rollers, then slowly drawn by one horse on a ‘sweep.’ 

Once installed at its new location, it was redecorated and a kitchen was added in 1930. 

By December 1968, sufficient funds had been raised to begin construction of a new kitchen as well as a vestry. Both remain part of the Williamsburg United Church today.

In 1975, the United Church of Canada celebrated its 50th anniversary. On May 20th, members of the Williamsburg United Church marked the occasion by planting a blue spruce ‘memorial tree’ in the church yard.

By 1980, United Church congregations from Elma and Calquhoune had joined the congregation in Williamsburg.

This church has endured over one hundred years of changes. The front portion,  known as the ‘stone church’, is 146 years old. The back portion, known as the ‘white church’, is 130 years old.

Today, in 2012, the Williamsburg United Church is about to undergo one final change: it will retire from worship and settle down to family life.

On May 3rd, at 5:30 p.m., much of the Williamsburg United Church’s contents were auctioned off, including pews, piano, organ, dishes, Bibles, and so forth.

During the building’s final service on May 13th, guests and members will gather in the empty sanctuary to say goodbye and close the door on that chapter of their history. 

While the building itself is signing off from official church duty, the Williamsburg United Church will go on in spirit through its congregation. For now, they will gather at the former Elma Public School, Sundays at 10:30 a.m.

Retired Reverend Ralph Taylor, who joined the Williamsburg United Church earlier this year, told them: “we’re like the people with Moses; we’ve gone out in the wilderness.”

[…]

 

On may 4th, SD&G OPP officers responded to a report of a mischief on Hulbert Road, South Dundas Township.

The investigation revealed that a 15 year old male youth had attended a residence and damaged a parked vehicle.

He was arrested and faces charges of: Mischief – Interfere with lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property; Mischief Endangering Life; and, Theft Under $5,000 from a Motor Vehicle.

He is scheduled to appear in Cornwall court on June 14, 2012.

[…]

 

This year, four South Dundas concrete bridges will receive hot pressure washes and a coat of “penetrating” sealer from Guardian Coatings. 

The South Dundas council approved the decision during the May 1st council meeting following manager of public works Hugh Garlough’s recommendation.

According to Garlough, three companies were invited to bid: Guardian Coating, Cruickshank Construction, and Cornwall Gravel.

Cornwall Gravel declined to bid due to the unavailability of necessary equipment, said Garlough.

Of the remaining two companies, Guardian Coating had the lower bid by almost $2,000.

The cost to have the bridges washed and sealed is $4,773.56, including HST and HST rebate.

“They’ve done this for the township since amalgamation,” said Garlough. “They used to do it for Williamsburg.”

[…]

 

At the May 1st South Dundas council meeting, manager of public works Hugh Garlough recommended that council accept seven tenders, each achieved through a joint tender process with the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

The tenders included are:

• Canada Culvert for corrugated steel pipe at a cost of $6,002.76

• Maximum Signs for signs at a cost of $212.40

• Crossroads Pavement Marking for specialty pavement marking at a cost “to be determined”

• Road Last Asphalt & Sealing Maintenance Inc. for crack sealing at a cost of $18,900

• HWB Bruce Sales Inc. for blades and cutting edges at a cost of $1,298.02

• UCC Industries International Inc for perforated tubing sign posts at a cost of $1,421.25

• Denchem for dust suppressant at a cost of $64,098

Garlough told council that “the roads department feel we get a better price by tendering as a group.”

He informed council that the amounts are already accounted for in the 2012 budget. 

Quietly and without comment, council unanimously agreed to the recommendation.

[…]

 

IROQUOIS–With shovels in hand, three levels of government dug in here on Friday, to officially kick off the $18 million Iroquois Wastewater Treatment Plant project that will include the addition of a secondary treatment process and upgrades to increase the plant’s overall capacity, efficiency and reliability.

Performing the official ground-breaking ceremony were Guy Lauzon, Member of Parliament for Stormont, Dundas & South Glengarry, Grant Crack, MPP for Glengarry, Prescott & Russell and South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds.

The project is part of the legacy left to South Dundas by the late Charles Barkley whose lobbying resulted in the procurement of 100 per cent funding split 50-50 between the federal and provincial governments.

Although the late Mayor knew the municipality had secured the funding, he passed away on June 17, 2009, just days before the official announcement was to be made.

At the 2009 announcement, MP Lauzon, said “this is Charles’ day. The fact that we are making this announcement today is a testimony to Charles Barkley. I don’t think that I ever saw Charles in the last two years that he didn’t remind me that South Dundas couldn’t afford this project. I would like to dedicate this project to the memory of Charles Barkley.”

Friday, Lauzon again acknowledged the late mayor Barkley, along with former mayor Robert Gillard and current South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds who was a member of council at the time of the funding announcement.

“Safe and reliable wastewater infrastructure will support the health and well-being of residents of South Dundas, and help to protect the St. Lawrence River,” said Lauzon, who spoke Friday on behalf of Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “Our government believes that investing in infrastructure is one of the best ways to create jobs in Canada, and I am pleased that this project will contribute to a cleaner environment and the economic  future of this region.”

On hand to represent the province of Ontario was Grant Crack, MPP for Glengarry, Prescott & Russell.

“This project will protect the local environment, the St. Lawrence River and improve the quality of life for residents for years to come,” said Crack. “Ontario is about communities, about the families who live and work in these communities.”

Next to speak was South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds who introduced his council, deputy mayor Jim Strader, and councillors Evonne Delegarde, Jim Graham and Archie Mellan all of whom were in attendance.

Byvelds too commended the previous South Dundas council under Mayor Barkley, which included deputy mayor Robert Gillard and councillors Delbert Jones and Jim Graham and himself.

“We knew we had an environmental issue that had to be dealt with,” he said, pointing out that the late Mayor Barkley was instrumental in obtaining funding.

Byvelds also remarked that when this project is completed it will result in an entire infrastructure rebuild for South Dundas which includes the South Dundas Water Treatment Plant, the Morrisburg Wastewater Treatment Plant and now the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Iroquois.

“This is a good day for Canada, for Ontario and for South Dundas,” said Byvelds. “The project goes a long way in providing the necessary infrastructure we need to grow and prosper.”

“I look forward to the final day when we will meet here for the opening of the wastewater treatment plant.”

The government of Canada is contributing up to $9 million through the Green Infrastructure Fund toward eligible project costs and the Province of Ontario has already contributed $9 million.

The Township of South Dundas will pick up the balance of the total eligible project cost of $18,062,067.

The Green Infrastructure Fund is a key part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan which focuses on creating new opportunities for jobs and growth and securing long-term prosperity for Canadians.

The project also supports Building Together, the Government of Ontario’s long-term infrastructure plan to repair, rebuild and renew the province’s roads and highways, bridges, public transit, etc.

The Iroquois project includes the upgrading of equipment, new facilities and modifications to existing facilities and removal and replacement of the existing outfall sewer.

South Dundas CAO Steven MacDonald, who emceed Friday’s ground breaking ceremony, acknowledged project manager Ontario Clean Water Agency, project engineer AECOM and project contractor J.C. Sulpher.

[…]

 

Renovations to the old Morrisburg high school will soon begin and when finished there will be lots of changes taking place.

On April 26th, South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds confirmed that once renovations are completed, the Morrisburg branch of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Library will be moving to where the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic is currently located.

“It would go into the old clinic, but only part of that,” said Byvelds.

The move was “something that we, the township, decided on quietly. Bill (McGimpsey) wanted to go forward and make this a story.”

Byvelds was referring to SD&G Library System chair Bill McGimpsey’s recent announcement of the move in Cornwall’s Standard Freeholder where he was quoted predicting that Morrisburg is “going to have the highest traffic library in the whole system.”

Byvelds commented that this is a good “opportunity to flash some new ways of doing library (service) and getting people out.”

He also confirmed that the Dundas County Food Bank has been offered the use of a good portion of the library’s current location, once the library has moved.

“It’s been offered to them,” he said. “They seem enthusiastic. We’re not 100 per cent sure how much of that space they need. We were going to use some of that space for Donnie’s (Lewis) recreation.”

He explained that Don Lewis, manager of recreation, would use some of the space for storage  purposes.

As for the main section of the old high school, the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic will use the first floor, municipal offices will be stationed on the second floor, and the third floor will be used for the mayor’s office, council chambers and various meeting rooms.

“We’re going to try to make the space usable,” said Byvelds of the plan for the third floor.

As for what will happen to the municipal building on Second Street, “the old parks building will come down,” confirmed Byvelds.

And, once the building comes down, he said “we’ll see what  we need.” He confirmed that a parking lot is one option being looked at, but not the only one. The possibilities are many and the decision has not been made.

[…]

 

The huge success and popularity of the South Dundas Dog Park in Morrisburg has not come without a few glitches, says Park Pals committee co-chairs Tracey Veinotte and Janeen Wagemans.

Even during the coldest days of the past winter, Wagemans estimates a minimum of 20 dogs and their owners visited the park each day and on summer evenings last year it was common to see upwards of 20 dogs, at one time, enjoying the park. 

“It is good that we have the traffic,” says Veinotte. “But it’s chewing the land up, so our agenda right now is ‘how do we keep it nice?”.

Earlier this spring volunteers roped off the heavy traffic entry area in the park for large dogs, planted grass seed and added fertilizer to assist the grassed area to recover.

Although the original park design called for more bricking in the entry area, there was not enough money available.

“Wendy (Montreal landscape architect Wendy Graham who designed the park) also pointed out that in the first year or two we would see what needed to be done, so that is what we are now seeing,” said Wagemans.

The current plan to alleviate the ‘wear’ problem is to dig down and add crushed stone in a semi-circular pattern out from the gate entry and around the landscaping rocks where the dogs and their owners tend to gather. An additional set of three rocks will be added farther away from the entry in a effort to move some of the congestion from the affected area.

The Park Pals committee has also identified the need for drainage, a watering system and lighting. 

To put these needs in place they have launched a Mother’s Day Draw which they expect will be their final ‘major’ fund raiser.

“Our donation box had been broken into twice so we are hoping the light will deter that,” says Veinotte, with Wagemans pointing out, “The money is  removed from the box every day, and although we are generally only talking a couple of dollars here and there, it is a nice contribution.”

In addition, park users who work have expressed the need for lighting in the fall and early winter, when darkness falls early before they are able to get home from work and get their pooches to the park.

Veinotte and Wagemans and several of the original Park Pals committee members (Willie Harper, Barb O’Neill and Sandra Van Allen) are delighted with the use the park is getting from local dog owners and especially people from Iroquois, Williamsburg, Winchester, Ingleside and Long Sault on a regular basis. In addition, there is the travelling public that searches out the park.

“I didn’t really believe a dog park would draw people in, even though all the literature said it would,” said Wagemans. “I thought, oh yeah right, but there are actually quite a lot of people coming in.”

The Park Pals committee is once again looking for the support of the community, especially dog lovers and dog owners, for their upcoming Mother’s Day raffle.

Tickets are $5 each and there are six prizes up for grabs. The top three prizes include a new IPAD 3, a $200 Canadian Tire Gift Certificate and a $100 Riley’s Valu-mart Gift Card. The draw will be made Sunday, May 13 at the South Dundas Dog Park and the Park Pals will have the tickets for sale this coming weekend at Valu-Mart and on the Mother’s Day weekend at Canadian Tire.

Any park users who could help with ticket sales over the next couple of weeks, or ticket sales or projects (maintenance) in the future are invited to contact either Veinotte or Wagemans.

The Park Pals are estimating that they need approximately $7,000 to complete their work plan which includes about $1,900 for irrigation, $1,800 for gravel and $3,300 for electrical. They are hoping to raise $2,000 towards the final project from the draw.

“If we can get it set up correctly, our goal is to have it a maintenance free park,” said Wagemans.

Once maintenance free, the Park Pals committee will continue to hold their annual Duck Draw to raise money for minor expenses, such as the cost of the waste collection bags and water.

“If we don’t do all the crazy things we do to keep the dog park the way it is, then I’m afraid it is not going be as nice in the future,” says Veinotte. “We absolutely appreciate that the area is very special to a lot of people and we want to keep it looking the way people are proud of it.”

[…]