Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Foley Lane Frustration

He's persistent, but it hasn't paid off. And Billy Rhodenizer says he won't be asking Town Council anymore about upgrades to Foley Lane. The street needs storm sewer, curbing and gutter work to bring it up to standards but has never been considered an operational imperative. Mayor Carroll Publicover says he knows there is a possible development planned for the area and feels the street will be upgraded down the road. The Foley Lane upgrade was scrapped from the 2008/09 budget when a tender for the project came in over budget by almost 200 thousand dollars.

Caucus Appointments

Premier Darrell Dexter announced three government caucus appointments. Vicki Conrad, MLA for Queens, will serve as the caucus chair, Mat Whynott, MLA for Hammonds Plains-Upper Sackville, will be the whip and Dave Wilson, MLA for Sackville-Cobequid, will serve as Deputy House Leader. Conrad was first elected to the Legislature in 2006 and has served as critic for Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. She has worked with the Scotian Windfield network, has been a rural outreach assistant for the NDP caucus and was employed as a residential councillor and home support worker. Whynott, at 24, is the youngest member of the Legislature. He represented Canada at the United Nations, speaking at the UN's World Programme of Action for Youth. While this is Mr. Whynott's first term as an MLA, he ran for the NDP in 2006, taking 36 per cent of the vote. Mat was employed as an NDP Caucus outreach worker until the most recent election. Wilson has been an MLA since 2003. He has served as Health critic and, before becoming an MLA, was a paramedic for eight years. He is a former vice-president of the Sackville Volunteer Firefighters Association and an associate member of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Forwarding Address

A fixture in the Town's landscape will soon be vacated. Canada Post is moving from the King Street location in Bridgewater. Mayor Carroll Publicover was coy when asked about a North Street location and any plans for the historic building. Publicover says the old post office is pivotal to the downtown core. As well , the old court house on Pleasant Street will soon be vacant. Preparations are underway for the move to the new Justice Centre on High Street this weekend.

Beer Tent Canned

The Molson Zone has been canned. The Bridgewater Canada Day Committee wanted to relocate the beer tent to a town owned property next to LaHave Landing near School Street. Council voted 5 to 2 against the proposal. Dennis Woodworth, Chair of the Canada Day Committee says with Council's decision, there will be NO beer tent. Woodworth says he's stepping down as Chair of the Canada Day Committee. Mayor Carroll Publicover says they may have to look into restructuring the Canada Day Committee. This year's Canada Day events will be limited to Shipyards Landing.