Tuesday, March 9, 2010

LCLC Public Meeting

It was officially unveiled February 26th,tonight(Wednesday, March 10th)the general public is invited to discuss the architects report on the proposed Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. Following a conceptual design presentation by the architects there will be a question and answer session. The facility to include the original discussed components of 2 ice rinks an indoor pool and library is now estimated to cost 42 million dollars. That's almost 11 million dollars more than the original estimated cost. Options include additional fundraising efforts or phasing in some of the components. Tonights meeting is set for 7 o'clock at the Days Inn on North Street.

Regional Transit Study


It's a change of mind for the Municipality of Lunenburg to get back aboard a possible regional transit operation. Council voted to explore the
feasibility of a hybrid transit model for the partner units that integrates a fixed route service with a dial-a-ride service. Deputy-Mayor Martin Bell says Council backed off because there seemed to be an abrupt change from the original agreement which was based on a fixed route model. Bell says Council slowed down and reassessed how the other municipal units were proceeding. He says once they were confident the end result could be met and move on with the study, that's when they decided to become a partner again. A detailed analysis will be undertaken to explore existing services and how they can be integrated, then an action plan will be developed to implement such a model if deemed feasible

Council & Boundary Review


The Municipality of Lunenburg is planning a review of the size of its Council and the Polling District Boundaries. Deputy-Mayor Martin Bell says it's a proactive move to make sure the proper boundaries are being addressed. He says in the last review some of the districts ended up being rather large, but it was based on population. Bell says there is also a second consideration. He says under a Mayor instead of a Warden, the Mayor is out and involved in each and every district. He says a lot of the issues that come before Council are being worked together both by the local Councillor and the Mayor sharing the responsibility and looking for solutions. Bell says with that consideration they're looking at the fact that maybe they could reduce the number of councillors that are actually in the District of Lunenburg. Any proposed changes would have to be approved by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, with the intent to take effect with the 2012 Municipal Election.

Sewer Rates Reduced


The Municipality of Lunenburg is reducing some sewer rate charges . Council voted that the sewer rate charges for Global Sewer Rate and Hebbville Sewer Rates be reduced by 10 percent for commercial properties connected to sewer systems. Councillor Milton Countway spoke against the motion saying it's not right for one area to receive preferential treatment. He says it's a case of some businesses having to pay to support their competition and it should be fair all across the municipality.The deficit created by the reduction will be funded through the general tax rate.