Tankard: Chester's Stevens 1-1 after Day 1

Chester's Chad Stevens is now 1-1 after defeating Brent MacDougall 6-2 in draw 2 of the Molson Tankard. Stevens' rink never trailed, scoring one in the 2nd end before stealing singles in the 4th and 5th ends on route to the convincing win. Meanwhile, Kent Smith leads the way after day one with a 2-0 record while six teams are tied at 1-1. Opening ceremonies will be held Wednesday night. Draw 3 gets started at 9am Thursday morning.

Standings


Kent Smith 2-0

Brent MacDougall 1-1

Chad Stevens 1-1

Ian Fitzner-LeBlanc 1-1

Jamie Murphy 1-1

Mark Dacey 1-1

Peter Burgess 1-1

Ian Juurlink 0-2

Police, Town reach agreement on Pension and Wage

It's been four long years but the town of Bridgewater and its Police Association have finally reached a collective agreement. The six-year agreement includes a wage increase that will see a police officer's salary jump to $74,700 a year from $70,807 on April 1. The police will also contribute nine percent of their base salary towards the pension plan, with the town matching that figure. Chief John Collyer says the agreement keeps Bridgewater competitive with similar sized police departments. Collyer says there are 23 officers and eight civilians with the department that fall under the agreement. He says the new agreement provides long-term stability for policing in the town of Bridgewater. Wage increases for Bridgewater Police are as followed :

• April 1, 2008 - $63,558
• April 1, 2009 - $66,100
• April 1, 2010 - $68,744
• April 1, 2011 - $70,807
• April 1, 2012 - $74,700
• April 1, 2013 - $76,941

The new collective agreement is retroactive to April 1, 2008, and expires March 31, 2014.

Lunenburg: Town Creates Heritage Manager Position

The Town of Lunenburg is set to hire a Heritage Project Manager. It's a two-year term position and will assist the town with duties related to the town's UNESCO designation and its role as a world heritage site. The successful applicant will also play a key role in the future of Lunenburg Academy. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says the work load associated with the town's UNESCO designation isn't getting any easier. " Mawhinney says the town is prepared to pay for the position but would like to explore cost sharing with Parks Canada. He says the town will begin advertising for the new job soon and hopes the position will be filled before the spring.

Sports: Chester curling team falls in Molson Tankard opener

It was a hard fought battle but in the end Chester's Chad Stevens fell just short. Stevens stole one in the 7th end and one in the 9th end before 2010 Tankard Champ Ian Fitzner-LeBlanc scored one in the 10th end to win 7-6 in draw one of the Molson Tankard in Bridgewater. Elsewhere, Mark Dacey moved to 1-0 with an 8-4 win over Ian Juurlink, Kent Smith upended Jamie Murphy 9-5 and Brent MacDougall got by Peter Burgess 9-8. Draw 2 will be held at 2pm Wednesday afternoon at the Bridgewater Curling Club.

Recreational Zone changes call for Public Meeting

A meeting to discuss changes to Bridgewater's recreational zones to allow leash-free dog parks will be held Wednesday night. The town's Planning Department is looking to discuss proposed amendments to its Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use by-law. Director of Planning, Eric Shaw, says they need to make adjustments to allow a space for a leash-free dog area in Generations Active Park.

"Before we move forward with any sort of construction to make that happen, we have to make sure that our statutory planning documents allow for that use to exist on that piece of land."

Shaw says people who live 100 feet from any recreational zone in the town have been notified about the meeting. He says it helps keep things open and transparent so the public is aware of the potential changes. The meeting gets underway at 6pm Wednesday night in Council Chambers.

Molson Tankard gets underway

The provincial men's curling tournament gets underway Wednesday morning in Bridgewater. The first draw starts at 9am and features matches between Chester's Chad Stevens and Ian Fitzner-LeBlanc, Peter Burgess and Brent MacDougall, Jamie Murphy and Kent Smith, and Mark Dacey and Ian Juurlink. The second draw will be held at 2pm Wednesday afternoon. Opening ceremonies will also be held this evening at the Bridgewater Curling Club. The eight-team tourney will play a round-robin format before a page playoff system Saturday and Sunday.