Wednesday, August 14, 2013

No Opposition To Communications Tower In Gold River

There is no opposition to build a communications tower in Gold River. There were no residents at Tuesday night's hearing in Chester or any letters opposing Eastlink's proposal to construct a tower at 165 Beech Hill Road. Warden Allan Webber says they will issue a letter of concurrence to Industry Canada, who has final say on the matter. He says the tower should help residents with improved coverage and data.



Webber says the municipality will earn minor tax revenue from the auxiliary building built near the tower. He's unsure of the construction timeline, but believes it could be complete in the next few months.

No Swimming: Bayswater Beach Closed

A Lunenburg County beach is off-limits to swimmers. Bayswater Beach has been closed because of high levels of bacteria. The province's Department of Health and Wellness indicates the beach will reopen when water testing shows it is safe. It's the second time this summer Bayswater Beach has been closed because of high bacteria levels. If you are looking for updates, call the Lifeguard information line at 477-6168.

Chester Race Week Sets Sail

The largest keelboat regatta in Canada is underway. Chester Race Week set sail today, and features nearly 125 entries. They will compete for bragging rights in a dozen different divisions on a challenging course in waters around Mahone Bay. Committee Chair JP Currie called it a highlight of the summer sailing season. He says it's also a great community event.



A large percentage of the participants hail from Lunenburg, Chester, Mahone Bay and Halifax. Chester Race Week continues through until Saturday.

Veteran PC MLA Gives Thumbs-Up To Minister For Ferry Announcement

Chris d'Entremont is the Progressive Conservative MLA in Argyle. He says Tuesday's announcement about talks pending between the province and a potential new Yarmouth ferry operator about a resumption of service is the best news he's heard in some time. d'Entremont is also giving full marks to Tourism and Economic Development Minister Graham Steele. He says Steele has added credibility to these two major government departments that seemed for years to lack guidance.



At the same time, d'Entremont says the ferry announcement will no doubt form some part of the Dexter government's re-election campaign in this region.

Liberal Reaction To Yarmouth Ferry Announcement

Yarmouth Liberal MLA Zach Churchill says the ferry service announcement on Tuesday was long overdue. He says, in hindsight, the service should not have been cancelled. Churchill says tens of millions of dollars in potential revenue for the tourist industry and other business has been lost as a result. He says a lot of repair lies ahead.



Churchill hopes the federal government will soon officially come on board and help with the resumption of the ferry service, including renovations to the abandoned ferry terminal in Yarmouth.

Memorial Softball Tourney Raises $5,500 For High School Bursary

A softball tournament has helped raise over $5,500 for a bursary at Barrington Municipal High School. The first ever Katlin Nickerson Memorial Mixed Softball Tournament was held last weekend at the Sherose Island, Shag Harbour and South Side ball fields. The event was held on the same weekend as Mariner's Day and Seaman's Memorial Day, paying tribute to men and women in the fishing industry and remembering those who have lost their lives at sea. Organizer and Katlin's mother, Della Sears, says it makes sense to have the tournament on that weekend.



Sears says she's thankful for the community support during the event.

Local Mayors Pleased By Ferry News

A pair of Lunenburg County mayors are pleased to hear steps have been taken to revive the Yarmouth ferry. The province is entering into negotiations with STM Quest to operate the service between Yarmouth and Portland, Maine. Bridgewater Mayor David Walker says its good news for the region.



The mayor for the District of Lunenburg agrees. Don Downe says a ferry service will benefit the entire province by bringing in more tourists.



Negotiations with the company are scheduled to begin later this week and last roughly three weeks. An update is expected early next month.

Summer Games: Golden Night For South Shore Athletes

It was a golden night Tuesday for South Shore athletes at the Canada Summer Games. Lunenburg's Jesse Drennan started the gold rush by winning the men's decathlon. The momentum continued with Liverpool's Chelsea Whalen earning top marks in the women's shot put. She had the top toss of 15.54 metres. And finally, Mattias Wolter of Conquerall Mills raced his way to first in the men's 3,000 metre steeplechase. He finished in a time of eight minutes, 58 seconds. Bridgewater's Courtney Langille along with her teammates also qualified for the women's 4 x 400 metre relay final. They finished third in their heat.

TSN Anchor Excited For Kraft Celebration Tour

One of the on-air personalities with the The Sports Network says he's looking forward to traveling to Bridgewater for the first time. Rod Smith has worked for TSN for 26-years, but will make his first appearance on the Kraft Celebration Tour since it began in 2009. Smith will team up with Kate Beirness to host Sunday's live broadcast at Shipyard's Landing. He says he's excited for the experience.



Smith says he's expecting a loud broadcast, with plenty of raucous people during the Bridgewater stop. Festivities get underway at 5pm Sunday before TSN begins its live broadcast at 7pm.

MODL: Local Group To Construct Highway 10 Sidewalk

A portion of Highway 10 near the French school in Cookville is getting over 300 metres of sidewalk. The Municipality of Lunenburg has awarded a tender to Town and Country Property for $108,507.37 to construct the sidewalk and around 270 metres of widened shoulder along Champlain Drive and Evanagelie Court. Funding is being provided from gas tax, as well as roughly $60-thousand from the Nova Scotia Moves grant. Mayor Don Downe says it's a community benefit.



The main purpose for the work is to allow children to have access to a sidewalk if there is an emergency at the French school. The start date for the work is not known.