Riverfront Renaissance Celebration

There's a party planned for downtown Bridgewater on next month. The cause for celebration is the completion of improvements to the downtown waterfront including King Street Court. The park is one of the phases of a multi-year
Riverfront Renaissance project and includes the fountain in the LaHave River between the two bridges. Town Council has approved up to 15 hundred dollars for the community celebration and to cover any shortfall. Other improvements include a look-off point and the installation of interpretive panels. The community celebration is set for Saturday October 2nd from 9:30 a.m till 2 p.m.

Traffic Disruptions

It's a nuisance, but a necessary evil. Traffic in downtown Bridgewater will be disrupted for the next couple of weeks as infrastructure upgrades continue. Town Engineer Harland Wyand says crews are replacing storm sewer and sanitary sewer systems and water mains that in some cases are more than 50 years old. Crews are currently working at the King and Dufferin Street intersection and on Dufferin Street to Alexandra Avenue. Work is expected to take about 6 weeks to approximately November 1st, and is carried out from 7am to 7pm daily. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes.

State Your Name

Be prepared to give your name if you file a dangerous and unsightly premises complaint in the Municipality of Lunenburg. A ratepayer or resident can no longer remain anonymous. Councillor Basil Oickle says he's opposed because people will be reluctant to identify themselves fearing repercussions. Municipal Council approved a motion that each complaint must be accompanied by a name and the matter will be followed up within 14 days. A person's name could eventually be revealed through a request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPOP) Act.

Be Quiet

Noise complaints associated with an automotive event at the Exhibition grounds is prompting Bridgewater Town Council to consider implementing a Noise By-law. Councillor Greg Ritcey says he fielded 14 calls regarding the South Shore in Motion Festival. He says he fully supports the festival but perhaps the organizers could look at rescheduling the events or change its hours to end earlier in the evening, even extending the event over a longer period such as a week. Bridgewater Town Council is looking at possibly implementing a Noise By-law. Mayor Carroll Publicover says the challenge is to encompass all the types of noise violations . Noise issues are currently covered under several Town By-laws and Provincial Legislation

AIR & SEA SEARCH FOR MISSING NOVA SCOTIA FISHING VESSEL & ITS CREW OF FOUR

Aircraft and ships are continuing a search for a fishing boat with four people on board that's missing in the Bay of Fundy.

So far, the search has turned up some debris, but it's not known whether it's from the scallop dragger "R-L-J" out of Digby.

A life-jacket and a picnic cooler have been found.

The 13-metre vessel went out fishing last week and was due back in port Sunday but failed to show up.

The vessel's last known position was east of Saint John.

The names of those on board have not been released.

Developer Seeks Amendments

The developer of a major multi-phased housing project is now seeking changes to the proposal. Jo-Lo Developments received approval from Bridgewater Town Council in June 2007 to construct a project consisting of 224 condo units, including semis, townhouses and multi unit residential buildings off Glen Allen Drive. The developer now wants an amendment to reduce the rear yard setbacks 4 units in Phases 1, 3, 5 and 7 due to rock issues and the wider public street right-of-way requirements.
Town Planner Eric Shaw says the changes are substantive and there are a number of outstanding issues that have to be resolved. A number of Hollingsworth Drive residents have also expressed concern over the construction timeline. Council endorsed the planners recommendation that the applicant submit all outstanding requirements for review before the matter can be scheduled for a public participation meeting.

Mushroom Foray

This year, friends of fungus will get together to unearth a little more of Nova Scotia's biodiversity. The Nova Scotia Mycological Society, a young group with an old-sounding name, will bring together nature lovers and mushroom experts for their 3rd annual foray, an organized walk into the woods to gather and identify mushrooms. The foray is structured around a 3 to 4 hour walk in the woods with an expert, collecting samples and learning about mushrooms in nature. Groups return from 3 or 4 trail locations to an indoor setting to lay out their samples, and begin the difficult work of identification. The 2 night, 3 day program including talks, clinics, field trips and entertainment, this year's foray is scheduled for September 24-26, 2010, at White Point Beach Resort in Liverpool. Those interested in the foray and the samples collected in previous years, are invited to visit www.nsmushrooms.org.

SCHOOL VANDALS

Chester County RCMP are investigating an act of vandalism.

Sometime between Friday night and Sunday morning the Aspotogan Consolidated Elementtary School was damaged.

The vandals placed debris around the schoolyard and damaged siding on the building.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact Lunenburg County RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

SCHOOL ZONE SPEEDERS

RCMP are ramping up traffic patrols in our region.

According to Western Traffic Services, 75 school zone speeders were ticketed in the south-western part of the province in one week.

Speed enforcement operations at schools in Barton and Weymouth in Digby County and in Arcadia and Yarmouth in Yarmouth County led to the onslaught of tickets.

According to the RCMP these increased patrols, and those on the South Shore, will continue as a way of reminding motorists to slow down in school zones.

RCMP education campaigns in playgrounds, parking lots and classrooms will also help increase safety for students, cyclists and pedestrians.

Western Traffic Services are reminding the public to use extra caution behind the wheel now that school is back in session.

FRIDAY NIGHT VANDALS

Bridgewater Town Police are investigating an act of vandalism.

Sometime overnight on Friday, Sept 10, the windows of an unoccupied home at the top Winburn Avenue were smashed out.

Meanwhile, on the same evening, a vehicle parked at 415 Dufferin Street had both mirrors smashed off.

Anyone with information on these crimes is asked to contact Bridgewater Police or Crime Stoppers.

MAN ARRESTED IN CALEDONIA

A local man is facing charges after Queens County RCMP were tipped off about an impaired driver.

Police received several calls, on Sunday night, from citizens concerned about a man driving under the influence in Caledonia.

Patrols were made and a 42 year old was arrested and lodged in cells.

He is facing charges of impaired driving and possession of a controlled substance.

The accused will appear in Liverpool Provincial Court on November 16th.

Award for Water Plant

The Town of Lunenburg's water supply upgrade has been selected as the Project of the Year by the Atlantic Canada Water and Wastewater Association. The award is to be presented at the ACWWA Annual Conference in Saint John New Brunswick tomorrow . The water utility of the Town of Lunenburg completed a 7.5 million dollar water treatment facility in May of this year. The water utility serves about 25 hundred customers.

Living Well by the Sea..Library Conference

Education Minister Marilyn More will be the guest speaker at the provincial Library Boards Association of Nova Scotia conference this coming weekend in Queens County. Library Staff and Board Members will gather at White Point Beach Resort on September 17th,18th, and 19th. Minister More will address library delegates about the importance of library service in Nova Scotia.

LCLC Looks for Funding

The Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre Society is hoping other municipal units will contribute to their capital campaign. The 33 million dollar facility to be built in Bridgewater will house an indoor aquatic centre, one NHL sized rink, a new library, multi purpose and active living space. The federal and provincial governments have each kicked in 10 million dollars with the Town of Bridgewater and Municipality of Lunenburg cost sharing a third . LCLC members pitched a proposal to Chester Council last week extolling the virtues of the centre for Chester residents and asking Council for a commitment of half a million dollars. The towns of Mahone Bay and Lunenburg will also be asked to commit funding to the project.

Chester Development Plan for Highway 3

A draft plan on development for the outskirts of Chester will now go to the public for feedback. The consultants plan for development of Highway 3 has been presented to Chester Municipal Council for review. Warden Alan Webber says it's a controversial issue and Council is trying to find a way to balance residential and commercial concerns. Public pressure resulted in Council voting down an amendment to rezone a portion of Highway 3 from the WIndjammer Restaurant to Collicut Building Supplies. Council then decided to undertake a broader planning approach with public engagement.

DEADLY CRASH

A woman from the United States has died on a Nova Scotia highway.

On September 11th, at approximately 3:15 PM, members of the Halifax District RCMP responded to a single vehicle crash which occurred in the 8700 block of Highway 333, Peggy’s Cove Road.

A Peggy’s Cove bound vehicle had failed to negotiate a slight curve in the road and hit the ditch on the right hand side of the road.

A rear seat passenger was thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The deceased is a 62 year old female from the United States.

Three other people in the vehicle were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A traffic analyst was called to the scene to complete an investigation but neither speed nor alcohol is believed to be a factor at this time.

WALKING FOR CHANGE

More than 300-thousand Canadians of all ages live with type one diabetes.

Barb Conrad with the Diabetic Walk for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation says fortunately there is a chance to make a difference in our region.

Conrad explains how Roseanne and Mike Tanner of Mahone Bay started the walk three years ago.

"They decided they wanted to see if we could raise money in our local area, Lunenburg County, Queens, to get people together and raise the awareness of juvenile diabetes, " says Conrad

If you missed the the Diabetic Walk on September 19 just drop your bottles off to "Oickle's Bottle Exchange" at 100 High Street in Bridgewater and have donated them to the JDRF account.

THOSE WHO SERVED AT SEA REMEMBERED

The Annual Lunenburg Fishermen's Thanksgiving took place today at 2 o'clock at Central United Church.

The ceremony serves as a time of remembrance and proclaims a note of faith to those who still go to sea.

Mayor Laurence Mawhinney read a Roll of Hounour, including the names of all those fishermen lost in the years ending in zero, beginning in 1900.

Following the service those present proceeded to the waterfront where wreaths will were placed aboard a fishing vessel.

The Clergy will take part in the Prayer of Committal as wreaths were deposited in the ocean in memory of those lost at sea.

In the last century alone, more than 660 fishermen were lost while fishing out of Lunenburg County ports.

LIGHTS OUT, SOUTH SHORE

The lights are out over much of the South Shore.

More than five thousand customers are currently without power.

According the Nova Scotia Power website, the outages occurred shortly after 2 o'clock today.

Customers from various regions including New Germany, East Dalhousie, Springfield, Bridgewater, Lower and South Cornwall and West Northfield are experiencing outages.

As of 4:30 PM, 12101 customers are without power

The cause of the outages is being investigated.

The estimated restoration time for all outages is approximately 5 o'clock today.

For more information follow the link provided below.

http://www.nspower.ca/en/home/residential/outageinformation/liveoutagemap.aspx

First Responders Funding

Fire departments and first responders will once again benefit from improved equipment through the Emergency Services Provider Fund. The 500-thousand-dollar provincial funding program helps fire departments and first responders purchase equipment such as jaws of life, pumps and hoses. The program provides up to 50 per cent of eligible costs to a maximum of 20-thousand dollars for approved projects. The deadline for applications is October 15th. Application Forms are available online at www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/muns/espf .