Funding for Conversion of Streetlights

The Towns of Lunenburg and Mahone Bay among 7 municipalities receiving funding to convert conventional streetlights to energy-efficient LED streetlights The money is coming from the province's ecoNova Scotia Fund for Clean Air and Climate Change. Lunenburg will receive $178,268 to convert the remaining 532 streetlights to LED, while Mahone Bay gets $16,839 to convert 44 streetlights to LED. Premier Darrell Dexter also announced 230 thousand dollars toward other alternative energy projects in the Amherst area.

Renewable Electricity Plan

Bridgewater and Liverpool two of the communities where meetings will be held to receive public input on draft regulations for the province's Renewable Electricity Plan. The meetings are being hosted by regional development authorities, in conjunction with the Department of Energy.The draft regulations outline how rates paid to community groups that generate renewable electricity will be set, and a special rate to support the next stage of tidal development. They also establish a renewable electricity administrator to choose the winning bids from independent power producers. Earlier this spring, government introduced its plan to achieve 25 per cent renewable electricity by 2015, and set a goal of 40 per cent renewable electricity by 2020.
MEETING DATE:
-- June 24: Bridgewater, 8:30-10 a.m., Days Inn, 216 North St.
-- June 24: Liverpool, noon to 1:30 p.m., 63 Queens Place Dr.

Nine New Long Term Care Homes Open

Ryan Hall in Bridgewater one of nine new long term facilities officially opened Friday, June 11th. Premier Darrell Dexter says the opening of the modern, state-of-the art facilities is helping Nova Scotia's seniors live more independently in their communities. Ryan Hall , with 65 beds and eight other facilities will add 431 new nursing home beds in Nova Scotia. The other facilities are:
-- Bible Hill, Vimy Court 60 beds
-- Sydney, Celtic Court, 36 beds
-- Amherst, Northumberland Hall, 36 beds
-- Kentville, Orchard Hall, 62 beds
-- Greenwich, Blomidon Court, 50 beds
-- Brookfield, Elk Court, 36 beds
-- Cole Harbour, Bissett Court, 50 beds
-- Debert, Debert Court, 36 beds

The new nursing homes provide employment for more than 600 people.
Shannex will operate the nine new facilities.

Argyle Inn Fire

Eleven people have been forced from their rooms after fire extensively damaged one of the annexes of a motel in Bridgewater. Those affected by the fire are long term residents in one of several buildings of the Argyle Inn. There were no injuries among tenants at the motel on Aberdeen Road, although several pets died in the fire, which was reported around 5:00 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The Canadian Red Cross has assisted the eleven adults with emergency purchases of clothing or cleaning materials, food and personal-care items. The inn's owners have relocated the residents to another building on the site. The fire gutted several rooms of the one storey wooden annex, while the remainder received extensive smoke and water damage.

NSCC Valedictorian

He was this year's class valedictorian and he's been featured in NSCC’s 2010 Student Success magazine for his work as a tutor and helping a Korean student learn English . Twenty-six year old Mike Sawlor who was enrolled in the Architectural Drafting program at NSCC’s Lunenburg Campus ,also ended up teaching English as a second language to his Korean classmate, 19-year old Sang (Sam) Yoo. Sawlor's peers recognized his generosity with the “Gift of Giving” award two years in a row, and when he applied to become valedictorian, the panel unanimously chose him. Award winners during Thursday nights convocation ceremonies are as follows:
* Governor General's Academic Medal - Danielle Baines, Drafting Mechanical
* NSCC Board of Governors Award - Danielle Baines, Drafting Mechanical
* NSCC Foundation Award - Kacie Moynan, Business Administration Software & Information Management
* NSCC Gold Medal - Jane Boisvert, Continuing Care
* President's Award - Adam Schnare, Office Administration

Teen Trial Before Judge and Jury

A 16 year old facing charges of attempted murder in relation to an April stabbing is taking his case before a Supreme Court judge and jury. The Bridgewater teen who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act will remain in custody in Waterville until his preliminary hearing which is slated for August 12th. The teen who is accused of stabbing another 18 year old male numerous times is charged with attempted murder, assault with a weapon and breaching probation. He's been in custody since being arrested following an altercation at a house party in Chester Basin April 18th.

Tax Rates Rise in Chester

Similar to other municipalities, residents in Chester will be paying more in property taxes. Council approved a residential tax increase of 2 cents over last year to balance the 19.5 million dollar operating budget. The residential rate is set at 63 cents per 100 of assessment, while the commercial tax rate is $1.53 per 100 of assessment. Warden Allen Webber says the decision to raise taxes was not taken lightly, but is necessary due to the challenge of meeting rising costs. Some of the new initiatives supported by this budget include the hiring of an additional RCMP Officer, hiring a Planner to move forward with the implementation of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan, and bringing a By-Law Enforcement Officer on board to address public concerns.

NSCC Grad Ceremonies

The Lunenburg Campus of Nova Scotia Community College will
celebrate its class of 2010 during a convocation ceremony this evening (Thursday, June 10) beginning at 7:00 p.m. The ceremony will celebrate the achievements of all 200 Lunenburg Campus graduates who have earned diplomas and certificates in the last academic year. Michael Sawlor, a graduate of NSCC's Drafting Architectural program is this year's valedictorian. NSCC offers more than 100 programs in five academic schools across 13 campuses. For a list of the award winners, visit our website at CKBW.dot.CA, Friday morning.

Possible Park in Petite Riviere

The Municipality of Lunenburg is negotiating to acquire the land in Petite Riviere which was the former home of Covey Island Boatworks. The boat yard plant was destroyed by fire in August 2008. Mayor Don Downe says the owners of the property have offered the land to the Municipality for the purpose of a park. Downe says they have the support of the residents and the fire department to look into the matter and are working in conjunction with the community. He says there are some areas to investigate further such as an environmental assessment. Staff has been instructed to proceed to the next stage. Mayor Downe says Petite is one of the gems of the Municipality, a beautiful area and if all works out it could mean a little park right in that corner with slipways for kayaks and canoes and parking for the fire department.

Name the Ferry

A community initiative to name the new LaHave ferry is being supported by Lunenburg Municipal Council. The Lunenburg Historical Society has requested the new ferry be named in honour of Captain Brady Himmelman. Mayor Don Downe says there have been four generations of Himmelman's running the ferry across the LaHave River since the 1900's. He put forth a motion that Council support the chosen name and contact the province to request that Brady Himmelman be the name of the new ferry to be commissioned shortly.

Queens Place Gets Federal Funding

It's the news they've been waiting for. The Region of Queens Municipality has received approval in principle of federal funding of 6.6 million dollars for Queens Place through the Build Canada Fund. The letter of approval was received Friday, (June 4) from the office of John Baird, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. Queens Place was deemed eligible for funding of up to one-third of the eligible capital costs. Mayor John Leefe says the formal offer and approval by Council means the project can move out of the discussion stage and into reality. The next and final step is to negotiate the terms and conditions of the agreement with the federal government. Mayor Leefe says as soon as the architects have the final documents available the Queens Place project can be put out to tender. The target date for completion of the recreation facility is on or before January 2012.

Mayor Elected to FCM Board of Directors

Another election victory for Mayor Don Downe of the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. He's the new Nova Scotia representative on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board of Directors. Downe says his involvement will be beneficial for the District and other municipalities as well. He says it's an opportunity for him to learn more about the operations of the FCM. Downe says he's had some previous practice, being the Vice-President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and doing a lot of years of lobbying in Ottawa. He says he's looking forward to try to find ways to meet the many challenges municipalities face
The FCM is the umbrella group for some 15 hundred representatives across the Country and is the voice of municipalities at the federal level.

Canada Day Grants

Canada Day celebrations for a number of community organizations getting a boost from funding from the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. Council has approved 52 hundred dollars in grants for Canada Day events throughout the county. The New Germany Canada Day Committee, Riverport & District Fire Department and Canada Day on the LaHave all received grants of one thousand dollars. Seven hundred dollars was approved for the Tancook Island Recreation Centre Association, and the Petite Riviere Fire Department will received 500 dollars.

Miller Peace Park Plan

The Miller Peace Park Community Plan has been adopted by the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. The plan was put forward by an advisory committee appointed last fall to address a number of concerns involving the park. Council approved committee appointments and terms of reference for the advisory committee at a meeting in March. Among the recommendations accepted by Council, an increase of patrols at the park by the RCMP and Citizens on Patrol, and a decrease in the number of opportunities in the park for parking in non-designated areas. There is also a proposed strategy to increase promotion around educating and informing the public about the Municipality's Dog off Leash policy. The 25 acre park was purchased by the Municipality some 20 years ago from Mac Miller.

Tax Rates Rise in Municipality of Lunenburg

Residents in the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg will be paying a bit more in taxes this year. Council approved a two cent increase in residential rates to 81 cents per 100 dollars of assessment. Mayor Don Downe says on an average home of 150 thousand dollars, the two cent increase equals an additional 30 dollars in property taxes, or $2.50 per month. Commercial rates are rising from $1.92 to $2.05 per 100 of assessment. Sewer rates, fire hydrant rates and street light rates are all going up and the Deed Transfer Tax is increasing to 1.25 percent of the value of property transferred. The Municipality approved an Operating Budget of 26 million dollars and a Capital Budget of 10 million.

Domestic Assault in Shelburne County

A 39-year-old man will appear in Barrington Provincial Court this Thursday on a charge of assault after an altercation with his girlfriend on Sunday morning. Barrington RCMP responded to a 911 call of an out of control, intoxicated man at a residence in Port La Tour, Shelburne County. The RCMP learned the man had assaulted his girlfriend and then punched his arm through a window. He was then taken to hospital for his injuries and then placed in a cell overnight.

Highliner Foods Electrical Room Smoke

Fire department personell have returned from the scene of "Highliner Foods" this morning. The Lunenburg firefighters were investigating a report of smoke from the electrical-room of "Highliner Foods" on Battery Point Road. The smoke does not seem to have come from the electrical-equipment itself. Fire department personnel from Mahone-Bay, Dayspring and Blockhouse who had been called-in to assist the Lunenburg firefighters have returned to their stations.

Lunenburg Residents Lose URB Appeals

Two groups of Lunenburg residents have lost their appeals to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, relating to the demolition and reconstruction of the Lunenburg Esso service station on Falkland Street. The residents group filed an appeal under the name of Barry Olivella, and included 10 other individuals. The business owners group filed under the name of Lorne Johanson and included 14 other persons. Each group filed an appeal of a Lunenburg Council decision to amend two provisions of the Town's Land Use Bylaw to permit redevelopment of the Falkland Street site.
Wilson Fuel Company Limited wants to redevelop the site to include an additional fuel pump island, a convenience store and a restaurant with a take-out or drive-through window. In a written decision, the Utility and Review Board ruled that however sincere, it is not enough to feel offended, disturbed, anxious or worried about the decision of the relevant authority. The URB determined that none of the appellants established that they are "Aggrieved Persons" and dismissed the appeals.

Senior's Funding

The North River Community Hall will be undergoing some renovations thanks to some federal government funding. M-P Gerald Keddy announced a contribution of $6,117 Sunday afternoon (June 6th) at 2 pm at the Hall in New Germany. The money is coming from the New Horizons for Seniors Program and will assist the Hall in making repairs to the stage floor, adding heating ducts and to replace kitchen appliances and tables.

Bridgewater Athlete Winner

A Bridgewater teen is among the winners of the RICHO Sport Awards handed out in Halifax Saturday night. (June 5th) Nineteen year old Mattias Wolter who is the top junior steeplechase runner in the country, was named the RICOH Male Individual Athlete of the Year: Over 500 members of the Nova Scotia sport community gathered at the World Trade and Convention Centre to see Sport Nova Scotia present the 14th annual RICOH Sport Awards. The prestigious sport recognition event recognized the achievements of more than 200 nominated athletes, coaches, officials, sponsors and volunteers from across the province.