Three Lunenburg County Councils exploring Joint Services

It's still very early but a trio of Lunenburg County councils have taken the preliminary step to become one. The representatives of Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and the District of Lunenburg have agreed to receive a joint services report so residents can have their say. The three councils won't accept the report until members debate them at council meetings and public consultations are complete. Still, District of Lunenburg Mayor Don Downe says its a big step forward.

"We want to take a look at what we need to do in a cooperative way to provide better services at a less cost to residents of Lunenburg County. Whether it's less cost today or less cost later on, the issue is what's the best formula that we need to put together to provide a good, accountable government to the residents of our Municipality."

Brian Smith with Marathon Human Resources Consulting Group suggested the three councils form a regional services board for three years before deciding to amalgamate. The report recommends the regional service board include members of each of the three councils and provide joint services in solid waste management before expanding to recreation and economic development. Between 15-20 members of the public took-in Monday night's meeting at the Mahone Bay Fire Hall. Bridgewater Mayor Carroll Publicover says he isn't discouraged by a lack of public presence.

"Things could really change. The composition of how their town is governed, how their services are delivered. I think they will become more part of it, more engaged and more interested."

Public information sessions are scheduled to begin next week: Monday January 23- Mahone Bay Fire Hall,

Tuesday January 24 at Pinehurst Community Hall, Wednesday January 25 at Riverport Community Centre
Thursday January 26 at Bridgewater High School and Monday January 30 at Petite Riviere Fire Hall. All meetings start at 7pm.

Shared Services Meeting in Mahone Bay

Three municipal governments are about to find out if its feasible to move ahead with sharing services. Marathon Human Resources Consulting Group completed the report and will release its findings Monday night. The presentation will review recommendations on the best ways to deliver municipal services between Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and the Municipality of Lunenburg. Mahone Bay Mayor Joe Feeney says the public should participate in the meeting.

"It will provide an opportunity for the public to see first-hand, the report as it is released to councils for action."

The meeting will be held Monday night at the Mahone Bay Fire Hall at 6pm.

CKBW/HANK FM: News Poll

It appears many South Shore residents are concerned about the growing size of their power bills and want to find ways to save energy. An overwhelming number of respondents to our weekly poll ... 90 percent said they want to get their power costs down. Only ten percent say they aren't looking for ways to save energy. Renewable Energy Expert Wayne Groszko says turning off unused lights and not draining the electric water heater are obvious ways to save. Pulling the plugs on TV's, computers and radios will also do it because even though they may be shut off, they are still draining power unless you pull their cords. Groszko also says the old story about keeping an electric radiator set at one temperature will save energy ... isn't true. "If you have ordinary electric base board heat you're actually going to save a considerable amount if you set the temperature back a few degrees at night and use and extra blanket - it does actually save a significant amount," Groszko says everyone should do a check-list of power-using items in their home and look for ways to cut power bills. He says Clean Nova Scotia can help and so can the Ecology Action Centre.

MODL: Dawson Heights Paving Needs Support

The Municipality of Lunenburg is seeking the province's help to pave Dawson Heights. Mayor Don Downe says they are asking the government to chip-in half the cost to pave the subdivision street. Downe says they also need residents support to move forward with the funding request. "It is contingent on 75 percent of the support from residents because it will be paying the other half of the project, so once we hear their support of that then the project will go forward. It's won't go forward otherwise," Thirty-two residents live on Dawson Heights Road, meaning at least 24 households would have to agree to pay half the estimated $307-thousand. Downe says the issue needs to be sorted before a government deadline or the Municipality would have to wait until next year to pave the street.

Paper Machines Running @ Bowater Mersey

Employees at Bowater Mersey are back to work this morning following an extended shutdown. Paper machines at the mill had been down since Christmas. Operations were set to resume on January 9th but due to poor market conditions in Europe the shut down was extended another week. Earlier this month, Bowater's CEO Brad Pelley told reporters in Liverpool that some of the mill's traditional clients were flooded with paper products. Officials at the mill were hoping an extended shutdown would help create some demand for paper.

Interested in creating logo for Bluenose Academy?

A new design is needed for Bluenose Academy's school logo. The schools official colors are Royal Blue and Black and should be incorporated into the design. The contest is open to people of all ages. Designs must be submitted by email or dropped off at Centre Consolidated School/Lunenburg Academy no later than January 30. The logo will be selected by students February 3.

Mustangs/Titans Clash in Halifax

A great tilt this afternoon in Halifax. The South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs face the league-leading Titans at 3:30 at the Halifax Forum. The Mustangs beat the Titans 4-3 to close out 2011. Halifax is currently first overall while the Mustangs sit in third.

Cash & Smokes stolen from Irving Gas Station in Hubbards

Chester RCMP are looking for two men after a break-in at the Irving Gas Station in Hubbards. The two men involved in the crime got in through the back door and had their faces covered with clothing to hide their identity. Police say they were able to get away with some cash and a large quantity of cigarettes. RCMP say one man was wearing a blue or grey checkered coat with a grey hoodie underneath and beige pants. The theft occurred late last night.

Fishermen's Memorial: Emergency Department Closure

The emergency department at the Fishermens Memorial Hopsital in Lunenburg will be closed this weekend. The closure will begin at 2:30PM Saturday afternoon until 7:30AM Sunday morning. The closure is due to the unavailability of nurses at the hospital. Any residents requiring emergency care is asked to call 9-1-1 or visit the South Shore Regional Hospital.

Town of Shelburne Looks to Downsize Council

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board has rejected a request from the Town of Shelburne to downsize the number of members on council from six to four. In a decision released earlier this week, the regulatory board says more public consultation is needed before making such a move. Mayor Al Delaney says a declining population in Shelburne is the main reason behind the request. "With our declining population and our decline tax base, four councilors would be more than adequate to govern the town and with the mayor it would be five election official governing just over 1,800 people," He says the town will meet the boards request and set dates for some public meeting on the matter in the near future. The URB has asked the town to re-submit its application before the end of February and have scheduled another hearing on the matter for April 16th.

Update: Wild Rose Park & Western Shore Wharf

Negotiations with affected property owners in Wild Rose Park will begin next month. The municipality voted to expropriate twelve parcels of land within the park shortly before the Holidays and officially acquired the land this week. Warden Allen Webber says the municipality will now begin contacting those property owners before entering into the negotiation process. "I'd like to have it resolved tomorrow, but realistically we're probably entering into a six-month stretch of back and forth negotiation, depending on how things go and how receptive people are to the amount of money that we are prepared to offer," Meanwhile, Webber says upgrades to the wharf within Wild Rose Park will begin in February. The municipality recently signed a lease-purchase agreement with Western Shore Wharf Corporation. The private company will inject $400,000 into its restoration.

BREAKING: Schools in Lunenburg and Queens County closed

South Shore residents should remain cautious behind the wheel this morning as plows cleanup roads from Thursday night's snowfall. Between 5-10cm of snow fell along the South Shore before it turned to freezing rain and eventually to rain and drizzle overnight. Roads are still slick in spots and drivers are urged to stay patient. Meanwhile, the South Shore Regional School Board have informed us that all schools in Lunenburg and Queens County are closed for the day.

Lumberjacks fall to Metro

Three goals in the final two periods were enough to push the Metro Marauders past the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks 5-1 Thursday night in Bridgewater. Cody Coffin scored the lone goal for the Jacks, who dropped their ninth straight game. Metro scored three of their goals with the man advantage and Head Coach Terry Rhindress says that was the difference.

"They're a good hockey team, they have some 20-year-olds there on the back-end that move the puck well, they go defense-to-defense, backdoor, seam pass, I mean they find the seam, so, you know what, that's a good hockey team, we didn't adjust the way we should have and it put us in a position at 4-1."

The Lumberjacks, meanwhile, went 0 for 7 on the powerplay, something Rhindress wasn't too pleased about after the game. Billy Clarke stopped 32 shots in the loss. The Edwards Denture Clinic 3 stars for last nights Lumberjacks game were:

1. Travis Hall - Metro

2. Chris Riguse - Metro

3. Billy Clarke - Lumberjacks

VIDEO: Bridgewater Councillors approve Parking Meter recommendations

Bridgewater council has approved a number of recommendations to update its current draft bylaw on parking meters. The town approved six of the seven suggestions put forward. Mayor Carroll Publicover says now they want to hire an experienced consultant to study parking meters in the town. The draft bylaw is expected to be back in front of council for first reading in the next couple of months. Council approved the following recommendations:

1. That the rate for metered parking in the Town of Bridgewater be increased to $0.50 per hour with a further increase to $1.00 per hour after one year.
2. That all parking meters receive the needed software upgrade and any repair and replacement.
3. That the most outdated or damaged parking meters be replaced each year as revenue from the parking meters in the previous year allows.
4. That the enforcement of parking meters be increased significantly.
5. That the Parking Meter By-Law proceed through the process of adoption.
6. That no new parking meters be installed.

RCMP: Snow Covered Highways

RCMP are warning motorists to slow down and use caution as weather gets worse this evening. Up to 10cm of snow, mixed with ice pellets and rain is in store for the South Shore. Meanwhile, the Hebbs Cross Fire Department responded to a call just after 4 o'clock this afternoon for a single vehicle rollover just before exit 14 on the way to Liverpool. Former Deputy Chief Gary Oakes was on scene and tells us two people, the driver and passenger managed to escape with only minor injuries after their RAV 4 flipped into a ditch. They were taken to South Shore Regional Hospital as a precaution to get checked out. We're seeing some snow, mixed with ice pellets....rain is in store for later Thursday night. To prevent incidents from occurring RCMP are reminding road users of the following:




• Call 511 to listen for advisories or road condition updates;

• Please avoid any unnecessary travel;

• Ensure an emergency kit is prepared and in your vehicle;

• Ensure cell phones are charged and ready for use in the event of an emergency;

• Adjust your driving according to the conditions;

• Allow extra time to arrive at your destination;

• Maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and those in front of you; and

• Ensure other motorists can see you. Turn on your headlights.

Councillors in Chester mull over moving to Mayoral system

The Municipality of Chester will stick with a warden style council system for now. During their regular meeting this morning, Council discussed the idea of potentially moving to a mayoral system in advance of municipal elections in October. However, members decided to stick with the status quo and re-visit the issue following the upcoming elections. District 1 councillor Marshal Hector says a decision to move to a mayoral system at their meeting this morning would have been rushed. "Where we only have the three weeks from today to confirm our decision makes it rushed. I don't think there is enough time for the general public to really stop and think about it and understand the difference between a wardens system and a mayoral system," District 3 councillor Brad Armstrong agreed. He says he's not opposed to introducing a mayoral system down the road if resident want to make the switch. "I don't want to make a quick snap decision - this council is functioning quite well and if it isn't broke....why fix it? But, there's no reason, I believe, that after the next election that if it becomes and issue or if the public states they want us to look at it then I think we should look at it," Wardens are chosen by their peers, needing a majority vote via secret ballot, while mayors are elected by residents in a separate election. Council needed to make a decision today on the issue in order to meet an imposed mid-February deadline.

White Point sells stones for Liverpool Fire Department

The Liverpool Fire Department is benefiting from a unique fundraiser at White Point. 83 beach stones from the lodge's main fireplace have been sold to raise money for the volunteer department. The marketing and product development manager at White Point, Donna Hatt, came up with the idea and contacted the fire department. She says the fundraiser is a good way to honour firefighters who fought hard to battle the November blaze at the resort. Hatt says the minimum donation for each stone was $25 but after all 83 stones sold, they had raised $3,400. The money will be used to buy an accountability system for the fire department, which helps keep track of each firefighter's movements.

BREAKING: School Board Closing Schools Early

The South Shore Regional School Board isn't taking a chance with Thursday's weather. The board has decided to close down schools an hour-and-a-half earlier than normal. The forecast is expected to get messy early Thursday afternoon with snow, ice pellets, freezing temperatures and rain. The South Shore Waldorf School will be closing at 12pm while Centre scolaire de la Rive Sud will close at 1:30pm.

BREAKING: Municipal Electric Co-op has MOU with Unnamed Energy Suppliers

The Municipal Electric Co-op of Nova Scotia will unveil the details surrounding a new energy deal for its customers next week. The Town of Lunenburg, along with Mahone Bay, Antigonish, Riverport and Berwick are all members of the co-op which formed in 1999. Mahone Bay mayor Joe Feeney confirmed to CKBW/HANK FM News that its members have signed a memorandum of understanding to enter into a new venture with two separate power suppliers. "We're very very and I mean very close to finalizing all of the negotiations to have some green energy and some imported energy that will allow us to do an even better job of providing our utility users with a better price,"  Feeney says the parties have been meeting weekly for the past month and more details could be announced as early as next week. He says one of the companies involved in the deal is in business of generating wind power.

Silver Donald Takes Charge in Bridgewater

Silver Donald Cameron

Author and journalist Silver Donald Cameron will be in Bridgewater Thursday night carrying an energy-efficient message. Cameron is in the middle of his province-wide 'Take Charge' tour, which promotes saving money, creating jobs and helping the environment. He says the tour is helping people realize they can make a difference.

"It's kind of a win-win across he board, I mean, you win individually by saving money and that sort of thing and we also win as a community and we win as a planet because, of course, the less electricity we use in this province, the less coal we burn in our generating plants, the less emissions, the less global warming."

The 'Take Charge' tour started in Truro in late November and wraps up in Halifax February 6. Cameron says the discussion will give people a chance to have their energy questions answered. He will speak from 7-8pm Thursday night at the Bridgewater Fire Hall. Admission is free.