Witless Bay council split over supporting Canada Day celebrations

By Mark Squibb/June 17, 2022

When Witless Bay council underwent a complete overhaul in this last year’s municipal election, folks knew that change was coming to the town hall, for better or for worse. Controversy around funding for the Bay Bulls to Bauline Athletic Association (BBBAA), however, was probably not on anybody’s bingo card.

During this week’s meeting, councillor and finance committee chairman Alex Troake brought forward a motion that council deny a request for funding from the BBBAA for a Canada Day Celebration.

According to Troake, the BBBAA had requested $800 each from Bay Bulls and Witless Bay, in addition to their own monies, to host the Canada Day event.

“My concern is, one, I haven’t seen any information on the actual budget other than high-level numbers, and another point of concern is that we’ve approved $37,000 for them, so if we start approving money for each individual event, we’re setting a precedent,” said Troake. “And I guess the most concerning point for me is that we still have not received audited, financial documents. The most recent thing we’ve received is from 2020, so it’s quite old already, and its not audited.”

The $37,000 that Troake referred to is an annual contribution made by the Town as per a signed MOU, which is set to expire this year.

Back in March, council voted to deny a request from the BBBAA to increase that annual donation to $50,000, as had been done by the previous council the year prior.

Troake, at the time, said that he could not support that request as he felt the BBBAA had not made enough effort to raise funds throughout COVID, saying that “while every other business organization in the world has pivoted, the BBBAA chose to sit on their hands.”

Troake raised a number of other objections to increasing the donation amount, including an allegation that the Town has not received the proper audited documents, that the association is too ‘Bay Bulls- centric’ and that the Town increased the donation previously out of an abundance of government COVID funding — funding that was no longer available.

Council was divided on the matter, with councillors Jacob Hayden, Nancy Burke, and Ralph Carey, voting in favour of the increase, and coucillors Gerard Dunne, Alex Troake, Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard, and Mayor Trevor Croft voting against the increase.

The BBBAA’s Scott Penny, meanwhile, argued that any funds raised by the BBBAA go back to the community through recreation and infrastructure projects, and that funding from the towns help cover operating expenses (“We are not going to fundraise to pay salaries,” said Penney.)

As to the audited records, Penney said that the Town has the records on file.

“They need to check they’re filing system,” added Penney.

Flash forward to this week, and Troake said those same concerns still hold water for him.

Councillor Jaycob Hayden argued that, as per the MOU, the money provided through the MOU does not go towards events such as the Canada Day celebration. Troake argued that according to a ratification form in the Town’s possession, money from the Town cannot be put towards operating expenses to begin with.

Hayden said that the detail of the MOU would have to be renegotiated once it expires, but for the time being, money for the event would not be found among the $37,000 that the Town donated.

“The event, which I believe last year was held in Witless Bay, and they usually alternate between Witless Bay and Bay Bulls, is a big event for the town and it’s something to go to, and something for children to go to, and it’s an important event for sure,” said Hayden.

The argument did not sway Troake.

“I’m troubled by the BBBAA board’s actions,” said Troake. “And from what I’ve read in the Irish Loop Post and comments that have been made about me, this has been made personal. But at the end of the day, I just hold the BBBAA to the same standard that I hold any group that is receiving money from taxpayers in Witless Bay. To date, we have not received the information we have requested, so to approve any more money for the BBBAA, I couldn’t do it. And until all my concerns have been rectified, I just could not support any more money being approved for that group.”

Deupty Mayor Lorna Yard sided with Troake.

“It’s a difficult situation because they do good work, and we do want these events for families, and I’m hoping we can find some kind of way forward, because it has been difficult, but that being said, as Chair of Finance I know that Alex has spent a lot of time reviewing records and going through the finances and putting things together, and so for me, I’m going to support our Chair of Finance and his advice,” said Yard. “It doesn’t mean we have to burn everything down with the BBBAA, but I do want to support Alex and his work.”

When it came to a vote, council reached a stalemate. Against the motion to deny the funding were Hayden, Ralph Carey, and Mayor Trevor Croft.

Yard, Troake, and councillor Gerard Dunne voted to deny the funding.

Mayor Croft carried on with the next motion, but Carey brought the conversation back to the BBBAA motion.

“If the motion was defeated, does that mean we will supply the funding, or does that mean we won’t supply the funding?” he asked.

Croft said that as the vote was tied, it was declared a stalemate.

Carey, however, thought the motion, as it was a tie, would be defeated, and Troake concurred.

As to the question of whether the motion passed or didn’t, Croft said they would have to move on with the rest of meeting and have a discussion about the motion at a later date.

‘Well, we can’t delay it too long, because the event is July 1,” said Carey. “So, it won’t be tabled again until our next council meeting, which would be too late for the event.”

Troake noted that if they voted again, the result would be the same, and Croft moved on to the next item.

Absent for the vote was councillor and BBBAA representative Nancy Burke, who has been on a leave of absence for some time.

In fact, council, at last week’s meeting, voted to extend her leave by three additional months.

Burke had, in the past, voted in favour of increasing the BBBAA’s funding from $37,000 to $50,000.

Bay Bulls to install new crosswalk lights on Route 10

By Mark Squibb/June 9, 2022

The Town of Bay Bulls will be adding crosswalk lighting to help pedestrians safely cross a busy stretch of provincial road.

At its May 11 meeting, council made a motion to obtain quotes for the work. The Town received three bids, and councillor Shannon O’Driscoll made a motion during this week’s meeting that council contract Construction Signs Ltd., to supply and install the lights at a cost of 19,550 plus HST.

“I think this is a very dangerous intersection, and I really think the town needs some type of signage here,” said O’Driscoll.

She is not the only one to think so — the intersection has been a topic of conversation in the council chamber for years,

“A few years back, the crosswalk lights that had been there for some time… stopped functioning,” said Town Manager Jennifer Aspell. “We bought new battery packs but quickly learned that the equipment was obsolete. Various options were looked at at that time in consultation with the Department of Transportation and Works.”

The problem with the particular section of road, said Aspell, includes a heavy volume of foot traffic (including a number of young children), a blind turn, and high speeds.

“The posted speed limit is 50, but people rarely travel that,” said Aspell. “We have collected some data from one of our speed signs that said the average speed on that road was in excess of 70 kilometres an hour.

“The system that you’ve just approved will include two crosswalk lights, and they will both flash when activated, and then one each side, as you approach from St. John’s and as you approach from the Witless Bay area,” Aspell added. “Prior to the crosswalk there will be warning lights that will also flash when activated. So, if a pedestrian presses this button at the crosswalk, then the warning lights will start to flash to warn motorists that the crosswalk has been activated. And we’re hoping that creates an extra level of safety.”

In some ways, councils’ hands have been tied over how much they could do, as the road is the responsibility of the province.

Still, council felt that something had to be done.

“I think we have a responsibility to the pedestrians who cross there,” said Mayor Neil O’Brien. “We know it’s a high traffic area, we know people drive fast there, so I think it’s a worthwhile cause.”

Deputy Mayor Jason O’ Brien warned that even with the new system in place, folks should still be careful when crossing the road.

“This is certainly about the limits of what we can do as a council,” said O’Brien. “But you’re still probably going to have to make eye contact (with drivers) and not trust to the lights. It’s still a dangerous intersection, and there is the blind turn, so this is only an added measure, but its not a safeguard.”

The motion passed unanimously.

Petty Harbour park getting $25,000 spruce up thanks to TD and Arbor Day Foundation

By Craig Westcott/June 9, 2022

Ron Doyle was throwing dirt Sunday, but not the slanderous kind, which would have been out of character for the easy going, well-liked mayor of Petty Harbour – Maddox Cove. Doyle was instead tossing soil on some new trees that have been planted at the Cribbie’s Road Park and Community Garden overlooking the picturesque fishing village.

But first, Doyle had to cut the ribbon to open the rejuvenated park, which had received a $25,000 grant from TD Bank in conjunction with the Nebraska-based Arbor Day Foundation.

The Town worked with its local Development Corporation and Recreation Commission to land the money.

The Development Corporation’s treasurer, Vonda Hayes, noted that Petty Harbour is among 20 towns across North America getting a Green Space Grant this year, but the only one in Newfoundland.

“The goal of this grant is to reforest Cribbie's Park into a true green space,” Hayes said. “And thanks to a second grant of $10,000 that (the Town’s Chief Administrative Officer) Stephanie Stack applied for and accepted on behalf of the Town, we're going to have a wheelchair accessible pathway to access the park (as well). That will be happening this summer in July.”

Hayes noted Cribbie’s Park, which is located on a hill overlooking the harbour where people used to plant vegetables and keep animals, is probably the first site in Petty Harbour that was ever developed for a recreational purpose. In past years, the Town operated an outdoor rink there in winter and later it put in a ballfield, which was well used by the community’ storied softball players, a number of whom represented the province at the Canada Games and internationally.

“That was probably in the 70s and 80s,” Hayes said of the softball pitch. “Then it transformed again into a local park. Then it kind of, unfortunately, went a little bit downhill. The equipment had to be removed because of safety (concerns). So back in 2014 we wanted to revitalize this ground as a useful space for everybody in the community to enjoy. In 2021, the Town had a grant to remove all the trees that were there and put in sods. Now we've got this new grant where we will reforest the park. We've got about 30 trees altogether. There's about 16 shrubs and about 110 perennials that we're going to plant. And we're looking for volunteers. This is just a kick-start to many things that are going to happen up here this summer. And the finale is going to be August 7 when we're going to have a concert up here that everybody is going to be welcome to come join and help celebrate the completion of this. So, this is a summer long project and we'll be looking for lots of people to help us out."

Mayor Doyle complimented the members of the Development Corporation, Recreation Commission and previous and current town councils for seeing the project through.

"It's amazing the work that has gone on here over the last couple of years," Doyle said. "I guess we never thought we'd see it come to fruition. But we're delighted… It's amazing what they've done with this piece of ground. I see a great future for this area. "

Doyle said the August 7 concert will mark the start of the town's Come Home Year festival, which will run for a week and include lots of activities. Many volunteers will be needed, he added.

"Probably the reason we didn't have a festival over the last number of years was the lack of volunteers,” said the mayor. “This year, all of the committees came on board, and we have 10 or 12 people on our (planning) committee. It's a great committee."

In an interview later, Doyle explained how valuable the Green Space Grant is given the Town mostly relies on cost-shared government funding programs to pay for its recreation infrastructure.

"In this case we were fortunate to get an Arbor Grant... and we're delighted to be able to get that,” said the mayor. “It's not every year you can budget recreation money, but it's very, very important, especially for a town like us to be able to get a green space in Petty Harbour. There are not many green spaces here. This is a great day for the community."

Witless Bay mayor says new Town Manager just on leave

By Mark Squibb/June 9, 2022

The Town of Witless Bay is down another body, as Town Manager Shawn Kavanagh has taken a leave of absence.

Upon hearing rumors that Kavanagh was no longer working with the Town, the Irish Loop Post reached out to the Town Hall staff, Mayor Trevor Croft, Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard, and Kavanagh himself.

Four phone calls to the Town Hall made between Tuesday and Wednesday last week went unanswered, although town staff did respond to an e-mail inquiry, stating that Kavanagh was “currently off on leave.”

Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard said that she could not comment on the matter, stating that the mayor is the town’s official spokesman.

Mayor Trevor Croft, when asked if Kavanagh still worked for the town, said that Kavanagh was currently on a leave of absence.

Kavanagh himself confirmed that he was technically on a leave of absence, but that he wasn’t at liberty to discuss it at the moment.

Currently, the Town is staffed by Town Clerk Katherine Doyle and Financial and Administrative Assistant Cassie O’ Rielly, while former Town Clerk Geraldine Caul remains on leave.

O’Rielly, Doyle, and Kavanagh were all hired within the last seven months.

O’Reilly was hired in late November of 2021 to fill the position left vacant by Barbara Harrigan, who had quit last year, but returned briefly following the election to help the new council transition.

Kavanagh began working with the town February 21. He was hired to replace former Town Manager Kevin Kelley who quit in October. Kelley quit just a month after he was hired to replace former chief administrative officer Pat Curran.

Doyle was hired at the beginning of May to fill the position left vacant by Geraldine Caul. Councillor Alex Troake, who had inquired of council about the recruitment process, voted against that hiring.

As to the unanswered phone calls to Town Hall, O’Rielly, Croft, and Yard all said that staff were extremely busy at the time.

Motions exceed minutes at quickie meeting

By Mark Squibb/June 9, 2022

During last week’s specially called public meeting, Witless Bay council issued a tender to hire a new town planner, a tender for Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) site work at the playground/ballfield, a tender for road sealing, another for line painting, and approved training for town staff — all in under six minutes.

Both the road sealing tender and line painting tender were awarded to Irish Loop Driveway Sealing.

“This is just some maintenance for our town parking lot,” said councilor Jacob Hayden. “The lines need to be painted and the asphalt sealed in hopes it will look more presentable for Come Home Year festivities.”

As to the staff training, council contracted LW Consulting to provide the staff training, although the type of training was not specified.

The Irish Loop Post reached out to the former town planner, Paul Boundridge, and inquired as to when he and the town parted ways.

Boundridge would not comment and suggested the Post contact Town Manger Shawn Kavanagh for more information on the matter.

With Kavanagh being on leave of absence, the Post made a general inquiry to the Town.

Town Clerk Katherine Doyle explained that Boundridge’s contract has expired as per the agreed-upon terms.

“The Town of Witless Bay is required to allow others, who may wish to submit a tender for the specified contract inclusive of Mr. Boundridge, to do so in order to allow for fair competition and transparency within the contracts awarded for the Town of Witless Bay,” read Doyle’s e-mail.

Doyle said the contract expired in May, and that any concerns can be directed to Boundridge, as the Town is still using his services in the interim.

Sullivan votes nay to archaeological reviews

By Mark Squibb/June 2, 2022

Of the four members of Bay Bulls council in attendance at the May public meeting, councillor Jason Sullivan was alone in speaking against a new development application process that he said may stall development along the town’s coastline.

The change would see development applications along the coastline be submitted to the Provincial Archaeological Office for further review due to the Memorial University archaeological assessment currently taking place within the community.

Sullivan made the motion to “not to have to check with those people unless it’s an actual, known area where there might be some archaeological things.”

No other member of council would second the motion, and after three calls for a seconder, the motion died.

Councillor Keith O’Driscoll motioned that council require that development application in areas along the coastline within 100 metres of the high-water mark be referred to the Provincial Archeology Office for review.

The requirement, said O’Driscoll, will then be reviewed following completion of the Memorial University Bay Bulls Archaeological Assessment which is currently underway.

Councillor Shannon O’Driscoll seconded the motion.

Just as Keith O’Driscoll was saying he felt the idea was a good one, councillor Jason Sullivan was saying he thought the idea was a horrible one.

“I think this is going to delay any potential development along the coastline,” said Sullivan, himself a developer, who wondered how comprehensive the review would be and worried that development would be stalled for years to come.

Town CAO Jennifer Aspell, at the request of Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien, explained the process a little further.

“The Provincial Archaeological Office has been asking municipalities to consider this for quite some time, and because we’re currently completing the assessment of the harbour and the coastline, it was recommended that we refer applications to them, but they have advised that they receive thousands of applications a year, and they turn them around quite quickly, within a one week period, and a really small percentage, I think it’s about two percent or less, are required to have any further work done, or an assessment of any sort,” said Aspell.

As an aside, Aspell said she was happy to note the archaeological work was underway, and folks may have noticed MUN students around town going about their work.

“At the end of this project next year, we will receive a GIS map that will note any item of significance that has been found and at that point and time council could certainly review this policy, or this motion, and say, ‘Look, we have a map, and we know in particular areas what is under the ground,’” she said. “So, we can look at individual applications, and not require them to go to the Provincial Archaeological Office.”

She added the new policy would be a precautionary measure until the Town received that map.

O’Driscoll said he thought the measure would be beneficial.

“We’re one of the oldest towns here in the province, and there’s a lot of historic recognition here,” said O’Driscoll, who added that Crown Land applications typically require such a referral anyway.

The motion passed 3 to 1, with Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien and councillors Keith and Shannon O’Driscoll voting in favour. Councillor Sullivan voted against the motion, while Mayor Neil O’Brien was not present at the meeting.

Witless Bay agrees to accept the money for new fire hall

By Mark Squibb/May 26, 2022

A special public meeting of Witless Bay council held last Thursday lasted just under four minutes, but a motion passed during the meeting will have a major impact on the entire region.

Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard moved that the town accept a cost-shared funding offer from the provincial government and move ahead with construction of a new regional fire hall.

The total project value comes in just shy of $3 million dollars, with the Town expected to pay $815,646.

Councillor Ralph Carey seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously with little discussion.

Council also approved a request that lights in the current fire hall be repaired and replaced, and the disposal of some items no longer in use by the fire department be taken care of.

Council received approval for its application for a new fire hall, which had been submitted by the previous council, on March 9. However, it delayed accepting the funding right away in order to consider the financial implications.