Council okays repairs to mayor’s property

By Mark Squibb

Witless Bay council this week cast a vote to obtain quotes for repairs to a property on Lar Norris Road, and Mayor Trevor Croft declared a conflict of interest as the home in question was his.

Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard instructed Croft, who attended the meeting by telephone, to put the phone on speaker and step away from it so as to not participate in the discussion.

Councillor Ralph Carey moved that staff obtain additional quotes to repair damage at the property.

Councillor Gerard Dunne seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously without further discussion.

Later in the meeting, council unanimously approved repairs at a Southside Track residence at a cost of $8,850 plus HST. As per the motion, the property owner was required to sign a waiver and release for any repairs on the property.

Councillor Ralph Carey said the damage had been caused by flooding.

The Irish Loop Post followed up with Town staff regarding the motions.

Staff explained that when the Town receives a complaint of property damage, staff investigate and may engage professional consultants to look into it further.

Staff say that in both of the above incidents, the claims are for water damage to property as a result of road infrastructure upgrade projects, which were completed a number of years ago.

They added that should the Town determine that the road upgrades resulted in the property damage, it will work with the property owners to identify the full extent of the liability and complete the repairs accordingly.

In both of the above cases, staff say a quote for repairs was submitted by the property owner. The Town, however, is required to obtain its own quotes.

Neither Croft nor Yard responded to a request for an interview.

Windchill to blame for Bay Bulls and Renews-Cappahayden dump closures

By Mark Squibb

The Eastern Regional Service Board (ERSB) announced last week that both the Bay Bulls and Renews-Cappahayden dumps would be closed until further notice.

Typically, the two dump sites are open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and again from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The ESRB announced on Tuesday, January 2, that the Bay Bulls facility would be closed that day.

The next day, the board announced that both sites would be closed until further notice.

ERSB spokesperson Will Hillard explained that provincial health and safety regulations prevent staff from working at any waste recovery facility without a warming center when the windchill is lower than minus 7°C.

“The flux in windchill this winter has made it difficult to keep Bay Bulls and Renews-Cappahayden facilities operating normal business hours,” said Hilliard. “ERSB is working with government authorities to arrange for electricity to be installed at these sites and they will reopen when weather conditions permit or when electricity has been installed.”

The board recommends that because of the closures, residents bring their household bulk waste to the Robin Hood Bay facility in St. John’s. That dump is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.

Witless Bay restructuring town administration

By Mark Squibb

It’s a new year and a new way of doing things in Witless Bay.

The Town this week announced that current CAO Jennifer Aspell, who has been covering the role of Acting Town Clerk since July 2023, will assume the duties of the Town Clerk on a permanent basis, eliminating the need for a separate unionized position.

The Town is also looking to fill the vacated Finance and Administrative Position as well as a seasonal maintenance position.

When asked, Aspell said the positions were vacated last year.

The Town also this week announced the creation of a planning and development officer and a part-time recreation coordinator. The Town specified that the recreation coordinator position was created using funds that had previously been allocated to the Bay Bulls to Bauline Athletic Association (BBBAA).

For several years, the Town had contributed $37,000 annually to the organization, as per a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Witless Bay and the group.

Following the expiration of that MOU at the close of 2022, council several times deferred making a decision on whether to fund the organization again. By the time neighbouring Bay Bulls announced that it would be willing to accept sole responsibility for the BBBAA in November, the matter had not appeared on Witless Bay council’s agenda for many months.

Petty Harbour council adjusting capital works projects

By Mark Squibb

Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove council is paring back one capital works project and attempting to add to another.

During this week’s public meeting, council voted to reduce the scope of work for the storm runoff remediation and mitigation project to bring it within budget. The scope of work originally included Motion Bay Road, Motion Bay Road Extension, Skinner's Hill and Cribbies Road. Council will be removing Skinner's Hill and Cribbies Road from the project. Farrells Construction Ltd. was the lowest compliant bidder on the job, and will be named the successful bidder if it agrees to the changes made to the project to keep it within budget. Farrell’s initial bid came in at $95,195.

Council also voted to send a letter to the Provincial Government requesting additional funding for the Motion Bay Road Extension  watermain protection project as the consultant has deemed that a retaining wall is necessary to protect the road structure and to ensure sufficient cover is maintained over the watermain. It’s estimated that adding the retaining wall to the project will cost somewhere between $35,000 to $50,000.

If the extra funding is not available, the Town has requested that the wall be added to its recent application for the next phase, phase 2, of the Motion Bay Road Extension project.

The provincial and federal governments have contributed some $256,000 in funding for the project, which includes ditching and erosion control measures along the extension as well as reinstatement of the ground cover over the existing watermain that currently services some 211 homes. The hope is the upgrades will help control storm water runoff and prevent future erosion of the ground cover.

Compassionate Teacher

Gregory White of St. Kevin’s High School in the Goulds was one of nine teachers across the province to be named a recipient of the Minister’s Award for Compassion in Teaching. The recipients were announced this summer, and the awards handed out at a special ceremony this December.  Presenting the award is Minister of Education Krista Lynn Howell. Department of Education photo

Witless Bay gets in the spirit of giving

By Mark Squibb

They say that it’s better to give than to receive.

Witless Bay council was in a giving mood this last council meeting, held the Wednesday before Christmas.

Council not only agreed to sponsor the Southern Shore Amateur Hockey Association, but also agreed to donate $200 to the Mobile Central High Happy Tree. Council, last month, had previously donated $200 to the Mobile Central High School Scholarship Program.

The meeting, for which residents could not tune into via conference calling due to technical difficulties, was the last of this calendar year.

Witless Bay Fire Department extends its reach

By Mark Squibb

Witless Bay council has approved an extension to the town’s volunteer fire department’s response zone.

During last week’s meeting, which the public was unable to attend via teleconferencing due to technical problems, council ratified an earlier e-mail vote to add a stretch of approximately 11 kilometres of the Southern Shore Highway near La Manch to the fire department’s response zone.

The Ferryland department will also respond to accidents along the same stretch of highway.

Council deferred voting on the matter back in November so that it could discuss the proposed amendment with Fire Chief Jack Gatherall before casting a vote.

The department, which boasts about 30 members, all of them volunteers save the chief, serves Witless Bay, Bay Bulls, Tors Cove, Bauline, Mobile, and Burnt Cove-St Michaels-Bauline East.

Bay Bulls’ operating budget just over $2 million

By Mark Squibb

Bay Bulls council late last month approved a balanced budget of $4.38 million. The Town has since released the budget document, which shows that almost half of the Town’s anticipated revenue (48 percent, or approximately $2.1 million) is in the form of different government grants, including the municipal operating grant, provincial and federal gas tax monies, and municipal capital works funding for Phase 2 of the Long Pond trail project and federal funding for upgrades to Northside Road.

The Town’s next biggest chunk of revenue (some $926,650) will come from resident property tax, with other taxes and rental fees accounting for most of the remaining revenue.

Council anticipates over half the budget (some $2.4 million) will be chewed up in capital works projects, including the community outdoor rink, Long Pond trail project, and Northside Road upgrades.

Council has budgeted $642,786 for general government – including salaries, office supplies, Town Hall maintenance, insurance, and professional services— as well as $508,000 for transportation services, including snow clearing, $171,937 in debt payments on the Lifestyle Centre and renovation loans, and $147,500 for recreation.

Bay Bulls has a debt service ratio of 8 percent, well below the recommended maximum ratio of between 15 and 30 percent.

The residential and commercial mil rates were held steady at 5 and 14.75 mils respectively.