By Mark Squibb
December 20, 2023
It’s been a busy year in Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove.
The Town bought the community centre parking lot, which had one of the properties, along with the nearby St. Joseph’s Church, put up for sale by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s to settle abuse victims claims.
Mayor Ron Doyle says the purchase was a big-ticket item.
“The building was purchased by a film group, and we were lucky enough to be able to buy the parking lot back,” said Doyle. “As luck would have it, they separated both parking lots, one with the church and one with the community centre, and we own the community centre, which is the old St. Edward’s schools, but we had to buy back the parking lot, and we had to pay $85,000, which was an expense. It was a struggle. When you have to find $85,000 in a balanced budget, tis not easy.”
Doyle said there was a negative kick back to the idea of a film studio, and the purchasers have since sold the building.
“Now, we’re looking at the possibility of a micro brewery going there,” said Doyle. “We haven’t come to a conclusion, other than that we’re amending the zoning to allow for commercial business uses there, and one of them would be a micro-brewery.”
Doyle said council will be meeting with the applicant in the new year.
The town in 2023 marked 50 years of incorporation, and the community also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the unveiling of the cenotaph, which was dedicated in 1998.
Also in 2023, Newfoundland Power, which has partnered with the Town in recent years to address its parking woes, installed a storyboard near the hydro plant telling the history of the plant.
With an eye to the town’s lucrative torusim market, council this year met with the Department of Tourism and other tourism groups and from that meeting developed a refreshed tourism strategy, with a focus on increased parking and signage.
The Town also continued with a program of upgrades to its parks, work that Doyle said will continue into the future.
“We’re concentrating heavily on accessibility,” said Doyle. “Most of our new facilities are accessible. Bidgoods Cove Park and Cribbies Park and out around near the memorial. We also did some work on the Tourist Chalet, making sure that we have accessible washrooms available.”
Council this month passed a balanced budget of $1.1 million that will see no residential or commercial mil rate increases.
Council did however implement some tax increases: residential garbage collection went from $100 to $125, while commercial garbage collection went from $200 to $300, and the tax certificate for compliance letters increased $100 to $250.
Council also introduced a fee for film crew permits.
“We continue to have film crews come down, whether its Hudson and Rex or whoever it is,” said Doyle. “And this is to control it, as much as it is to make a dollar. We need to know who is coming, when they’re coming, how many are coming, whether there are going to be traffic disruptions.”
And, if you head on down to the Town Hall to take in a council meeting, you’ll notice a new face around the council table; David Balsom was named to council this fall following the resignation of former councillor Melissa Pardy, who resigned citing other commitments.
“It’s always great to have some new blood on council, and he’s very experienced,” said Doyle. “He’s only been to a couple of meetings, but he speaks up, he’s got a lot of experience, and I look forward to working with him. He’s a good guy.”
Looking ahead to next year, the Town has invested in a number of multi-year capital works projects, include storm runoff remediation along the Maddox Cove shoreline and remediation along Motion Bay. Council also hopes to mitigate storm runoff by installing swales along certain roads to help direct storm water into the sewers.
Doyle also extended his congratulations to the family of the late Tom Best, who was inducted into the Atlantic Canada Martine Industries Hall of Fame this fall.
Best was the founding president of the Petty Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative, and served as president for over 30 years. Best also chaired the Petty Harbour Fishermen’s Committee for a number of years and served on many other local and national fishery committees.
