Well, the meeting was over in about an hour and a half. It helped that the branding deputation came in under the ten minute limit, and two of the Councillors were absent. Comments and discussion were to the point.

The items of interest from the Councillors Reports, and Questions of Staff include:

  • there are issues with a property on Avenue Road related to grading and zoning issues that seem to be a concern for Council.
  • The Kinsman outdoor rink should be up and running no later than Friday the 20th.
  • The rink at Mission Park is operating with efforts being made to secure lighting to permit night skating.

Correspondence

4.1 – the Parry Sound Downtown Business Association regarding concerns about a lack of designated pedestrian crossings, traffic lights or stop signs along James Street from Seguin Street to Rosetta Street to assist people crossing the street. [An agenda item, 9.5.1., Council agreed to have Staff look into doing a traffic survey.]

4.2 – Lev Nikiforov with a request to meet with Council regarding the construction project on 81 River Street. [This was the subject of a deputation, item 5.3.]

4.3 – a petition with 50 signatures requesting the transit bus operate on December 24 and December 31, 2013. [This item was read with no follow up discussion or decision at the meeting. So I guess there will be no service on those two days. Strange! But the whole issue of where the Town is on the public transit system is a mystery to me.]

Deputations

5.1 – Marianne King-Wilson, Waterfront Advisory Committee with a presentation on Branding. [I really enjoyed the presentation and learned how the Town’s logo was designed. It’s a template for how we should look at future designs. I was surprised that there were no comments or questions from Council. Lead, follow or get out of the way.]

5.2 – a presentation by Tulloch Engineering regarding the Town’s Asset Management Plan. [The presentation focused on the methodology of the study with no ‘state of the town’ summary. That is presumably buried in their report. I’ve extracted the report it from the agenda package and have it linked here. It might be worth summarizing the report, perhaps a project for the holidays.]

5.3 – a deputation by Lev Nikiforov regarding the construction project on 81 River Street. [This is the project that was started without the necessary Town approvals and was forced to stop. The deputation confirmed that it was a cash flow issue. To make progress the builder needs a town permit. To get the permit the builder needs money. But to get the necessary money from the bank for the permit and to advance construction the builder needs to move the project forward. For that he needs the permit. A classic ‘Catch-22’ situation. He needs to get his ‘backers’ to cough up some money. Council decided not to provide any relief given that they have not provided similar relief to other builders who have followed the rules and not started work without the necessary permits.]

Consent Agenda

8.1 – Parry Sound Hydro Corporation board appointments for Roger Alexander, Gord Rempel, Bill Lawrence and Al Downing through June 30th, 2014. [CARRIED]

8.2 – a revision to the schedule of council meetings to include an additional special meeting of Council to discuss the 2014 budget. [The date and time of the next budget meeting is January 12th starting at 6:15 PM in the Council chambers. It’s open to the public.]

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.2.1 – a resolution to approve the 2014 Land Ambulance budget in the amount of $8,138,658, which is an increase of 2% over the 2013 budget. [CARRIED]

9.3.1 – a resolution to install a “Former Village of Carrington” sign on Parry Sound Rd. at a cost of $450 plus HST. [CARRIED]

9.4.1 – a direction for Town Staff to provide notice of changed rental rates at the Stockey Centre effective 2014. [CARRIED]

9.5.1 – a direction for Town Staff to investigate the cost of an analysis of pedestrian traffic on James St. [See also item 4.1. There was discussion and agreement that the traffic study should be conducted as was feasible with resources and the weather. It’s likely a report will only be ready in six months.]

9.5.2 – a resolution to increase the per tag price of household waste disposal from $3 to $5, effective February 1st 2014. [CARRIED. Staff was also instructed to look in to the possibility of acquiring used scales for the transfer site. Apparently most municipalities use weight for determining tipping charges. The Town does it by bags and truck/trailer load estimates.]

9.5.3 – a resolution to reimburse sellers $0.25 per Garbage Tag sold on behalf of the Town effective January 1st 2014. [CARRIED. FYI the Town sells about 9,000 tags er year.]

By-Laws

10.1.1 – a by-law to enter into a three-year leasing agreement with De Lage Landen Financial Services Canada for one copier to be used at the Stockey Centre. [CARRIED]

10.2.1 – a by-law to renew the Rose Point Area Fire Protection Agreement, with the Township of Seguin to have Parry Sound provide fire protection for the Rose Point area and a couple of other properties proximate to Parry Sound. [CARRIED]

10.4.1 – a by-law to grant Site Plan Approval and authorize the execution and registration of a Development Agreement with the Near North District School Board. [CARRIED. There was discussion regarding responsibility for clearing the roads and sidewalks in this construction area. Apparently the responsibility falls on the School Board, but the Town is providing some basic snow removal for now.]

Repair or Replace? Bad to worse. (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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These notes review only those portions of the council meeting that I see as having greater importance or general community interest. See my agenda preview posts for additional comments.

The official minutes from council meetings are available at the Town of Parry Sound website, no later than the Friday following the meeting. The full council proceeding are available on video through Cogeco. Schedule details are available from the town office (705-746-2101).