Council Minutes - Nov 11/09

November 11, 2009

INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF HILTON BEACH
Council Meeting
November 11, 2009

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. Present were Mayor Stevens and Councillors Hope, Marziale and Sullivan. Councillor Crack was absent with notice.

09-108 Moved by R. Hope Seconded by J. Sullivan
Resolved to approve the minutes of the October 14th, 2009 meeting as presented.
Carried

09-109 Moved by T. Marziale Seconded by J. Sullivan
Resolved to authorize payment of Voucher #09-10 in the amount of $99,142.02.
Carried

The Problem Detail Sheet Summary was reviewed. The drop box at the library has been installed. Work on other items continues.

The Clerk’s Report was reviewed. October was a busy month with the office move and Grand Opening in addition to the regular workload.

Pat Fleming was in attendance to provide an update on the War of 1812 anniversary celebrations. The Ministry of Tourism has funded groups in six regions of the Province with the Sault/Algoma being one. The events will take place from 2012 to 2014. There are four committees responsible for various aspects of the activities. Volunteers are being sought. They are also considering hiring someone to help coordinate the activities on the Island with costs to be shared on the basis of assessment. No details are yet available.

09-110 Moved by R. Hope Seconded by J. Sullivan
Resolved that we do agree in principle to support the proposed hiring of an Events Coordinator for St. Joseph Island and agree to work cooperatively with the other Island municipalities for the War of 1812 events.
Carried

The landfill report was noted. There is much decreased activity now. The landfill Committee will meet on site to determine the work to be completed this fall.

The Repair and Maintenance report was provided by OCWA. The number of callouts has been reduced.

Mayor Stevens reported on the proposed walking trail to proceed from the water reservoir to the M & N. He met on site with Jack Hore, President of the Voyageurs who is promoting this project. Walking trails are a popular form of recreation and Council will continue to work on the details.

Notification was received that the appointment to the Seniors/Disabled Advisory Committee had to be renewed.

09-111 Moved by R. Hope Seconded by T. Marziale
Resolved to appoint Laurel Hendrick to the Seniors/Disabled Services Advisory Committee for another one-year term.
Carried

Information was received from the Central Algoma Freshwater Coalition. This group’s mandate is the protection, improvement and restoration of the water sources. They requested to attend a future Council meeting to discuss their mandate and need for support. This will be arranged.

A report was received from the Legion Poppy Chairman. In 2008 the campaign collected $3,771.62. These funds are used to assist Veterans and their dependents as well as purchase of hospital equipment, maintenance of housing and care facilities for the elderly and disabled, support to drop-in centres for seniors, etc.

Further information was received from Algoma Manor regarding the delay in funding for the project. This is causing start-up delays and thus escalating the costs. Area municipalities are not responsible for the operating or capital costs of Algoma Manor after this year.

Reporting requirements for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The first report must be filed by March 31, 2010.

The proposed Growth Plan for Northern Ontario has been released and is available at www.placestogrow.ca. Feedback is welcomed.

Notification was received that funding is approved for the Hilton Web Connection for operating and capital.

The Fees and Charges By-law will be updated at the next meeting. One area of fees that needed to be reviewed is charges under the Municipal Act for tax sales. The last time the Village collected these fees was in early 2008 and they were marginal at that time. Due to the changes in the process to register documents at the Land Titles Office and in the cost of advertising, it was recommended that these fees be increased in case there is a need to proceed with ay registrations in 2010. Council concurred with the recommendations.

The second item is the fee for connecting to the water and sewer systems where new services are installed. The fees for the lots on the upper side of Mariners’ Way were considered. It was decided to use the same methodology as was used with the initial projects and that is to divide the unfunded costs among the benefiting landowners. The amount will be somewhat higher than the original but this is understandable as it is a different project and considerable time has passed. The fees are still reasonable when compared to the cost of either drilling a well or installing a septic system. These will be incorporated into the by-law.

There have been two requests for extensions to the water and sewer systems – one on Water St. and the other on Canoe Point Rd. The first step is to determine the general approach and to prepare a cost estimate. Tulloch Engineering was asked to provide quotes for this work. Once the information is received Council can determine how to proceed. It is expected that the projects will be too costly to proceed without funding assistance from senior levels of government but with the information provided such applications can be made.

09-112 Moved by R. Hope Seconded by T. Marziale
Resolved to accept the quotation of Tulloch Engineering to prepare cost estimates for two potential extensions to the water and sewer systems.
Carried

Councillor Marziale confirmed that the Soo Mill Road Commission has undertaken the proposed work on Soo Mill. The Village had agreed to provide some funding toward the project in 2010 with the amount to be determined during the budget deliberations.

09-113 Moved by J. Sullivan Seconded by R. Hope
Resolved to adopt By-law #985 being a by-law to confirm the proceedings of the Council Meeting held November 11th, 2009 and confirm the taking of any action authorized therein and thereby.
Carried


09-114 Moved by R. Hope Seconded by T. Marziale
Resolved to adjourn to meet again on December 8th, 2009 or at the call of the Mayor.
Carried







APPRECIATION CORNER

To Myra Eddy and Janet Boucher for decorating the entrance of the new municipal office.

To Helen Hope and Gail Murdock who volunteered to prepare the refreshments for the Grand Opening.

To Jake Cormier, Larry and Judy Borek, Joanne Springer and Myra Eddy who helped with the preparations for the Grand Opening.

To Wilfred and Dana Stevens, Ruth and Bob Black, Geni Picazo and Council who provided flowers.

To the chocolate fairy who left the delicious Belgian chocolate for the Clerk.

To Tom and Lori Desjardin for the donation of the engraved clock set.

To Marie Cain and Emily Campbell who participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony.

To all those who attended the Grand Opening and helped to make the event such a success.

MAYOR STEVEN’S REMARKS

For those who were unable to attend the Mayor’s remarks are attached. The displays will be left in place for a little while.

“On behalf of Council I am pleased to welcome you here today.
This is a very significant day for the Village. In 1992 when we renovated the old building that became The Waterfront Centre, we planned that the new municipal office would be built in this spot.
The importance of this property has been recognized by all three levels of government for its potential role in the economy of not just Hilton Beach but in the North Channel communities. The property was purchased in 1988 from Hans Werner with the assistance of Federal funding. Hans also firmly believed that this property should be in public ownership. The 1992 and 2006 renovations were completed with funding from all levels of government as has been the construction of this new expansion.
The Village has undertaken a series of economic development plans to develop the community so that it is a place people choose to live or to operate a business and where there are facilities, services and activities that will attract people to visit for a day or for a season. Over the years several other projects were undertaken but it was not until the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative was announced that funding became available for such a project.
Because of the other developments in the community such as the marina expansion, the rental units were included in the plans. They are now available for the private sector to provide services to both our permanent residents and visitors. Since the building has been completed one unit in the old section has been rented to a business that is opening this November and there is strong interest in the other remaining unit in the old section as well as the larger units in the lower level of this section.
This building has been designed to serve the community now and in the future. The internet is wired in throughout. We now have the capability for video conferencing as well and this is expected to have economic spinoffs for the community. The community internet access site has been relocated into this building and it will now be available to the public any time that the office is open, not just in the summer as has been the case.
The Provincial Government has participated in a major way with funding under the
Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative and this enabled the project to proceed. FedNor has also assisted with these costs, recognizing the economic development potential for the area. Council wishes to specifically recognize Cathy Jensen of the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry and Paul Denis of FedNor for their support and assistance with this project.
Bruce Caughill has designed a very attractive building that is compatible with the marina and the Village Centre.
Jake Cormier has provided ongoing advice and assistance with the technical side. He has designed the network for the Internet reception, figured out the most effective way to provide the satellite service to the municipal needs as well as the CAP site and the marina. He has put together a slide show for our enjoyment today.
Bryan Hogan of Stone’s Office Supply was most helpful in selecting furnishings that are of good quality and appropriately priced.
Tanya Alexander and Pollari Construction have begun the work on the landscaping. It will be completed in the spring. As well we still have to improve our accessibility to the building.
Special recognition is given to Tom Desjardin, his crew and sub-trades. A building of this calibre is the result of work by people who take pride in their work. Gilbertson Enterprises, Soo Mill, Batman Plumbing, Permanent Electric, Carpet One, Hollow Metal are just some of the companies that have made this plan a reality.
At this time I would like to give a small memento to Tom.
Now I would like to invite Tony Martin our Federal Member of Parliament to say a few words.
Mike Brown our Member in the Provincial Legislature will now provide his comments.
I now ask two of our seniors, Emily Campbell and Marie Cain to come forward to assist in the ribbon cutting to formally open the building.
Thank you again for coming. Please stay, visit, look at the displays and enjoy the refreshments.”

CHILI FESTIVAL

The second Chili Festival will be held on Nov. 15th from 5 to 7 with games to follow for those who wish. Please bring a pot of your special chilli. There will be tasting cups and voting and those with the most votes will receive the People’s Choice Award. Recreation will provide the salads, dessert and beverages. Everyone is welcome. There is no charge for those who bring a dish and a $5 per person charge for all others.