City continuing to support business makeovers

By Patrick Newhook/January 13, 2022

Mount Pearl is continuing its Façade Improvement Program into 2022, in the hopes of beautifying more storefronts to sustain its small business base.

The city is spending $45,000 on the program. Initially set up in 2019, the program was created as an incentive for businesses in growth areas to make improvements and investments in their storefronts up to the value of $10,000 on a cost-shared basis. 

“It signals our commitment to continue support for the business community,” said councillor Locke.  

According to Locke, businesses have shown interest in the program. 

“The city of Mount Pearl continued our commitment to economic development issuing over $27,000 in façade improvement grants to businesses making improvements to the extension of their public facing spaces,” said Locke during his 2022 budget presentation speech last month. 

Businesses apply, and when approved receive a grant of up to 50 per cent of the project’s costs to a maximum of $10,000. 

The goal is to not only make the local businesses, but also the streets they occupy, more appealing.

Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley said this can help with the city’s sustainability. 

“This is, absolutely, not only a great way to support small businesses, but also do it in a balanced way where it is cost-shared,” Kieley said. “We are looking at improvements that now will change, literally, the face of some of our economic areas and drivers for years, so it has a great sustainability area there.”

Councilor Mark Rice applauded the program’s positive effects, both for the city and its applicants. 

“I think initiatives like this are really important for council and really important for the growth of Mount Pearl,” Rice said.

Cutback decision wasn't easy, but was necessary, says Harbour Grace Mayor

By Patrick Newhook/January 13, 2022

Mayor Don Coombs is confident that Harbour Grace residents won’t be hurt by a cutback in municipal spending this year. 

On December 15, Harbour Grace presented its budget for 2022. It included a 1 per cent cutback across all departments. That included the fire department. 

Coombs said council had to make difficult decisions and cooperate with all departments to make the budget work. 

“We realised that we got to be able to pay our bills, so we looked at the operation and we streamlined it as much as we could for this year,” said the mayor. “And we came up with that (10 per cent cut) after the department heads brought it in and we needed that. So they did the budget themselves and presented it to finance for council and it is something we’ve got to live with. This is a budget for the taxpayers of the town. There are no tax increases and what had to be done had to be done. We have to start paying down our dept and getting things back in order, and, you know, all council and department heads were absolutely great at it.” 

But making a 10 per cent cut wasn’t easy, Coombs admitted, especially to places such as the fire brigade.

“Nobody wanted to cut it back, but we explained it to him, the chief, it had to be done and there’s ways to get it done and they brought back a budget which showed the 10 per cent (reduction). It’s not only the fire department it’s our snow clearing, it’s everything else. We need everyone on our side… The 10 per cent cuts won’t have any effect on the town, whatsoever. There’s no loss of service to anybody.”  

The fire department, meanwhile, has been given the responsibility again for collecting fire protection fees from the residents of Bristol’s Hope, something it had been looking to see reinstated for some time. For a couple of years, the Town had taken over the management of the collection. 

“The town of Harbour Grace entered into an agreement in 2013 to collect the money from the community, the local service district of Bristol’s Hope, and now that’s being collected by the fire department again which is giving them some more revenue.” 

Despite the cutback, Coombs said he is proud of the budget. 

“I feel really good about it about it that we don’t have to increase taxes, we won’t see service interruptions, and everybody took it and worked on it,” said Coombs. “It’s good for the taxpayers of the town.”  

Mayor mystified by missing bank staff

By Mark Squibb/January 13, 2022

The Royal Bank in Holyrood is not closed permanently, says Holyrood town council, though Mayor Gary Goobie says it could do a better job of communicating with its customers.

Councilor Curtis Buckle raised the concern during the Tuesday night meeting, saying the town should reach out to RBC to ascertain why the bank is closed, and when, or if, it will open again. He noted the bank has been closed for some time, and a sign posted at the bank simply said it was closed due to a shortage of staff, but would reopen later in January. He noted many people prefer to do their banking in person rather than electronically, and further still, some may not be able to drive to the Royal Bank in CBS.

That was when Deputy Mayor Michele Woodford said she had already reached out to the Conception Bay South branch and a staff person told her the bank in Holyrood was closed because staff members were taking their annual vacation.

“They have to use up so much of their vacation, or they’re going to lose it,” said Woodford. “So, you have a lot of people on vacation right now and they’re working on a skeleton crew. Of course, I was concerned as well, because you hear rumors that the bank is not opening up in Holyrood but that’s not true, the bank is staying in Holyrood, they are reopening on the 24th, right now, pending that all of the annual vacation is used and that people are coming back to work.”

Mayor Gary Gooble joked that Buckle stole his thunder in bringing up the bank closure, as he had intended to raise it. Goobie said that while speaking with MHA Helen Conway-Ottenheimer’s office about potholes along Route 60, he was asked if he knew anything about the situation, at which time he did not.

“And the only thing that I can say is that the Royal Bank could do a better job in their public relations department,” said Goobie. “They have customers from Colliers right to Holyrood, parts of Conception Bay South, and in around St. Mary’s, and for some of those folks, customers, some of them long time, long serving customers, they probably make that trip from St. Mary’s to come to the bank, only to find out there’s a sign on the door saying we’re closed. And in my personal opinion, I don’t think that’s good enough. I think they could have communicated that a little better, with their customers, in advance. Regardless of the situation that caused or precipitated this closure, temporarily, I think they could have done a better job of communicating with their customers, if they want to keep them. I deal with the Royal Bank as well, and I didn’t receive anything, I didn’t even know about it, so it’s disappointing, to say the least.”

Councilor Laura Crawley said that she had heard of the same situation unfolding in other communities too, such as Placentia.

CBS maintaining momentum despite Covid, says mayor

By Mark Squibb/January 13, 2022

Conception Bay South Mayor Darrin Bent admits 2021 was a year of great contrasts.

“We’ve seen some fantastic improvements, leaps forward for our town, but we’ve also seen some things that have held us back,” Bent said.

One thing that stands out to him is the town’s continued growth, despite the pandemic.

“We know this because our building permits in 2021 increased by 40 percent in 2021” said Bent. “That’s compared to 2019, pre-COVID levels. And 2019 was a great year.”

He said 2021 saw over a hundred new housing starts and around 40 new business starts.

“And we know that more people are moving here because we saw about $100,000 in new revenue above budget projections for the year due to tax certificates, water and sewer connections, things that tell you you’re growing,” he explained.

In 2021, Bent said the town spent three quarters of a million on road rehabilitation, including sidewalks, a million dollars to upgrade Anchorage Road, and $2 million repairing storm damage to the Long Pond Harbour breakwater. Looking to the new year, Bent said council is extremely excited about two big upcoming projects; the continued work on the new library (which he estimates that, with another $3 million or so, will open later this year) and continued plans for a new community park, which he hopes will open in late summer or early fall, barring further supply chain issues. (Bent also said supply chain issues caused by COVID are to blame for the delay in installing crosswalk lights near the Manuel’s River Interpretation Centre.)

Beyond that, he said council is spending $4.25 million on new sidewalks in the coming year and $2.5 million to upgrade Mineral’s Road.

Unfortunately, Bent said, decreased property assessments means less revenue to put towards those projects.

“In 2021, we saw a decrease in property assessments, which meant that there’s $1.5 million less for us to spend,” said Bent. “It seems like we’re going to be faced with that again this coming year in 2022. So, we have to work hard again this year to make sure every dollar counts when you’re facing these sorts of challenges. But the growth gives us optimism for 2022 to overcome these financial hardships that we’ve seen in the past year.”

Bent admits COVID has hit with a wallop, and the Omicron variant is making town business challenging.

“We’re working really hard to ensure that we have the staff in place to provide the core services that people expect,” said Bent. “It’s very important of course that we continue to do that.”

He said despite the rise of Omicron cases, in part due to vaccine availability, most folks believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

This past year also was an election year, and that election brought about a number of changes to the council chambers.

Bent himself earned the right to the mayor’s chair after defeating former mayor Steve Tessier and mayoral contender Brad Suter.

“I think it’s a bit easier to take on the role of mayor with previous experience on council,” said Bent. “That’s one of the reasons I had never run before, that I wanted to ensure that I had the background, and I had the information, so it’s not a complete learning curve… The job of mayor is a different beast as well. It takes a lot more time, you are pulled in all directions, differently from a ward councilor of course. All town issues are your issues now. But it also allows you to push forward things that you want to see move forward in your town. You get to highlight a way forward for the future, you get to set the tone for your community. You get to allow the other municipalities and the province and the federal government to see what tone you’re setting for your community. I pride myself for setting a positive one.”

He also applauded his fellow members of council.

“We have a fantastic group around the council table,” said Bent. “It’s a really good group to work with, very thoughtful in bringing forward residents’ concerns and wanting to talk about them and to see how we can move forward in the best way possible for the benefit of the most people.  And of course, when you’re dealing with a new council this early on you never know how it’s going to work… I think we’ve got maybe one of the best councils this town has ever had. They’re a great group and they’re experience will keep us in good stead over the next few years for sure.”

A number of residents may not share Bent’s glowing acclaim of council, as Bent himself admits there are still matters relating to the Long Pond Harbour development approval being appealed.

He said the friction between council and some residents over the project or any other project or application around town, ought not to be viewed as a conflict between council and residents.

“I don’t see it as a conflict,” said Bent. “I see residents using whatever means available to them to question and challenge council, as I think they should. I don’t think that council can move forward in any way with things without that input and without considering all sides. There are challenges that are before the appeal board, and I believe even the court in regards to the Long Pond development and they will play themselves out in those venues and whatever comes out the other end we will work with as a council.”

Harbour Main landmark tapped for farmers' market

By Patrick Newhook/January 6, 2022

The people of Harbour Main-Chapel’s Cove-Lakeview will soon have more options for buying local goods and produce thanks to the opening of a regional farmers market. 

In 2021, the town council purchased the community’s historic PJ Kennedy property with plans to revitalize it. The building is a landmark, having long served as a general store on a sharp turn on the main road, just steps from the pavement.

Mayor Mike Doyle, allowed the building’s location caused some issues.

“The original historic store that’s on the corner there, really creates a blind spot for traffic there,” Doyle allowed.  

The property contains two buildings. According to Doyle, after inspection, the first building was deemed unfit while the second building had a good foundation.  

“We did look at the old store and had several people look at it, unfortunately it’s not salvageable,” said Mayor Doyle. “The original store, however, the long building on the other side on the property we had some folks look at that and it looks like it’s got a good solid foundation and will be able to be restored and so we are looking at turning that into a regional farmers market.”  

In recent years, council has been encouraging residents who want to grow their own food. From setting up a year-round greenhouse to having a community garden and orchard, the town is aiming to become more organic.  

Mayor Doyle thinks it’s a good idea for people to start doing more farming and agriculture, and the addition of a farmers’ market will allow some of them to sell their produce. “As people start to get their vegetables and things, we wanted to have a place where they could market their vegetables,” said Doyle, “you know, their bottling, their pickled beets or items of that nature. We thought it would be a nice community gathering spot as well where folks can get together and sell their wares and create sort of a new economy.”  

Doyle said the plan is to start small and build on what’s available. Council has high hopes for what it can do for the area. “What we hope that it will do is bring people together and, once again, promote holistic living and organic growing and healthy food options and choices and a means to be educational as well,” said Doyle.  

The hope is to see the market open for business within the next year or two. “Right now, we are working to get a contractor to come in and give us some estimates on how much it’s going to cost to do the building and really to decide on the best way to go forward with the project,” said Doyle.

A daycare, a demolition and a dojo get the nod from Paradise council

By Mark Squibb/January 6, 2022

Paradise council approved a number of applications during the public council meeting just prior to the Christmas break.

Deputy Mayor Kim Street, who chairs the planning and protective services committee, brought forward the motions, no two of which were alike, during the December 21 meeting.

The first was an application for a home-based animal boarding daycare on St. Thomas Line. A notice of discretionary use was advertised, and no objections were received.

Council approved the application unanimously, subject to 12 conditions,

Council also approved an application to demolish a home on Paradise Road and build a four unit dwelling in its place, subject to 10 conditions.

That application, however, was not without objections from the public.

“Two written objections were received,” noted Street. “The planning and protective services committee considered the matter and recommends approval for the development.”

Street noted the objections related to the possible height of the building, but assured council, and any residents watching the meeting online, that the height of the dwelling would be comparable to the height of an average home.

Council also approved an application for a new kickboxing training business at 1187 Kenmount Road subject to nine conditions.  That building currently houses business such as Paradise Bowl and Elite Dance.

Finally, council approved an application for a temporary sales office at Nicholas Quinn Place. The application was granted approval in November for a similar application, but the applicant wished to relocate the sales office to a different lot. That approval is subject to 12 conditions, and was unanimously granted by council.

As previously reported in The Shoreline, council, during that same meeting, rejected an application for a home-based doctors office on Kate Marie Place. Town staff received 21 written objections to the application.

Council also confirmed an order served on December 15 concerning a light installed on the front of a garage on Byrne’s Road.

“The light is causing a nuisance when illuminated to the neighboring property,” explained Street.

Council unanimously approved the order.