Funding opportunity for new Town signs

April 30, 2015 · 0 Comments

Town of Shelburne Chief Administrative Officer John Telfer presented reports to Council April 27th that included information on a partnership funding opportunity from Central Counties for the Town LED signs project which could total $50,000. The Economic Development Committee has made the two signs a priority and committed dollars toward the investment. The goal is to get maximum exposure for traffic coming through town in high visible locations.
The proposal is to place one sign at the northeast corner of the Wrigglesworth Plaza property, where the Town would seek to secure a long term lease arrangement on title or gain an easement on the Vandyk Group’s property, with MTO approval for signage at that location. The other sign would be converted from the large Town hall sign to provide a continuous message to travellers on Hwy 89 west and those coming and going on Hwy 10. The sign would also keep local residents informed with Town and County events and information such as emergency road closures.
The CA0’s report stated, “All control of the two signs will come from Town Hall via computer and we are obligated with the partnership with Central Counties to have 45% advertising from the Central Counties marketing priorities.” Total cost of the signs is projected to be $114,848 to complete. Council motioned to follow the CAO’s recommendation to move forward on the project quickly as the Pan Am games approach and the funding is time sensitive.
Council also moved to approve the Ministry of Transportation’s (MTO) request in principal for an exemption from the Town of Shelburne Noise Control By-Law to undertake overnight paving operations at the intersection of Highway 10 and 89 and County Road 124. MTO is planning to “repave the surface of Highway 10 and 89 from the east limit of the Shelburne Connecting Link easterly to 0.65 km east of the junction of Highway 10/89 at Primrose to protect the long term integrity of the recently completed rehabilitation project” for that section of the highway. The request for exemption is from May 15th to August 31st, 2015.
Council also passed a motion to accept the CAO’s recommendations regarding site alteration and placement and removal of fill bylaw and policy. The report analysed concerns over unacceptable fill taken from other municipalities for development in Shelburne in an attempt to cut costs rather than considering the safety and quality of the imported material. The CAO recommended a bylaw that “will be enforceable on site and with teeth to refuse loads being considered for location to location hauls.” In addition, John Telfer recommended Council have “a means to make orders for violations of the bylaw on an immediate basis” and “the power to review work orders prior to any approvals.”
The Economic Development Committee (EDC) minutes reported the EDC budget had been approved by Council. This includes $50,000 for a strategic plan and $15,000 for the capital account. The EDC annual breakfast meeting, catered by Hands On Catering, was held on April 23rd. John Telfer reported, “Over 110 business people, developers, politicians and municipal staff took part in an informative earlier morning breakfast at the Shelburne Legion.” Councillor Wade Mills Chair of the EDC noted, “In keeping with tradition, guests heard from our Economic Development Officer, John Telfer, who gave a very positive and exciting report on the various projects occurring throughout town.” The update included 2014 Town growth and planning projections for 2015. John Telfer told the Free Press, “Emphasis was placed on the fact that with growth comes the need to invest in infrastructure. He noted 9 million dollars being spent in capital within the 2015 capital budget. It is important to plan 5 to 10 years ahead and be prepared to finance the costs of growth through Development Charges and prudent decision making.”
“Also speaking on Downtown Visioning,” said CAO Telfer “was a group from GSP Group Inc. including Steve Wever, Mark Zuzinjak and Chris McBride. Michele Harris from Headwaters Tourism outlined a GAP analysis which is critical to any downtown improvements and guidelines.” EDC Chair Mills said it was his hope that “what comes out of this meeting is an on-going dialogue between our stakeholders that will ultimately generate a number of ideas to make our downtown more liveable, attractive, and accessible for our residents and our visitors.”

By Marni Walsh