Duane Hicks
Town council will stand by its previous decision to remove the sidewalk on the east side of Armit Avenue between Front Street and Church Street.
Council on Monday night approved a report by Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown recommending that council stick by its previous decision to eliminate the sidewalk.
The sidewalk will be removed in the spring.
This decision initially was made at the Sept. 12 council meeting, then discussed again at the Oct. 11 meeting after the town received a letter from Dr. Cam Moorhouse.
The matter was discussed yet again at the Nov. 14 council meeting after receiving a letter from local resident Barb Kircher.
Brown noted in his report that, according to minimum maintenance standards for roadways in town, Armit Avenue between Front Street and Church Street is classified as a “low volume roadway.”
As well, the Operations and Facilities executive committee did meet with Kircher to further discuss her concerns in her letter, he added.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council:
•appointed Shelly Wepruk to the BIA board of management;
•tabled the purchase of a stove and software for the Fort Frances Museum using donations from the past year on the grounds they would like more information of the use of a stove;
•approved a report noting that Jean Dakin, owner of 1107 Second St. E., will be responsible for all costs associated with relocating the water service curb stop valve to the property line, as well as the cost of replacing the sidewalk, in accordance with 2012 bylaw rates (the town will not charge Dakin for the cost of removing the existing sidewalk as her building contractor will perform this);
•awarded a janitorial contract to S&A Cleaners for the Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre, and renewed contracts with Nicholson’s Janitorial Services for the museum, Civic Centre, and OPP office, Pitrowski Cleaning for the Children’s Complex, and Courtesy Cleaning for Public Works;
•authorized Community Services manager George Bell to write the Fort Frances Lakers and advise them they are welcome to bid on the upstairs Memorial Sports Centre canteen tender in the spring;
•declined a request from the Assisted Living Action Group (ALAG) for financial support of a survey (council did, however, support in principle the concept of an assisted living facility from a district perspective, adding that such development should be through the private sector, and supported consultation between the Rainy River Future Development Corp. and ALAG to develop a survey for ALAG’s purposes);
•approved a land sale policy prepared by the municipal planner, based on the concept provided by the Economic Development Advisory Committee, and authorized its immediate inclusion and implementation into the town’s policy manual; and
•received the Fort Frances wastewater treatment facility monthly report for October, 2011.
