Duane Hicks
A group of north-end residents is asking for better roads.
In a letter received by council during its public budget meeting Monday night, Amy Marchuk pointed out she sent a letter to the town regarding road upgrades back on July 3, 2003.
She heard no reply, and inquired about her request in Oct. 5, 2004. She was told to send a copy of her letter to the town, which she did, and has not gotten a reply since.
“Over the years, I have been asked by my neighbours about the petition that was signed and why the town hasn’t upgraded our roads,” noted Marchuk.
“I had no answer for them, but today I decided to again ask for our roads to be upgraded and included in the 2018 budget.
“Therefore, we ask that our petition be a top priority for the 2018 road budget,” wrote Marchuk.
“We are disappointed that the north-end district of town does not receive the attention that other areas of town have been receiving.”
Marchuk’s letter was accompanied by a petition signed by abut 30 neighbourhood residents.
The OFSAA curling committee, meanwhile, has asked council to consider sponsoring the 2018 OFSAA curling championships to be hosted here in March.
This event will include 20 boys’ teams and 20 girls’ teams. Each team can have five players, one coach, and one school rep.
“We expect countless other parents, grandparents, and family members to accompany these 40 teams as they descend upon Fort Frances in March, 2018,” noted the committee, which consists of Tyson Dennis, John Payne, Ron Silver, and Rick Wiedenhoeft.
“Fort Frances and the Rainy River District has produced a number of high-calibre curling teams and players who have gone on to higher levels (regional, provincial, national, etc.) and have represented our area with great success,” it added.
The small committee of volunteers began meeting back in the spring and has been busy making arrangements to host the event, including accommodations, banquet facilities, programs, guest speakers, registration, website, etc.
The committee noted that this past March, the Town of Fort Frances (and surrounding district) hosted a very successful OFSAA boys’ hockey championship “and the community support and spirit was overwhelming.”
“Our committee is hopeful that the same support and spirit will be displayed for the 2018 OFSAA Provincial High School Curling Championships.”
As such, the committee is seeking sponsors to help to offset the cost of bringing the 2018 OFSAA curling championships here.
The request included a breakdown of sponsorships levels–platinum ($2,000 and up), gold ($1,000-$1,999.99), silver ($500-999.99), bronze ($200-$499.99), hog line ($100-$199.99), and friend (under $100), as well as in-kind donations.
Council referred both requests to the 2018 budget process.
