Celebrate ‘Homecoming Week’: mayor

With a slew of activities scheduled here over the next six days, and with the town’s centennial celebration culminating on Canada Day, Mayor Glenn Witherspoon is encouraging all citizens to come out and participate in “Homecoming Week.”
“We have a lot of people coming into town for this and there’s been a lot of hard work involved getting it organized,” he noted at Monday night’s council meeting.
“I hope the residents participate in this, get involved, be proud of your community,” he added. “How the people supported this celebration—that’s something they can write about 100 years from now.”
He thanked those involved with the centennial committee, including CAO Bill Naturkach, Coun. Sharon Tibbs, and museum curator Pam Hawley, among others, for their dedication to this year’s centennial events.
For a complete list of “Homecoming Week” events, see the ad elsewhere in this edition of the Times.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council presented an “Award of Excellence” to Brad Herbert, co-ordinator of the district Substance Abuse Prevention Team, for his work in crime prevention.
Steve Latimer, co-ordinator of the local youth justice program, was not on hand but also will get a certificate.
These awards are from the Ontario Crime Control Commission.
Also Monday night, council
•referred a request for financial assistance from Jackie Berry and Jason VanderHorst, who have been staying in town since May 28 because they have been unable to cross the U.S. border, to the District Social Services Administrative Board and the local Salvation Army as recommended by the Administration and Finance executive committee;
•accepted a notification of $50,000 in funding from the Ministry of Transportation highway “Connecting Link” funding, which will be used for a traffic study at the Intersection of King’s Highway and McIrvine Road;
•approved an application for the annual Community Museum Operating Grant, and directed it be forwarded to the Ministry of Culture for review;
•voted down a response to a request for proposal for a corporate audit by BDO Dunwoody;
•authorized the approval and signing of the Town of Fort Frances Health and Safety Policy; and
•authorized Mayor Witherspoon, or a designate, and centennial committee chair Pam Hawley to host the proposed visit here by Antoinette S. Marwitz, U.S. Counsul General (Toronto), on Aug. 30, 2003;
•referred a request for financial assistance from the Nor-West Animal Clinic for a proposed veterinary hospital to the Community Services executive committee for a recommendation;
•accepted a request from International Falls city council to proclaim July 1-4 as “Sister City Days” and encourage residents to partake in both Canada Day and July 4 celebrations (council opted not to play in an annual slo-pitch challenge, instead choosing to challenge the Falls city council to a dragon boat race July 1 at Pither’s Point);
•received an invitation from the Township of Morley for council representation at its centennial celebration July 1;
•received an invitation from the OPP to attend a function at La Place Rendez-Vous following the OPP’s “Golden Helmets” precision motorcycle team demo at the Memorial Sports Centre on June 30;
•referred a request to become a member of the Association of Municipal Recycling Co-ordinators to the Operations and Facilities executive committee for a recommendation;
•referred a request for financial assistance from “Team Outland-Fort Frances” to the Administration and Finance executive committee for a recommendation (this team will be undergoing a six-day survival challenge on Aug. 17-22 in Quetico Provincial Park);
•passed a bylaw to provide for the use of alternative voting methods (vote by mail);
•agreed to have Couns. Deane Cunningham and Neil Kabel attend a farewell supper for Capt. Eric and Sylvia Alcock of the local Salvation Army this Saturday at the Joy of Life Fellowship Church;
•agreed to a request from Tim Woods Jr. for gifts from the mayor to bring to Bahrain, where he will be teaching Islamic and American Studies;
•approved a request from the Economic Development Advisory Committee regarding a memorandum of understanding with the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce and Rainy River Future Development Corp.; and
•deferred a request from the Business Improvement Association to appoint a representative to the municipal committee looking into a new Ontario Travel Centre here to a later date for further discussion.