Duane Hicks
Perhaps most well-known for her work with the Canadian Cancer Society and “Spirit of Christmas,” Linda Hamilton was named “Citizen of the Year 2009” at last night’s council meeting.
“She’s participated in many things throughout the years in this community and Northwestern Ontario, and on behalf of myself and council, I’d like to congratulate Linda for achieving the ‘Citizen of the Year’ award for this year,” said Mayor Roy Avis.
The “Citizen of the Year” selection committee, consisting of Mayor Avis, Coun. Sharon Tibbs, Bill Gushulak (“Citizen of the Year 2000”), and Mark Kowalchuk (“Citizen of the Year 1994”), met last Wednesday to choose from among the 18 nominations that came in before the Oct. 31 deadline.
“We had a tremendous number of good applications,” noted Mayor Avis.
Hamilton, the town’s 21st “Citizen of the Year,” formally will be honoured next Friday (Nov. 21) at the town’s annual appreciation, recognition, retiree, and long-service dinner at La Place Rendez-Vous.
Also last night, with underpass work expected to wrap up for the season next week, Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown told council all the concrete retaining walls have been poured, and that 80 percent of the road and retaining walls have been backfilled.
A reminder that the underpass will continue to be closed daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. until Sunday (Nov. 16) to safely remove the temporary steel piling (shoring) behind the newly-constructed east side retaining wall.
As well, asphalt will be laid over the granular patches where the new storm sewer system was installed.
“Hopefully, in the next six days left, that we have good weather and all the sheet piles out, and hopefully, next Monday around 5 p.m. we can open it up to [two lanes of] traffic,” said Brown.
“I know it’s been a while and people are getting frustrated.”
Brown noted the soil anchors on part of the project have failed and that CN will not allow crews to cut the footings of the east abutment until the problem is rectified.
The town, contractor, and engineer currently are looking at their options.
In other traffic-related news, Brown said even though work on Central Avenue has been finished for some time, large logging trucks still are using Second Street East and Frenette and Reid Avenues to go to the mill.
They should go back to using Front Street and Scott Street instead.
CAO Mark McCaig said the truck detour route hasn’t been necessary for quite some time, this is the last warning the town is giving, and police have been notified.
“There will be charges if you’re caught by the police,” McCaig warned.
Also at last night’s meeting, council:
•heard presentations by St. Francis student McKenna Begin and J.W. Walker student Danielle Hammond, both of whom won the town’s Local Government Week essay contest;
•heard a presentation by Fort Frances Fire Chief Gerry Armstrong regarding the upcoming “Trillium Response 2008” emergency management exercise;
•referred a financial request from the Fort Frances High School yearbook committee for advertising in the 2008-09 edition to the Administration and Finance executive committee for its recommendation;
•referred a financial request from the Dominion 2009 Northern Ontario’s Men’s Curling Championship committee for a cash donation to offset hospitality costs (i.e., sponsor a luncheon) at the bonspiel, which will be hosted by the Fort Frances Curling Club on Feb. 9-14, to the Administration and Finance executive committee for its recommendation;
•agreed to proclaim January, 2009 as “Alzheimer Awareness Month” in the Town of Fort Frances;
•referred a request from the Fort Frances Police Services Board to amend Bylaw 66/90-A (to allow police to use ATVs/four-wheelers to enforce municipal bylaws) to the Planning and Development executive committee for its recommendation;
•referred a financial request from the Fort Frances Police Services Board for a donation towards the Ontario Association of Police Service Boards Zone 1 meeting, being hosted here Jan. 21-23, 2009, to the Administration and Finance executive committee for its recommendation;
•passed a bylaw to amend Bylaw 10/03 (Traffic Control Bylaw) to designate a church loading zone on Victoria Avenue (in front of the Salvation Army citadel);
•passed a bylaw to approve an agreement with Shred-it for document shredding services; and
•referred a request from the Rainy River Future Development Corp. to declare certain properties surplus, for the purposes of potential development, to the Planning and Development executive committee for its recommendation.
