Heed stop sign at Front Street

After a series of close calls involving trucks heading into the mill yard, the town is urging motorists to heed the stop sign at the corner of Front Street and Victoria Avenue.
At Monday night’s council meeting, Fort Frances CAO Mark McCaig said AbitibiBowater mill manager John Harrison had contacted him with serious concerns about that corner.
McCaig stressed motorists southbound on Victoria Avenue approaching the entrance to the mill yard at Front Street, by the hospital, must stop at the traffic island.
“Mr. Harrison has notified that there has been some very serious near-misses there,” McCaig said.
“There’s more trucks coming into the mill compound, and there will be even more in the near future,” he added, referring to traffic related to construction of the biomass boiler.
“People have to be cognizant, aware, and obey that stop sign because there have been some near-misses, and any near-miss with a truck of that size going into that compound and a smaller vehicle would be catastrophic,” he stressed.
“So we would like to reiterate, please remember there’s a stop sign there, and remember there are large trucks entering that compound.”
Coun. John Albanese pointed out there is a fine and demerit points for those who run stop signs. He wondered if police knew about the violations at that particular corner or if they would be stepping up enforcement there.
McCaig said Harrison’s, and the town’s, major concern in this matter is the health and safety of residents, but that he also will bring the matter up with the local Police Services Board.
< *c>‘Welcome’ sign
Also at Monday night’s meeting, town council authorized the replacement of a “Welcome to Fort Frances” sign at the municipal airport at a cost of $4,000, with 50 percent of the funding to come through the Rainy River Future Development Corp.
The issue of the deteriorated condition of the two “Welcome to Fort Frances” signs at the airport and along McIrvine Road was discussed at the Economic and Development Advisory Committee meeting back on May 12, according to a report from McCaig.
At that time, the EDAC agreed the signs didn’t give visitors a favourable first impression entering the community, and that a new sign should be installed at the airport.
The EDAC added the McIrvine sign should be removed as there was no need for it.
RRFDC economic development officer Geoff Gillon advised the EDAC the sign replacement could be facilitated through the RRFDC, and proposed a sign face like the one on the “Fort Frances” sign along Highway 53 outside International Falls.
He added there is a “skin” that can be ordered to cover the existing sign. Some plywood on the structure also might need to be replaced.
Gillon estimated the project to cost $4,000 at most, and that the RRFDC could use FedNor to cover half the cost.
As such, the cost to the town will be $2,000, which will come from the additional $50,000 the town already has budgeted for special projects through the RRFDC.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council approved a request from North Air Service to increase current taxi meter rates. The new rates will be $3.95 for the first .25 km, and 10 cents for every .043 km after that.
Waiting time will be set at $35/hour.
These rate changes will be finalized with a bylaw amendment to be voted on at a future council meeting.
As well, council approved the purchase of a new Spartan fire truck from Dependable Emergency Vehicles at a cost not to exceed $310,000 (this cost is within the budgeted amount in the 2008 budget).
A bylaw to finalize the purchase will be drafted for approval at a future council meeting.
Council also:
•referred a letter from Mark Fontana regarding a request for property transfer to the Operations and Facilities executive committee for its recommendation;
•approved purchase card expenses for CAO Mark McCaig in the amount of $423.98 (these pertain to attendance at the NOMA conference held in Thunder Bay, and a meeting with Michael Gravelle, in April); and
•approved travel expense and per diem claims for Coun. Rick Wiedenhoeft in the amount of $663.50 pertaining to his attendance at the AMO Module II seminar (councillor training) held in Thunder Bay on May 14.