Duane Hicks
Thanks to funding received from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp., Fort Frances will be hiring a sustainability co-ordinator next year.
The one-year internship will see an individual co-ordinate the development of a community sustainability plan, with emphasis being placed on reducing energy consumption and improving maintenance within all town-owned buildings and HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) systems.
The person also may implement energy retrofit projects in some or all of the town buildings, as well as improve preventative maintenance programs for all buildings.
And he or she will explore the possibility of electrical energy upgrades for some town-owned buildings, and the possibility of micro-fit solar generating systems being installed on some roof tops of buildings where electrical power is sold back to Hydro One.
As per NOHFC requirements, the successful candidate must have graduated from a Northern Ontario secondary school, be 29 years of age or younger, and recently graduated from an accredited college or university.
The internship is advertised elsewhere in this edition of the Times, and also will be posted on university websites.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council:
•directed the clerk to prepare a bylaw to designate Mayor Roy Avis as head of the corporation for the purposes of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and draft a formal delegation of the head’s powers and duties under the act;
•received semi-annual test results for lead in the water distribution system (no action is required);
•authorized administration to purchase 4,474 dozen flowers from Hammond Landscaping at a cost of $12,750.90 plus taxes (this is the supply of parks and cemetery flowers for 2011);
•authorized the execution of an amended municipal hazardous or special waste services agreement with Stewardship Ontario;
•agreed to enter into an amended geospatial data exchange agreement with Ontario (MNR);
•agreed that the winter control operations policy be revised to include the closing of Huffman School and opening of the new Robert Moore School, and to make the OPP and fire department parking lots, walkways, and garage door entrances a higher priority in future (council also agreed to revise the traffic control bylaw to eliminate the 40 km/h speed zone by the old Huffman School);
•approved amended terms of reference for the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee;
•approved revisions to the 2001 Operations and Facilities Division (Public Works Department) user fees and charges;
•approved a capital expenditure for a Civic Centre heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system at a cost of $30,000;
•approved the write-off of uncollected accounts receivable in the amount of $1,357.12 as of Nov. 30, 2010;
•received minutes of settlement for properties at 411 First St. E. and 1726 Colonization Rd. W.;
•approved changes to the town’s investments policy 1.15;
•approved the closing of the skate park bank account; and
•approved a travel and per diem expense claim for Mayor Roy Avis in the amount of $510.14 (this is for attending the Association of Municipalities of Ontario heads of council training in Thunder Bay on Nov. 25).
