Mayor looks ahead to 2000

As more and more municipalities around Ontario amalgamate, Mayor Glenn Witherspoon said Fort Frances will be taking the issue very seriously in the coming year.
“Following the lead of the provincial government, we plan to communicate closely with our neighbouring communities in the near future,” he revealed yesterday.
“We know amalgamation is on the way. It’s better to get to sorting things out now before it is taken out of our hands,” he stressed.
“Not that I’ll be around then, but I’d say that in 10 years, there will be only four communities comprising the district,” he predicted.
Communities that Fort Frances likely will talk to include Alberton, Watten, and those “even further east,” Mayor Witherspoon said.
Meanwhile, the mayor noted the town would be following up on some efforts already underway.
“We’re going to push Bell Telephone very hard to install a DMS 100 switch so we can be on the same wavelength as the rest of Ontario,” he pledged.
“We’ve been negotiating for quite some time but we really want it to go through this year,” he added.
A DMS 100 switch, which possibly could be operated out of Thunder Bay or here, would allow more telecommunications options, including faster Internet service.
“The hospital, the mill, the high school–all of these could benefit from quicker, more efficient ways to communicate,” Mayor Witherspoon said.
Thirdly, the mayor stressed improving the town’s economic strength would remain a high priority in 2000.
“We’re going to work with economic development to have more north-south trade. We want to see even more commerce with our U.S. neighbours,” he said.
The mayor also noted he wanted to further expand the types of industry here. “We’re looking to push the north-end industrial sector,” he said. “We want another pollution-free industry to strengthen the local economy.”
Meanwhile, the town could see changes to its department structure down the road after an operational review by a hired consultant.
“We expect the results to come out before, and come into play for, the [municipal] elections next year,” Mayor Witherspoon said.
As for 1999, the mayor was pleased to see several projects wrapped up–or get off the ground.
“It was great to see the Townshend Theatre built and open for the community,” he noted. “As well, the new high school and the new arena, which should be completed by the end of 2000, are definite assets.
“Plus, on a broader scale, we’ve continued to improve our infrastructure,” he added.