Duane Hicks
Local students are sending a message to keep our watershed pollutant-free.
Grade 8 students from Jody Bonner-Vickers’ class at Fort High appeared before town council yesterday evening to explain what they will be doing next week and why.
On Tuesday (May 30), the students will participate in a binational initiative to raise awareness of the Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods watershed to promote stewardship of the water quality within it, Morgan Beckett, Greta Fedorak, Rya Hawrylak, Emma Bassett, Piper Caldwell, and Rachael McCoy told council.
As part of the International Watershed Co-ordination Program offered by the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation, Bonner-Vickers’ students will go out and apply painted stencils beside 46 storm drains along the waterfront here–from La Verendrye Hospital to the east end of Scott Street.
The stencil will read “No Dumping: Drains to River” and also include an image of a fish.
Students in Robert Guertin’s high school shop class made the stencil.
They’ll also be picking up garbage along the way, as well as leaving information on neighbourhood doors to let people know about the project.
Storm drains along the waterfront empty directly into the river, so it’s important to realize that what goes down the storm drain goes into the water, the students told council.
This means we all must keep substances like soaps from car washing, fertilizers, and oils out of these drains, they added.
The students noted if they don’t raise awareness of water pollution, the situation could stay the same–or get worse.
Researchers are finding out that hormones in birth control drugs, for example, actually are producing eggs in male fish.
Also, many people go swimming on the town docks, which are located on the river where the storm drains empty into.
A swimmer could be harmed if they were to swallow polluted water.
Many local residents also enjoy fishing. If fish are living and breathing in the dirty water, we could end up catching and eating contaminated fish.
Many communities in Canada and the U.S. have similar stencils or have installed permanent markers.
In fact, this same project will be happening in International Falls tomorrow (May 25).
This is a partnership project between the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation, the Town of Fort Frances, Fort Frances High School, Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District, and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Prior to going out to paint May 30, the students will take part in an interactive session with Jolen Simon of the Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District to learn about how watersheds work through the use of a 3-D model.
The class noted they’re “very excited for this project.”
Also at last night’s meeting, council:
•heard an update from Jessica Logozzo, director of Health System Development and Integration for the North West Local Health Integration Network, re: its expanding mandate and the implementation of the provincial Patients First Act;
•agreed to make a contribution to the Vet Assistance Trust Fund in the amount of $650 as per a request from the Rainy River Vet Services Committee;
•agreed to certain in-kind requests made by the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship committee;
•authorized a new sign to be placed on the Sister Kennedy Centre grounds as presented in accordance with the town’s sign bylaw;
•endorsed an update to the user fee bylaw for the Fort Frances Children’s Complex;
•awarded Tender 17-OF-07 (2017 road reconstruction, watermain and sewer replacement) to Bay City Contractors Inc. at an estimated Phase 1 cost of $2,164,010.74 (including HST) and a contingency allowance of $170,000;
•waived the permit fees associated with the building permits for the construction of the Rainy Lake Square;
•approved per diem and travel expense claims for Coun. Wendy Brunetta ($722) and Coun. Doug Kitowski ($769.45) for their attendance at the NOMA conference April 25-28 in Thunder Bay;
•referred an e-mail from GIS Technician P. Klyne, re: unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) request at 2017 dragon boat festival, to the Community Services executive committee for its recommendation;
•referred an e-mail from Al Smith of the International Early Iron Car Club, re: a request to waive admission fee, to the Community Services executive committee for its recommendation;
•passed a bylaw to approve a land use agreement with Armstrong Investments Co. II for construction of an accessibility ramp at 343 Scott St. (Royal Bank);
•passed a bylaw to authorize capping parameters for commercial, industrial, and multi-residential capped property classes and to establish a minimum tax level for certain eligible properties;
•passed a bylaw to establish a percentage by which tax decreases are limited in 2017 to properties in the commercial, industrial, and multi-residential property classes;
•passed a bylaw to authorize the execution of an agreement with Harold Kelly for the maintenance of property located at the airport and 1003 Frog Creek Rd. awarded through the Request for Proposal process (17-OF-06); and
•passed a bylaw to authorize the execution of an agreement with RML Contracting Ltd. for the construction of Rainy Lake Square within the Town of Fort Frances awarded through the public tender process.
