Town lends support for beautification

Council agreed Monday night to a public relations expense of about $4,700 to go towards three different groups doing beautification projects here in the near future.
The first of the projects is a flower bed surrounding the “Good Neighbors” sign at the west end of town. This is a new project by the Good Neighbours Council and Fort Frances Horticultural Society.
“This would be a continuation of the hanging baskets leading to the west end that the Chamber [of Commerce] initiated last year,” said Vivian O’Donnell, Good Neighbours Council chair, in her request to the town.
The project would consist of two stages—an upper bed of shrubs and perennials which the council would like to plant this year so there might be some growth by next year.
The second part is a lower surround of stacking blocks and annuals or low-growing perennials. If the Good Neighbours Council can raise enough money, it also will plant this part this summer.
Council agreed to contribute fill and topsoil, as well as $1,000 for the watering of the flower bed.
The town also will contribute $700 to the local Business Improvement Area to install and remove benches on Scott Street, $1,500 for the watering of hanging baskets and planters on Scott Street, and will continue the current schedule for downtown street sweeping.
And the third is the Chamber of Commerce’s hanging flower baskets, to which the town will contribute $1,500 to cover the costs of watering them.
These flowers once again will grace Third Street West from the islands at Central Avenue to the cemetery.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council authorized payment of the outstanding balance of $23,816 to the Rainy River District School Board for its share of construction costs of the Townshend Theatre.
It also:
•received a presentation from chief librarian Margaret Sedgwick on the library board’s new strategic plan;
•approved a report from tax collector Ed Katona regarding a $31,078.83 tax write-off for the United Native Friendship Centre (this is due to the fact it’s a charitable institution organized for the relief of the poor under Section 3.12 of the Assessment Act);
•received a report from Mayor Glenn Witherspoon on the 2002 World Health Organization Conference on Safe Communities held here May 7-9;
•agreed to close the 200 and 300 blocks of Scott Street on June 27 for the Business Improvement Area’s “Mall Day”;
•accepted a break-open ticket licence from the Border Figure Skating Club to sell tickets at Sparky’s Confectionery from May 28-Nov. 28, 2002;
•referred a request from the Rainy River District School for permission to fill in the easement in front of Fort Frances High School to the operations and facilities executive committee;
•referred a letter of concern from Abitibi-Consolidated regarding traffic at the corner of Front Street and Victoria Avenue to the traffic safety committee;
•granted parking relief on Scott Street on June 5 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s annual Big Bike Ride fundraising event (council also gave the nod to town employees participating in the event);
•referred a letter requesting improvement of the sidewalk adjoining 819 Victoria Ave. to the operations & facilities executive committee; and
•agreed to a $3,000 in-kind donation to the Rainy River First Nations’ resource stewardship framework project.