Al Lunney

Welcome to 2010 and the start of a new decade.  I trust that you had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday season and are looking forward to the challenges of 2010.

Before we look to what lies ahead in 2010, I would like to review the issues that were identified in my 2009 address.  

In 2009, we had major concerns with our police budget with respect to costs and coverage.   The Police Services Board, together with Council, has aggressively addressed these issues with success.   The reporting structure has been changed, allowing members of the P.S.B. to address issues immediately. This includes the number of officers on duty and exactly what they are doing.  Patrols have increased in all communities and we are finally getting what we are paying for.   The issue of the excessive calls to a group home in our community has been addressed and the calls have been significantly reduced.  It would be naïve to think that the cost of policing will not increase but as I mentioned above, we have a much better handle on what we are getting for our dollars.

In my 2009 address, I spoke about the numerous projects that needed to be addressed:  the Community Official Plan Review, the Zoning By-law, and the Design Guidelines.  I am pleased that all three of these issues will be going forwarded to public meetings scheduled later this month. 

One of the final issues that I addressed was the need to apply for funding from the federal and provincial governments to assist in our numerous projects.  On that issue, we have indeed been successful.  During the year, we received $18.7 million for a new sewage treatment plant.  We also received $1.9 million dollars to address reconstruction of Concession 8 in Ramsay, reconstruction of Spring Street and renovations to the Almonte Community Centre.  The major portion of this funding is $1.3 million dollars towards the refurbishment of the Almonte Community Centre.  As part of the Town’s contribution towards the Community Centre grant, community funds will have to be raised.  In addition, among others, we have received grants for the completion of the Riverwalk, the replacement of the chiller in the Stewart Community Centre, and signage for the entranceways to our community.

Also in 2009, we welcomed the Olympic Torch to our Community and a new Junior B hockey team, the Almonte Thunder.  We heard from the Mississippi River Power Company that the new plant was back on schedule and will be commissioned this spring.  We also heard exciting news that they are investigating other river sources of power that would have the potential of monies for all of Mississippi Mills.  Business Park activity has increased with the sale of new lots.  A new commercial development is taking place in downtown Almonte and two of our heritage buildings have been converted to condominiums. These combined with housing developments continue to bring new people to our community to strengthen the economy of all of Mississippi Mills.  Our Hospital and Long-term Care Facility continues to be the envy of our County neighbours.  The Mills Community Support Corporation has applied for funding for a new Seniors’ Assisted Living Facility.  At the County level, the Maclan Bridge was completed in Almonte and special thanks to the residents and the various festival committees for surviving this mass confusion.  Work continued on the Master Transportation Plan and the County Official Plan.

What lies ahead in 2010? 

Our primary focus for 2010 must be a review of our Strategic Plan combined with our Ten Year Capital/Financial Plan.  Let’s not forget that 2010 is an election year and we, as a Council, owe it to all the residents of Mississippi Mills to ensure that the incoming Council will be able to clearly understand not only what has been accomplished but also what this Council has planned for the future.  I will be asking you as a Council to support the immediate implementation of this initiative.

 We also need to focus on how to cope with the challenges of the reduction of funding from the Ontario government under the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF).  The announcement in December 2009 that we would be receiving approximately $252K less in funding is a major blow to our budget discussions.  I will be meeting with provincial members of Parliament as part of the County delegation in Kingston at the end of January to address this issue.

I also will be asking for your support in proceeding with a pay equity / internal equity study to review the current salaries and working conditions of our staff.  In addition, we committed in our last union contract that we would compare outside workers’ job descriptions to other municipalities in the County to enable bargaining teams in 2011 to have relevant information on both sides of the table. 

Early in the new year, the tender for the Sewage Treatment Plant will be released and I am optimistic that we will receive a favourable quote.  One of our neighbouring municipalities has just received a quote on a similar plant and the bid was lower than anticipated.  The business plan for the septage receiving portion is in its final stages and will be presented to the public in late January/early February.

Our immediate focus must be on our 2010 budget.   In December we directed staff to prepare a budget with a maximum increase of five per cent.  Given the reduction in the OMPF funding which represents a five per cent tax increase in itself, this may be difficult to accomplish.  However, we need to review all possible savings with the ultimate goal being a cost-of-living tax increase.

In conclusion, I especially want to thank our dedicated staff.  Our accomplishments in 2009 and the road ahead in 2010 depends on their continued commitment to our community.   Thank you also to my fellow councillors and best wishes to those of you who choose to put their names forward for election in 2010.  It is a major commitment but I am sure you will agree the satisfaction is well worth the effort.

I especially want to thank all of the residents of Mississippi Mills for the support you have given me over the past six years.  As I start my seventh year as Mayor of this magnificent community, I ask you to continue to provide me with your input and support. Needless to say, I could not have possibly have accomplished any successes without the support of my wife and best friend, Jeri.  Thank you.

 I will be pleased to receive your comments.

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Christmas is coming, and with that comes year end and final meetings of 2009. Monday has a meeting at 4:30 p.m. of the Joint Committee on the new sewage treatment plant, followed by a Committee of the Whole meeting at 6 p.m. and the regular Council meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday starts with a Community and Economic Development Committee meeting at 8 a.m. At 11 a.m.,the election of the new Warden takes place in Perth. This is a very interesting procedure and is open to the public. Wednesday starts with a meeting of the Joint County Police Services Board in Lanark Highlands, followed by a regular County Council meeting in Perth at 7 p.m. Thursday, there is a meeting in the morning with the consultants continuing with the design of the new sewage treatment plant. At 6 p.m. on Thursday there is a regular meeting of the Finance and Administration Committee. All in all- a busy week.

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Council and committee meetings have been cancelled for the month of July both at the county and town level as usual. This allows both council and staff to take a breather and hopefully squeeze in a few holidays. However, the offices are open for business as usual. I will continue to be available during the break. I look forward to continue seeing you at the numerous festivals in our community. Next weekend is Celtfest, with the Almonte Fair the following weekend.

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The upcoming week is crammed full of meetings and events on issues of relevance to all Mississippi Mills residents. However, before commenting on them I want to talk about the Battle of Atlantic ceremonies held here in Almonte today. Ceremonies were held first at the Cenotaph, then at the waterfront and finally back at the Legion. Legion representatives from Carleton Place, Arnprior, Ottawa and Almonte all participated in the ceremony. The battle of the Atlantic was the longest battle of the Second World War.  The highlight of the afternoon was the fly-by of the vintage WW2 aircraft which brought back numerous memories and tears to our veterans. Minister Gordon O’Connor was present to review the Honour Guard and make relevant remarks.

Battle of the Atlantic

But back to this week, . . .

There is a Committee of the Whole and Council meeting on Monday night with numerous issues on the agenda, all of which are listed on www.mississippimills.ca. Tuesday afternoon at 1 pm is a meeting to discuss policing issues in our community to include an update on our current contract. Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. is a meeting at the Almonte Arena to discuss progress to date on our new sewage treatment plant. Thursday evening has meetings on recreation and public works. Take some time to check out the town’s website, review the issues and try to attend, in particular, the meeting on the sewage treatment plant.

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Recall that a delegation appeared last week at Council concerned about construction on the weekends. Staff had not given permission for this to occur and have now contacted the developer and the contractor in writing.

Staff has informed the developer and the contractor by letter that “. . . working on the weekends is not permitted as part of your subdivision agreement” and that “working on Saturday or Sunday has not been granted on your site and it is not permitted whatsoever. “

Failing to comply will result in the Town of Mississippi Mills taking action against the developer and/or the contractor.

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In response to concerns expressed by the community and from my own observations, I brought forward the motion shown below at last night’s council meeting. It was unanimously passed and has been forwarded to the county for discussion at tonight’s County Council meeting at 7 p.m.

The motion reads as follows:
WHEREAS the County of Lanark has commenced construction works on the Maclan Bridge, Almonte Ward and has closed the bridge to all traffic;

AND WHEREAS all commuter and local traffic is being re-routed to the only other main transportation route through Almonte (Main Street/Almonte Street)

AND WHEREAS there are approximately 12,000 vehicles per day that use this route;

AND WHEREAS it is becoming increasingly difficult for vehicles and pedestrians to either cross or turn onto these roads due to the constant stream of vehicular traffic;

AND WHEREAS the installation of temporary traffic lights would ease congestion on side streets and provide a break in traffic to allow cars and pedestrians to cross or turn onto Almonte/Main Streets;

AND WHEREAS the traffic congestion is related to the construction works on Maclan Bridge;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Mississippi Mills petitions the Council of Lanark County to install temporary traffic lights at the intersection of Mill and Almonte Streets at an estimated cost of $25,000.

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Democracy is alive and well in Mississippi Mills. Two delegations came forward to present issues to council last night.

A large group representing the Ann Street neighbourhood is concerned about the continuing construction noise in their area. Council was able to address their principal concern that there be no work on Saturdays and Sundays.

An equally large group of residents from the Millfall condominiums are concerned over the effect that the power project may be having on their building and grounds. They feel that issues they have raised with the power company are not being dealt with.  Council will review these issues and discuss them again at the Finance and Administreation meeting on May 26.

Both of these groups have very legitimate concerns and I am pleased that they came forward present them to council.

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Gord Pike and some local business owners will be at council to make a presentation on Tuesday evening. They will be bringing forward an exciting proposal to revitalize the downtown core.

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