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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2018-06_MunicipalInsight_v2-compressedmunicipal insight “Keeping informed about June/July 2018 your municipal government” In the Municipality of the District of Chester this summer... Best Of Chester Municipality Show me the money! What a fine group of gentlemen! The votes are in and The 2018-19 Operating Fire Chiefs were on hand the winners announced. and Capital Budget for this photo. Find out The Best Of on Page 3. highlights are on Page 5. why on Page 8. THE MANY FACES OF TOURISM The Municipality is going a different direction with tourism this season This year marks a new and exciting chapter for the Municipality of Chester with the launch of the Tourism Chester Team. All of our efforts will focus on building aware- ness and promoting our hidden gems to both tourists and residents. Our strategy is to show- case incredible experiences available to our visi- tors and to build pride in our Municipality. To help us do that, we welcome our new, highly energetic Tourism Team Lead, Stephanie Beaumont, who started in her new role in April. Stephanie will implement our Tourism Infor- mation Services Program which includes manag- ing the online tourism presence (new website to launch in July), including social media accounts, rolling out the Ambassador Program, and sched- uling Sarah Taylor, our new Mobile Ambassador for our visitor information services mobile kiosk. Erin Lowe, our Economic Development Officer, demonstrates a fun initiative called "silly selfie" where you can put yourself in a scene (like cycling in Bayswater) and post it online as your NS treasure. Selfie boards are available through the Municipality. Already a huge promoter of Atlantic Canada events and entertainment through her own company, Sea and Be Scene, Stephanie lives in the Village of Chester and has an extensive background in corporate marketing, communi- cations and broadcast media. Her skills in social media marketing and her talents for content creation, development and design is a great as- set for this new year-round, part-time tourism position. Traditionally, the Visitor Information Centre (VIC) was operated by the Chester Municipal Chamber of Commerce and located at the Train Station in Chester. After the 2016 tourism sea- son wrapped up, the Chamber expressed that they were unable to continue. The Municipal- ity agreed to tentatively take over operations rather than close the VIC for good. After a public call by the Municipality for proposals on running the VIC, the Chester Municipal Heritage Society, with George Evans taking the lead, agreed to temporarily operate the VIC at the Train Station during the 2017 season. Recognizing the need for tourism services, the Municipality opted to continue for 2018 and invested $41,000 to pilot this brand-new ap- proach that will provide outreach to all commu- nities and their visitors. First, we have streamlined our online pres- ence by appearing as Tourism Chester across all platforms, making it easier than ever before to find us online. We invite you to follow @Tour- ismChester on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. And, please tag us wherever possible so we can support your efforts too! Our new website - www.tourismchester.ca - is currently under construction, and we’ve got plenty to share. In the interim, however, traf- fic is redirected to our page on www.chester.ca with current event and link information listed. Should you have an event we can add, please send it to recreation@chester.ca Second, the Municipality's Ambassador Pro- gram will create opportunities for twelve local businesses to increase their exposure and gen- erate free advertising as well as lend several static locations for tourism information rather than one, centralized location. We will provide each of the Ambassador lo- cations with a sign indicating that tourism in- formation is available there. Visitors will learn about local attractions, events, and experiences. Ambassadors will also have a supply of travel in- formation to hand out. If you wish to have your business' brochure distributed to visitors, please ensure they are delivered to the Municipal Of- fice ASAP. We presented our Ambassador Program to interested businesses in mid-June, and should have locations confirmed shortly. If you are in- terested in being one of the twelve locations, contact Stephanie right away. Third, a portable and staffed, “pop-up” kiosk will move around to different communities in the Municipality and set up at events through- out the summer. Sarah Taylor will operate the booth at events during the high season (July to August 31). Look for her in your community and introduce yourself! Finally, we have sponsored the "Treasure Treat Truck" that will travel to select areas and events throughout the Municipality. The treat truck will sport our logo and the logos of our Ambassa- dors. We won't be everywhere though; only lo- cations where no other business or organization is providing food or refreshments. If you have any questions, or events and expe- riences that you would like featured in our tour- ism initiatives, or would like to find out how you can get involved, please reach out to Stephanie at sbeaumont@chester.ca or 902-277-1345. Stephanie Beaumont, Tourism Team Lead for the Municipality. MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Message from the Warden Well we did it! The Mosaic Mural is com- plete with the help of approximately 400 local students and community members. I had the pleasure of unveiling this fantastic piece of community art with the aide of Olivia Cook, our new Student Government President at Forest Heights Community School on June 14. Thanks to all who made this possible. Great job! Council held their second meeting this year at Forest Heights on June 14. Although it's a busy time of the year for students, President Cook sat at the table with us for the entire meeting, and students and community members participated throughout the proceedings. We also engaged students after the Council meeting in our continuing effort to involve as many people as possible in the Plan Review pro- cess. Chester Municipal Council has set the 2018/19 You can contact the Warden by calling the Municipal Office at (902) 275-3554, calling his home at (902) 275-2536, or emailing awebber@chester.ca Follow @chestermun on Twitter for live tweets from Council meetings!2 Operating and Capital Budget, and I am pleased to say that the residential and commercial tax rates have not been increased, but remain the same as last year's budget. Our new Tourism Team is in place and ready to promote our community with enthusiasm to all who come here and to those who are looking for an exceptional place to come and enjoy all we have to offer. Our new approach to bulky waste collec- tion items has been up and running for about a month now, and although there are the usual issues associated with change, it seems to be working well. We hope it will be viewed as an enhancement to our service model. Sustane Technologies is not operational yet, but well underway with a lot of impressive equipment, already delivered and installed in their new facility. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities held their annual meeting in Halifax a few weeks ago, and Sustane's new approach to waste man- agement was front and centre for many across Canada. We assisted with several bus tours of the new facility and co-hosted an event with Sustane at the conferece to promote and pro- vide insight as to the benefits of their new ap- proach. There was tremendous interest, and it helped to promote Chester Municipality as a leader in the waste management field. There is a lot of detail in this edition of Mu- nicipal Insight that I have touched on as well as many other items of interest. Again, thanks to all and come out and support our efforts or offer your opinions on how we can do better going forward. Enjoy the summer, and all the best. Holiday Closure and Waste Collection: The Municipal Offices will close Monday, July 2 for the Canada Day holiday. However, Kaizer Meadow Landfill will be open and waste collection will occur as usual. Staff Changes: Notably, Bruce Forest retired as Director of Solid Waste. Bruce began his 35-year municipal career as Dog Catcher and held the position of Director of Public Works for 18 years before becoming Director of Solid Waste. We will miss you, Bruce! Stepping in is Christa Rafuse who was previously our Assistant Municipal Engineer. Welcome to your new position, Christa! In the Community Development Department, we welcome Sylvia Dixon as Development and Planning Technician. She started June 4. One day later, Jason Genée joined us as Planner. Second EVC Tower at Landfill: A tender to purchase a second tower to disperse treated leachate at the Landfill was awarded to HKD Snowmakers/Turbocristal Inc. at a cost of $44,320 (including warranty and HST). This price is significantly below budget (by $125,680) because we opted for a mobile unit this time. If that works well, another one will be purchased as the existing tower is at the end of its career in the solid waste management business. Closure of Community Facility: Unfortunately, HHELPS in the Hubbards area has closed its doors. The group was located in the former Fox Point School, a municipal property. It will remain a municipal property, but no longer be open to the public at the moment. Staff is discussing options of possibly making the equipment available through some means, but nothing is concrete as of yet. IN BRIEF... The Municipality of Chester, in partner- ship with the Municipality of Lunenburg (MODL) and the Region of Queens Municipality (ROQ), recently completed a joint project with consultant i-Valley. i-Valley is a not-for-profit organization that partners with communities in identifying pos- sible solutions to broadband issues. The scope of work for this project is to provide a high-level analysis of design options and costs to provide a full-scale regional solution for our communities that lack quality internet services. The outcome of that project was an estimated cost of $31 million if we were to put in brand- new fibre infrastructure across all three munici- pal units with a targeted coverage of 85% of our residents. One of the next steps recommended by the consultant was to complete a CIRA Internet Per- formance Test. CIRA stands for the Canadian In- ternet Registration Authority. The CIRA Internet Performance Test provides evidence-based mapping of actual internet ser- RURAL BROADBAND UPDATE Municipality of Chester's broadband initiatives vice levels to help communities plan and advo- cate for funding and support. Typically, an Inter- net Service Provider (ISP) will do an on-net test meaning they only test their performance on their own network. That does not represent a user’s true experience because a user is inevita- bly going to cross other networks when utilizing their home internet service. This project will produce an online map that will update in real time, highlighting the areas of the municipalities that are underserviced. This next step will also be completed in part- nership with our neighbouring municipalities - MODL and ROQ - and we are expecting to start taking tests in July. Stay tuned for announcements of how and when you can start participating, even if you don't have internet at all. The success of this project is directly related to residents such as yourselves who will take the test. The results of this project will assist with identifying and prior- itizing our most underserved communities and provide evidence and justification for future in- frastructure funding applications.We did it! If you remember from the last issue of municipal insight, the community was invited to participate in a municipal-wide mosaic art project that was to be part of larger, national legacy. The image on the left is the final result. In total, 575 tiles were painted at public workshops on May 9 and 10 at St. Stephen’s Parish Hall and Forest Heights Community School by community artists of all ages and abilities. In addition, residents at Bonny Lea Farm, Acadia First Nation students, Grade 8 students at Chester Area Middle School, Grade 7/8 students at New Ross Consolidated and students from Grades 9 to 12 at Forest Heights also contributed their art. The resulting tiles were put together to form our community mosaic…one of many mosaics created across the country that, when combined, may be the largest community art project in the world! Each tile is as unique as the individual that painted it, but when combined, those 575 tiles FROM THE ART Group project successful create an image that represents the Municipality of Chester as a whole - a wonderful visual metaphor for our community. The mosaic is based at Forest Heights Community School but will be mobile, so watch for it at an event coming up near you. It was professionally photographed and will be profiled in a book published by Mosaic Canada Murals (canada150mosaic.com). Who knew we would all be published artists? Thanks to all who contributed. Great work... work of art, that is! LOCAL BUSINESS "WhyHere" videos marketing our local businesses are online at www.chester.ca 3 This section of the newsletter is dedicated to business events and learning opportunities happening in Nova Scotia to help you connect and grow your business. Please read the listing below for information that could be valuable to you and your business. IT'S A PLEASURE DOING BUSINESS WITH YOU If your organization is holding an event of interest for the Chester Municipality business community, please send us your event details. We'll review your submission and be glad to include all qualifying events in the next newsletter. Forward submissions to Erin Lowe, Eco- nomic Development Officer, at elowe@chester.ca or call 902-275-2599. Trade Mission to Taste of Canada, Chicago NSBI is seeking companies interested in attend- ing Taste of Canada in Chicago, Illinois. An ex- cellent opportunity for companies to showcase their food and non-alcoholic beverage products at this event designed for Canadian goods. Deadline to apply is June 20 FREE Tradeshow is October 9 to 11 https://www.novascotiabusiness.com/events/ Leveraging Your Workplace Culture (online) This webinar explores the question, "What can help make us a more immigrant-friendly work- place?". Choose from one of two sessions. June 21, 9:00 to 11:00am FREE July 11, 9:00 to 11:00am Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia http://www.isans.ca/events/ Start Smart Explore local resources, be introduced to CEED's programs and services including loans, training and the Self-Employment Benefits Program. June 21, 5:00 to 6:30pm FREE Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development, Bayers Road Centre, Halifax https://www.ceed.ca/events/ Social Media Day Conference (online) To mentor small business owners, local entre- preneurs, and professionals working in social media roles at companies and organizations. June 22 Pricing on website https://socialmediadayhalifax.com/about/ Building Intercultural Competence Increase understanding of settlement and in- tegration issues; explore ways to welcome and support new immigrants; and develop intercul- tural relationship building skills for working with new immigrants. June 22, 9:30am to 4:30pm FREE Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, Halifax http://www.isans.ca/events/ International Society for Agriculture Health and Safety Conference ISASH is an organization dedicated to the pro- fessional development of agricultural safety and health professionals, providing national and in- ternational leadership in preventing injuries and illnesses to the agricultural community. June 24 Pricing on website Halifax https://www.isashconference2018.ca/ Blast Off to Business Learn the business development process through a three-day interactive workshop with subject matter experts, guest speakers and a site visit to the Halifax Central Library. Choose one of two sessions: June 26 to 28, 8:30am to 4:30pm $295.00 July 24 to 26, 8:30am to 4:30pm Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development, Bayers Road Centre, Halifax https://www.ceed.ca/event Business Model Canvas 101 (online) Business Model Canvas is accepted worldwide as an essential business startup tool. June 28, 10:00am to 4:00pm $300.00 Acadia Entrepreneurship Education & Development https://www.aec-wordpress.colibri-software. com/calendar/aec-events Trade Mission to Oceanology International Americas 2019 Experienced Atlantic Canadian exporters in ocean technology sector invited to participate. Deadline to apply is June 29 $1,725.00 Tradeshow is Feb. 25 to 27, 2019 in San Diego https://www.novascotiabusiness.com/events/ Pricing & Costing Your Project This marketing and financial session gets to the heart of the role pricing plays in overall business success. July 4, 9:00am to12:00pm $99.00 Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development, Bayers Road Centre, Halifax https://www.ceed.ca/events/ SEB Orientation Provides those eligible for Employment Insur- ance with income & support to start a business. July 5, 9:00am to 4:00pm FREE Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development, Bayers Road Centre, Halifax https://www.ceed.ca/events/ Benefits of a Diverse Workplace Culture (online) Learn how to develop a diverse workplace cul- ture to enhance your organization's success. July 10, 9:00 to 11:00am FREE Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia http://www.isans.ca/events/ Think Export Learn what businesses need to know in order to become successful exporters. July 11, 9:00 to 11:00am $49.00 Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development, Bayers Road Centre, Halifax https://www.ceed.ca/event Juniorpreneur Camp Campers in Grades 4 to 7 will gain the skills nec- essary to operate their own business through our most popular workshops and camp activi- ties! July 16 to 20, 8:30am to 4:30pm $225.00 Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development, Bayers Road Centre, Halifax https://www.ceed.ca/event The votes are in and the list is out! After record- ing the highest participation rate yet with 11,109 votes, residents have chosen their favourite local businesses in 23 categories in our "Best Of Chester Municipality Business Awards". The winners and runners-up (in brackets) out of 238 nominees, are: Best Artisanal Retailer The Village Emporium (Light My Fire) Best Building Services Chester Building Supplies (Chester Electrical, Plumbing & Heating) Best Building Supplies Store Chester Building Supplies (Lester B Collicutt Lumber & Building Supplies) Best Community Space Lordly Park (Lido Pool) Best Farm/Forestry Business Ross Farm Museum (Integrity's Haven Equine Rescue Centre) Best Garden Services Oceanview Garden Centre (Downey's Pitcher Plant Nursery) Best Gas Station Chester Basin Petro-Canada (Golden Nugget AFN) Best Grocery/Convenience Store Spidle's Your Independent Grocer (Foodland) Best Health/Beauty Services Luna Salon Spa & Boutique (Valerie's Hair Studio) Best Health Care Provider Dr. Natasha Zinck, Chester Family Dental Centre (Dr. Maureen Andrea, Chester Dental Clinic) Best Manufacturing Business South Shore Metalworks (Hawboldt Industries (1989) Ltd.) Best Marine Services Business South Shore Marine (Gold River Marina) Best Mechanic/Auto Shop NAPA Autopro - Chester Service Centre Ltd. (Jeff's Old Volks Home) Best Non-Profit Group Lighthouse Food Bank (Integrity's Haven Equine Rescue Centre) Best Pet Services Your Friend and Mine Pet Supplies (Oceanmark K9 Resort) Best Place to Have Coffee Kiwi Cafe (Tim Hortons) Best Place to Stay Oak Island Resort & Conference Centre (Mecklenburgh Inn) Best Professional Services Scotiabank Chester (New Ross Credit Union) Best Real Estate Company Tradewinds Realty (ViewPoint Realty) Best Restaurant The Fo'c'sle (Kiwi Cafe) Best Spa/Fitness Facility Luna Salon Spa & Boutique (NILU Gym & Fitness Centre) Best Specialist Retailer Flowers, Flowers, Flowers (Julien's Bakery and Kiwi Cafe) Best Vendor at a Farmers’ Market Julien's Bakery (Higbee's Berry Farm & Nursery) In place of an awards ceremony this year, our win- ning businesses will be celebrated across three re- gions in Nova Scotia with a full page ad promoting them in the Halifax Citizen, Valley Harvester, and South Shore Breaker. Questions? Contact Erin at elowe@chester.ca or call her at the office at 902-275-2599. You cast your votes, AND THE WINNER IS... Events listed on our website have more details than those listed here. Visit us online!4 Friday, June 22 13th Annual Relay for Life Chester Area Middle School, 7pm-1am. Call 902-275-5966 or 902-275-3263. Sunday, June 24 Ticket Auction Western Shore & Area Improvement Hall. Doors open 9am. Draw is at 2pm. 170th Anniversary of Laying St. Luke's Cornerstone Bishop's Park across from St. Luke's Anglican Parish in Hubbards, 10:45am. Old fashioned picnic to follow. Jamie Junger Presented by Chester Bandstand Summer Concert, 7pm. 902-299-0139. Sunday, July 1 Canada Day Celebrations New Ross Legion. Parade of Costume, live music, children's games/activities, BBQ, fireworks. Raindate July 2. Crib Tournament Forties Community Centre, 1pm. Call 902-689-2147. Chester Harbour Parade of Lights Flotilla starts 8:30pm followed by fireworks. dtarchibald@gmail.com or jcarrollgm@aol.com Kevin's Gypsy- Minstrels 60s & 70s Presented by Chester Bandstand Summer Concert, 7pm. 902-299-0139. Wednesdays, July 4, 11, 18, 25 Adult Sailing Lessons Chester Yacht Club, 6-9pm. 902-275- 3747 or www.chesteryachtclub.ca Friday, July 6 (raindate July 13) Outdoor Summer Movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark" at Hubbards Community Waterfront, 9pm. Sunday, July 8 Morgan Davis Presented by Chester Bandstand Summer Concert, 7pm. 902-299-0139. Saturday, July 14 Breakfast Chester Legion, 7:30-10:30am. Touch-a-Truck Forest Heights Community School, 10am-3pm. Sponsored by Chester Basin Fire Department, Auxiliary and MODC. Sunday, July 15 Chester Brass Band Presented by Chester Bandstand Summer Concert, 7pm. 902-299-0139, Friday, July 20 (raindate July 27) Outdoor Summer Movie "Maudie" will play at the Hubbards Community Waterfront, 9pm. Sunday, July 22 Tuesday Night Show Band Presented by Chester Bandstand Summer Concert, 7pm. 902-299-0139. Thursday, July 26 Chester Garden Club Flower Show & Tea Chester Legion, 1:30-5:00pm. "Lest We Forget: A Floral Tribute". Sunday, July 29 Dartmouth Concert Band Presented by Chester Bandstand Summer Concert, 7pm. 902-299-0139. Every Monday Auction East Chester Recreation Hall, 1pm. Every Tuesday Bingo Chester Legion, 7pm. 902-275-3315. Every Thursday Bingo New Ross Legion, 7-10pm. 902-689-2650 Auction Captain Kidd Rod & Gun Club, 7pm. 45's Card Games District #1 Community Centre, Blandford, 7:30pm. Every Friday Chester Farmers' & Artisan Market Chester Train Station, 9am-1pm (rain or shine). chesterfarmersmarket. wordpress.com or find us on Facebook. Every Saturday Hubbards Farmers' Market Until Oct 27. 8am-12pm, Hubbards Barn & Community Park. hubbardsbarn.org New Ross Country Market Until Thanksgiving, 9am-12pm, New Ross Community Fairgrounds. Call 902- 681-3171 or 902-689-2147. Rural Roots Market Until Sept. 10, 10am-2pm, at entrance of Ross Farm Museum. Call 902-599-1207 or visit www.ruralrootsmarket.ca Bingo East Chester Recreation Hall, 7pm. COMMUNITY INTEREST THE WALK-IN MEDICAL CLINIC Here's what people are saying about the new walk-in clinic at Our Health Centre: • “Just wanted to give a shout-out to Our Health Centre's brand-new walk-in clinic. Not sure how I would have managed otherwise. Barely got any of my book read. Usually one can finish a short Russian novel in those waiting rooms. A+ for the whole experience.” • “Thank you so much for making it possible for visitors to use the walk-in clinic” • “Congratulations to all of you for persisting with this essential need for the community, and it is so reassuring to know that this service is now in place.” Clinic Hours: Tuesday 3pm-7pm Friday 2pm-8pm Saturday 9 am-1 pm The clinic is open to everyone. The Clinic Recep- tionist will be available to take appointments start- ing one hour before each walk-in shift. For more in- formation go to ourhealthcentre.ca, check out our Facebook page or call 902-273-2098 (messages re- ceived on clinic days). We publish a regular newsletter called The Buzz that is available online and at the OHC info desk. To sign up call 902-275-3847 or email us at lburch@ ourhealthcentre.ca Crafty? The Chester Municipal Heritage Society is seeking crafts people to join them at the Chester Train Station this summer beginning Friday, June 15. For more info, call Fran at 902-275-5179 or Wayne at 902-273-3111. Summer is finally here and we will enjoy more of our time outdoors, active in our gardens, on the trails or in our great parks and campgrounds. It is important to remember that being outdoors, especially in grassy, wooded or shrub covered areas, exposes us to tick bites. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted to humans by a bite from an infected blacklegged tick and there are many reports within Lunenburg County. It's important to note that only blacklegged ticks carry Lyme, and that the more common dog ticks do not carry Lyme at all. The Nova Scotia Health Authority recommends that you help protect yourself and your family while outdoors by: • applying insect repellents containing DEET or lcaridin to exposed skin and clothes; • wearing light-coloured, long sleeved shirts and pants, closed shoes and tucking pant legs into socks; • keeping lawns mowed short; • putting playground equipment in sunny, dry places away from wooded areas, yard edges, and trees; and • checking your whole body for ticks and, when possible, taking a bath or shower with- in two hours of coming indoors. This makes it easier to find ticks. If you suspect you have been bitten or may be suffering from symptoms of Lyme Dis- ease it is important that you seek medical attention. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics. Information on ticks and prevention of Lyme Disease is available at the Municipal Of- fices and can be found at the following Nova Scotia health links: • https://novascotia.ca/dhw/CDPC/lyme.asp • https://novascotia.ca/dhw/CDPC/documents/06037_LymeDisease_Pamphlet_En.pdf • https://novascotia.ca/dhw/CDPC/documents/Landscape-Management-Handbook.pdf BE "TICK SAVVY" THIS SEASON Have a great summer outdoors. Protect yourself from tick bites. Lettuce Help You We have already-made container vegetable gardens for those who are a) unable to tend to their own garden and b) unable to visit the Community Garden in Chester. Call Jen at 902-275-3554 for details. Limited supplies! Major 2018-19 Capital Projects Follow us on social media for updates on the Best of Chester Municipality Business Awards or visit www.chester.ca/BestOf 5 Revenue$25,063,795 4.1% Expenses$25,063,795 4.3% MUNICIPAL BUDGET2018- 2019 Property Tax $11,871,754 Our primary source of revenue. Property Tax is calculated by dividing your total assessment (determined by Property Valuation Services Corporation) by 100 and then multiplying by the tax rate, which is $0.705. - residential $10,131,523 - commercial $1,391,834 - forest/resource $348,392 *commercial tax rate is $1.53/$100 Area Rates $4,966,076 Applied to properties that use specific services. Also used by fire/village commissions to collect their money. - waste collection $1,858,511 - ACES fire/water supply $9,477 - fire $1,902,552 - sewer $942,000 - roads $253,536 Taxes "In lieu" $1,938,196 In place of property tax, like deed transfer tax or revenue from South Canoe.Fees $5,169,253 Money from permits, landfill fees, recreation programs, wind tower, and selling our services to other municipal units. - wind tower $760,000 - landfill disposal (to others) $3,569,187 - services to other gov. $57,403 - permits/program $456,840 - tipping fees $325,823 Transfers $333,628 Transfers come from reserves. Some is carried over and some is for new projects. Grants $784,888 These are grants from other levels of government (mostly provincial and federal). Property Services $7,253,376 These are costs related to residential and commercial services to land. - public property $471,459 - community dev. $565,333 - public sewer $763,008 - heritage property $500 - Public works $267,981 - solid waste $5,185,095 Administration $2,897,053 - wind tower $412,877 - Council $248,311 - admin $1,288,718 - Finance $947,147 Provincial Services Funding $7,617,223 Our financial obligation to the provincial government for specific services to Nova Scotians. Every municipality contributes. - education $4,873,192 - Policing and corrections $2,073,642 - assessment $347,880 - roads $233,494 - library $69,015 - housing authority $20,000 Municipal Roads $469,985 - our roads $117,877 - sidewalks $138,100 - streetlights $109,611 - private roads $104,397 Community Living $1,425,705 - recreation $706,236 - grants $398,020 - economic development $321,449 Reserves $2,929,633 This is how much we are putting away for future capital projects. Increasing reserves lowers our borrowing costs for future projects. This number includes landfill closure reserves. Protective Services $2,150,796 - by-laws $35,156 - animal control $76,800 - fire services $1,999,226 - emergency measures $39,614 A lot goes into a budget: needs (like a working sewer and safe communities), wants (like a healthy grant program and business attraction strategy), forethought (like investment plans and reserves), and expectations (like a reasonable tax rate and having the resources to cover costs). All of these things and more resulted in the figures on this page. Of note: tax rates held at $0.705/$100 residential and $1.53/$100 commercial; the solid waste rate increas- es by $0.0190/$100; we saw revenue from assessments increase by $132,000, however, our funding to provincial services increased by $498,260, totalling $7.35 million. These charts represent the Budget summary. If budgets interest you, we are available to discuss it in more detail anytime during working hours, or you can view the budget presentation and highlights anytime at www.chester.ca or contact Malcolm Pitman at 902-275-3554. Our PrioritiesThis year, Council's priorities reflect infra- structure improvement, efficiencies in service delivery, capacity building for residents and our communities, increasing revenue not related to property taxation, and long-term in- vestment in communities. The Budget supports these priorities by in- vesting in key capital projects, supporting ser- vice enhancements, building reserves, and maintaining funding for economic develop- ment. Key projects and services indicating infra- structure priorities are major capital projects (on the far right) as well as a program where residents can borrow money from the Munici- pality to improve systems in their home (draft form at the moment); public open spaces maintenance (including a grant for work at the Gold River site); improvements to sewer sys- tems in Mill Cove, Western Shore, Otter Point, and Chester; and possible design for a water system for Chester. Major capital projects are listed on the right. The total capital portion of the budget is $8,428,425. As far as service delivery enhancements, we will deliver a new website and have introduced a public engagement tool (www.voicesand- choices.ca); changes to winter road mainte- nance; expanded visitor information services; and the transition to shared building inspec- tion/fire inspection/dangerous and unsightly services. Capacity building includes almost $3 million transferred to Reserves; an analysis of sewer systems and possibilities for expansion; devel- oping strategies for investment; and investigat- ing the potential for an anaerobic digestion system that could produce additional revenue that is not tied to property taxes. Although services are already citizen-based, we also included some other things in the Bud- get in terms of community investment. Some of those things are resources dedicated to a part- nership with the New Ross Community School; equipment and training for fire services; an up- date to the Active Living Strategy; grants to in- dividuals and organizations; and continuation of our tax exemption and reduction program. Trail upgrades $ 57,800 Industrial Park 380,000 Anaerobic digestion project (possible)5,000,000 Landfill - electric gate 20,000 Landfill - chlorine contact chamber 30,000 Landfill - second evac tower 170,000 Flood plain modelling 100,000 Backbone - broadband design 50,000 Ortho photography 100,000 Sewer system upgrades 1,370,500 Streetscape implementation 650,000 Chester Basin Wharf repairs 65,125 PROPERTY SERVICES 6Subscribe to electronic waste collection notices at www.chester.ca under the Engage menu or click "subscribe" on the homepage. Dear Shabby, So, now that we are putting a large item out at the curb every two weeks instead of every few months, how early can I put my item out? ~ signed Can't Wait in Hubbards Dear “Can't Wait”: 24 hours - the same as the rest of your waste. ******************************************************** Dear Shabby, I have a confession. I still use those plastic-like lin- ers for my kitchen organics container. I know they don't biodegrade, and I know they jam up the ma- chines used for processing organics. I just can't help myself. I don't want my kitchen container to get dirty and it's easier to grab the bag and throw it in my green cart than it is to empty the container and wash it every single time. Am I a bad person? ~ signed Set in My Ways in Harriston Dear “Set”: You are most definitely not a bad person! How bad can you be...you compost after all! Although it's not mandatory, we are making an empassioned plea for people to stop using the plastic liners. They re- Dear Shabby Friendly waste disposal advice ally do play havoc with the whole system. I'd like to suggest that you use boxboard. It completely biodegrades and doesn't clog the machinary at all. Boxboard is abundant, unless you specifically pur- chase items not packaged. Besides, have you ever had your organics bag slip into your kitchen bin? It's gross. That doesn't happen with boxboard al- though, you can't put soup in it...It's not easy being green! ******************************************************** Dear Shabby, I have several old boat flares that are expired. Can I put those out for collection in a marked box or bring them to the Landfill? ~ signed Blaze of Glory in Chester Grant Dear “Glory”: Please, PLEASE do not put those out for collec- tion! Flares of any kind, ammunition and smoke cannisters all should be returned to the RCMP. They are highly dangerous in the waste disposal system. In fact, flares were responsible for a small fire at the Landfill a few weeks ago, and staff found several of these items in a load of our organics that was taken to the Community Recycling Centre in the Municpality of Lunenburg. Not cool! If you want important waste collection information delivered right to your inbox, sign up for Waste Collection Notices on our website at www.chester.ca and click on "SUBSCRIBE" on the front page or under the Engage menu. If your sense of smell is absent or diminished, or if you have the luxury of locating your green cart many, many feet away from your door, there is no need to read any further. If not, read on. There is no question that organics carts (aka green carts), are an excellent tool in our municipal com- posting program. However, in the hot summer sun, they can get a little...well...hideously disgusting. SUMMER LOVIN'...? Summer can make green carts less than appealing Pretend recyclable paper is the hot sun. Then pretend clean plastic is mayonnaise. The two don't mix. (hint: please put your clean paper in a separate recycling bag) In the last edition of this newsletter, we wrote that instead of the traditional "special collection" of large garbage items, we opted for the more frequent collection of one item every two weeks. Other than a few hiccups, like the collector missing some things, it's gone fairly well. Rules for biweekly, bulky collection are the same as that for special collection, except the rules apply to one item. As a refresher, we've listed them here: • An item can be placed at the curb 24 hours before collection day; BULKY COLLECTION UNDERWAY The new biweekly collection of large items has started • It cannot exceed 50lbs in weight, 4' in length (except for furniture), and 46 cubic feet in volume; • Put small items in a box or bag; and • Bagged garbage still must be in clear bags. We will collect: • large appliances (stoves, hot water tanks, etc.) • furniture and mattresses • metal (small car part, lawn mower with gas re- moved, etc.) • SMALL amount of wood (cannot exceed 4' in length, 50lbs in weight and must be bundled, boxed or bagged) • SMALL amount of drywall (cannot exceed 4' in length, 50lbs in weight and must be bundled, boxed or bagged) • SMALL amount of asphalt shingles (cannot exceed 4' in length, 50lbs in weight and must be bundled, boxed or bagged) • One lobster trap • One pallet We will NOT collect: • electronics • tires (remove from rim and take to Kaizer Meadow or up to four to a tire retailer) • household hazardous waste • propane tanks (take to Kaizer Meadow) • items containing Freon® (refrigerators, freezers, etc.) • large amounts of wood, asphalt shingles or drywall All residential waste up to 1500 lbs per trip can be brought to Kaizer Meadow for free, Monday to Saturday from 8:00am to 4:00pm. Call 902-275-2330. After 2018, bulky collection will fully replace the traditional special collec- tion that happened three times per year. This is Gippy. Gippy is holding the hose that belongs to the boat pump out located at the Red Cross Wharf on Vic- toria Street in Chester. If you have a boat that needs to be pumped out, make an appointment with Gippy from Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. by calling Engi- neering & Public Works at 902-275-1312. A few tips when getting pumped out... • Make sure your boat is secure by tying up to the wharf (use your bumpers!). • It is easier to pump out when the tide is high. • If your sailboat has an extra long keel, it's a good idea to tie up at the end of the wharf during high tide. • Vessels blocking the boat pump out location at the wharf will be asked to move or towed at the owner's expense as per Municipal Policy P-13 Wharves, Slipways and Berthage Section 2 (b), (h). It makes sense that the con- tents smell - it is, after all, rot- ting food. All of which makes a wonderful soil amendment at the end of the compost curing process. It's getting to the end product that has us curling up our noses. Just as composting in the winter presents the challenge of compost freezing and stick- ing inside your green cart, the summer presents the challenge of odour. And what an odour it is! There are a few tips that won't eliminate the odour, but they will help minimize it. • Use a paper or newspaper liner - The next time your green cart is emptied, put some layers of newspaper or boxbord at the bot- tom. This will make sure food doesn't stick to the grate and it will soak up liquid. • Wrap food waste in paper towel/newspaper before placing in bin - Again, this will absorb liquid as well as "insulate" some of the odour. • Empty mini bin often, even if not full - Empty- ing your mini bin regularly will remove any smell from inside your home. • Have large cart emptied every collection day, even if it’s not full - The longer decomposing food sits, the smellier it gets. • Wash mini bin/large cart frequently - Use a pressure washer, garden hose, bucket of water, to rinse out your cart. • Alternate layers of food waste with newspa- pers, yard waste, etc. - Same idea as using a paper or newspaper liner. • Store your green cart in a shaded area - The sun tends to heat things up, and heated up rotten food smells like you would expect it to. • Freeze meats, fish, scraps until collection day - frozen organics have hardly any smell. We may not be available 24/7, but our website is. Visit us at www.chester.ca 7 BOSS or BUST REGISTER A COMPLIMENT OR COMPLAINT BY: Calling 902-275-3554. Leaving your name is optional. Emailing the Municipal Clerk at pmyra@ chester.ca Filling in our online form at www.chester. ca under "I Want To..." Coming in to see us at 151 King Street in Chester. Since the last report in January, we received two complaints and three compliments. • The first complaint was about our current website followed by a request to make it simpler and friendlier. REQUEST GRANTED! We are revamping our site and it will be live in the next few weeks. We're pretty excited about it, and we hope you like it too. • The second complaint was more of a complaint against humankind and some people's inclination to toss garbage into nature willy nilly. We wholeheartedly agree and complain along with you! We encourage residents to NOT litter, and have an annual Earth Day litter program. We find that the people who litter don't participate unfortunately. Provincially, the Adopt-a-Highway program is all year round. Again, a program for non-litterers who care about the environment. • Compliment #1 is something we already knew, but it's still nice to hear. "Recreation Department staff is wonderful...friendly, helpful, engaging. I always leave feeling good." Thank you! • Compliment #2 is a thank you to the Public Works Department for cleaning up the Tancook parking lot on Valley Road in Chester. You're welcome! • Finally, compliment #3 is another thank you. This one is in reference to coordinating the Mosaic Mural project. More details on this project are on Page 2. STRATEGIC PRIORITIESStrategic Priorities Refresh Last issue, we briefly described Council's top priorities for 2018-19. Below is an update on those priorities as well as a bit more detail on the "next priorities" and the "wow, you finished your list so here are some other things" list. South Shore Regional Enterprise Network: This priority was completed and we will spend the next few months winding things up. The municipal units will review the regional proj- ects in the SSREN work plan and decide the best way forward jointly. Streetscape Plan: This Plan laid out the de- sired appearance of Highway #3 leading into and going through Chester according to resi- dents and the Municipality. All development along this stretch of Highway #3 going forward is to follow certain rules for beautification, parking, facades, public spaces, etc. As an an- nex to this Plan, we confirmed with the De- partment of Transportation that we will coor- dinate paving the shoulders during this Phase One repair work on Highway #3 from Chester Basin to Wakeup Hill. This will also follow our Active Transportation Playbook. Investment Strategy: Council will develop an updated investment strategy for the Mu- nicipality's reserves. Where should we invest? What are the long- and short-term options? Central Water System for Chester: A presen- tation and report will be made to Council on July 5. Shared Services: We are awaiting the approv- al of two municipal councils in order to move forward with the regional delivery of building/ fire/dangerous and unsightly services. These services will be shared among most of the mu- nicipal units in Lunenburg County - Municipal- ity of Lunenburg, Town of Lunenburg, Town of Mahone Bay, and us. Sustane Transition: This has moved from the immediate priorities list to the "other things" list as we take the next year to get a feel for impact once the facility is operational in Falll 2018 (tentatively). Well Upgrade Lending Program By-Law: This Program will enable property owners to apply to the Municipality for financing for on-site water supply upgrades on their properties. Water supply upgrades could include the con- struction of a new dug or drilled well or an upgrade to an existing well required to source water for the property. Council will look at a draft by-law in June 2018. COMFIT: Council's possible foray into wet an- aerobic digestion is ongoing. • Service inventory: This has begun, and will be completed as time permits. • Business planning: Completed. • 10-year Capital Plan: Completed. • 2018-19 Operating Plan: Completed. • Internal process/control review: Our Finance Staff plans to review the Depart- ment's internal processes. • Start-up of the Audit Committee: This Committee is formed and met! Their review of the year-end audit is underway. • Purchase order module: Not started yet. • Tax rate and debt strategy: Not started. • Human resources succession strategy: The Finance Department will develop. • Business retention/engagement: This will be determined by the outcomes of the Sector Strategy work as well as the Regional Enterprise Network. Our Eco- nomic Development Officer continues to work with businesses in the Municipality. • Visitor info services start-up: There is too much to report for one bullet. See the front page for details. • Website upgrade - phase two: Our new website will roll out shortly. Please visit us at www.chester.ca and tell us what you think! • GIS database awareness initiative: Staff are looking at how GIS can improve decision-making. Assessments and area rates will be looked at first. • IT risk mitigation plan: We are looking into partnerships with other municipal units to develop a cloud-based records management solution, ensuring business continuity. • Community use of Gold River open space: Council signed a lease with the Together We Can Community group to develop this area into a public space. We will have more info in a later issue. • Sherbrooke Lake park design: The Municipality of Lunenburg is hiring a company to do the park design. The design work will take place between July and November 2018. • Annex building renovation: Just a few small things to finish up. Come visit! • Western Shore/Mill Cove sewer: Signifi- cantly complete and will be wrapped up this summer if all goes well. • Village parking amendment: On May 24, Council passed an amendment to permit off-site parking in the Village of Chester for developments that require to provide parking. The amendement was passed on May 24 after a Public Information Ses- sion and Public Hearing. • Fire inspection policy: A draft of this policy is completed. Top 7 Wow, you finished your list so here are some other things Next Priorities • Sector strategy: This project is broken into three phases: prioritizing our target growth sectors, creating sector-specific marketing plans to attract those particu- lar businesses, and then putting those plans into action. We have awarded Phase One work to Gardner Pinfold Con- sultants Inc. • Marketing strategy: This is Phase Two of the Sector Strategy. • Business/industrial and EcoPark devel- opment plan: A piece of property was purchased in Robinsons Corner. We will do a traffic impact analysis and start a conceptual plan for infrastructure by the end of August. • Village Land Use By-Law and Secondary Planning Strategy: This will proceed after our Municipal review has wrapped up. • Open spaces plan: The main topics covered by the plan include: working to update the database of municipal prop- erties, develop a plan for "gem" proper- ties, update the subdivision by-law, and identify gaps in open space. • Asset management: This is required by municipalities who access federal Gas Tax Program funding. We are developing the policy and strategy followed by complet- ing an inventory and data collection. • Active Living Strategy: This plan will be updated this year. The current strategy covers the period of 2014-2017. • Code of Conduct and Expense Policy for Council: Currently being developed. • Salary/remuneration/benefit review: Council will decide if this will proceed. • Plan Review - public engagement: Meet- ings wrapped up and notes are available on www.voicesandchoices.ca. We will take all of the feedback from the meet- ings - online, in person, via email and telephone - and compile it into a report that will be presented to Council shortly. • Community use of New Ross Consoli- dated School: We are working with the South Shore Regional Centre for Educa- tion to designate NRCS as a community school. • Sewer capacity analysis: A strategy that could increase the capacity of the Ches- ter Basin and New Ross sewer systems. We will also investigate the system in Chester and the potential in Gold River. • Signage by-law program: A draft by-law to regulate highway signage has been drafted. • Wastewater management by-law: Work for this is scheduled for later in the Fall. Tweet of the Week Our most popular post on Twitter in May... Welcome Sarah Taylor, who responded to our call for a Mobile Ambassador and was hired! QR Code: Download a QR Reader app on your mobile device (eg. iPhone). Hold it over the code while your device scans it, and it will open our website directly. Here, you will find all of the latest updates, minutes, tender information, and more. Twitter: Search for @chestermun or @ChesterRecParks in your Twitter account. Follow us and get regular updates and notifications about municipal issues, in- cluding live tweets from Council meetings. Facebook: Visit www.facebook.com/ChesterMunicipality and learn about events and stories happening in the area. If you have something to share, message us! We will post your event or photos! Instagram: Follow us at chestermuni to see photos of municipal events and daily life in the Municipality! Tag us in your pics! YouTube: Subscribe to modcvideo for our latest videos. We have a channel show- casing some of our outstanding attractions and businesses, and we are hoping to add more! If you have questions about…call this Department...at this number Animal Control (Dogs)Animal Control Officer 902-277-0017 Bandstand/Gazebo rental (Wedding)Recreation & Parks Department 902-275-3490 Boat Launches Public Works Department 902-275-1312 Building Permits/Inspections Building/Fire Inspection 902-275-3080 By-Laws Community Development Dept 902-275-3080 Civic Numbering Information Services Dept 902-275-3554 Composting Solid Waste Dept/Public Works 902-275-2330/902-275-1312 Council Meetings Administration/Tax Department 902-275-3554 Fire Inspections Building/Fire Inspection 902-275-3080 Islands (use of)Recreation & Parks Department 902-275-3490 Kaizer Meadow Solid Waste Department 902-275-2330 Municipal Sewer Public Works Department 902-275-1312 After Hours Emergencies 1-888-664-6998 Parks/Trails Recreation & Parks Department 902-275-3490 Planning Areas Community Development Dept 902-275-2599 Recycling Solid Waste Dept/Public Works 902-275-2330/902-275-1312 Taxes Administration/Tax Dept 902-275-3554 Waste Collection Solid Waste Dept/Public Works 902-275-2330/902-275-1312 Wharves Recreation & Parks Department 902-275-3490 Zoning Community Development Dept 902-275-2599 fax mail email 902-275-4771 151 King Street administration@chester.ca publicworks@chester.ca P O Box 369 building@chester.ca recreation@chester.ca Chester NS B0J 1J0 planning@chester.ca solidwaste@chester.ca Municipal Districts and Councillors #1 East Chester, East River to Northwest Cove Marshal Hector 902-277-2982 #2 Simms Settlement, Hubbards to The Lodge Floyd Shatford 902-275-7868 #3 Chester and part of East Chester Danielle Barkhouse 902-277-1624 #4 Chester Basin and Chester Grant Allen Webber 902-275-8373 #5 Gold River to Martins River Abdella Assaff 902-277-2765 #6 New Ross Tina Connors 902-277-1095 #7 Middle River to Haddon Hill, Windsor Road to Sherwood Sharon Church 902-277-1301 For exact district boundaries, call the Municipal Office at 902-275-3554 or click on the “Inform” menu option on our website. Provincial/Federal Contacts Nova Scotia Department of Environment ..........................................................902-543-4685 Labour ...................................................................902-543-0665 Natural Resources .................................................902-634-7555 Public Health .........................................................902-543-0850 Transportation (Bridgewater) ................................902-543-4121 Transportation (Marriott’s Cove)...........................902-275-3221 Property Valuation Services (Assessments) ...........1-800-380-7775 Bernadette Jordan, MP .............................................902-527-5655 ...............................................................................1-888-816-4446 Hugh MacKay, MLA ...................................................902-826-0222 ...............................................................................1-833-826-0222 We are almost at the end of another fiscal year and another year of being the proud owners of the wind turbine at Kaizer Meadow Environmental Management Centre. Even though we post monthly statistics online with regard to production and revenue from the wind tower, we only post the last seven months worth of data. Below is the last twelve available months showing the predicted performance alongside the actual performance in terms of production and revenue, according to Nova Sco- tia Power. Also shown is something called "relative per-Community Snapshot A few things you may have enjoyed or missed... • To the bottom left - In attendance at an appreciation dinner held by the Blandford Commissioners on May 5 were our seven fire departments: Ryan Zinck (Deputy Chief, New Ross Volunteer Fire Dept.), Harvey Dominey (Captain, Hubbards & District Volunteer Fire Dept.), Scott Rafuse (Deputy Chief, Martins River Volunteer Fire Dept.), Mike Schnare (Chief, Blandford Fire Rescue), Everett Hiltz (Chief, Chester Volunteer Fire Dept.), Brendan Mosher, (Safety Officer, Western Shore & District Volunteer Fire Dept.) and Doug Rines (Chief, Chester Basin Volunteer Fire Dept.). • Top row - Bruce Blackwood, MODC Fire Services Coordinator, presents Marshal Hector (who also so happens to be the Councillor for District 1) with a certificate and Municipal Long-Service Medal in recognition and sincere appreciation of 45 years of service as a firefighter with Blandford Fire Rescue; Councillor Abdella Assaff presents Dan Blankenship, a long-time resident of Oak Island, a certificate from the Municipality commemorating his 95th birthday. Congratulations, Dan!; Artists busily creating their tiles for our community mosaic. For information on that, see Page 2; Following a video post on Facebook by Victor Murphy, Amanda Triff and David Snair, joined by Warden Allen Webber, spent most of their Saturday morning picking up litter at Exit 9 in Chester Basin. The video depicted the sad reality of how much some people disrespect the world and others. Among the disgusting mess were diapers, tampons, and bags of dog poop. Yes, other people had to touch that. If you have a community photo, please share with us! Email communications@chester.ca