Friday, March 29, 2024

Council notes
Waste management facility sale finalized, new liaison committee to be struck

  • September 14 2022
  • By Lois Ann Dort, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter    

GUYSBOROUGH – It’s a done deal. At the committee of the whole meeting in the Municipality of the District of Guysborough on Sept. 7, Deputy CAO Shawn Andrews reported to council that the sale of the waste management facility had been completed.

Council unanimously passed a motion to invest the net proceeds from the sale of the waste management facility following the guidelines in MODG Investment Policy Number I-2.

With the completion of the sale of the facility to GFL Environmental Inc., the position of director of waste management is obsolete in the MODG. Gary Cleary, who held that position throughout its existence, gave his last report as director to council at Wednesday’s meeting.

In his report, Cleary noted that, “The asset purchase agreement and the waste resource benefit agreement [with GFL] both came into effect Sept. 1.”

Cleary also told council, “I feel very fortunate to have been the first and last director of waste management. It was a very positive time all the way through.”

Due to the sale to GFL, a new waste management liaison committee must be struck. Cleary suggested that those who sat on the former committee move into the new positions, as they had expressed an interest in doing so.

Cleary said, “Council has the option of either reappointing the outgoing members to the new committee or advertising for new members.”

Council voted in favour of the recommendation outlined by Cleary that the outgoing committee members be appointed to the new liaison committee with the request being made that the new committee adopt the process to select one, two, three and four-year terms for the reappointed members, so that one position on the committee would be open for appointment or reappointment to the committee annually. Councillor Mary Desmond, representing District 2 which includes the area encompassing the waste management facility, voted against the motion.

Development Officer Deborah Torrey gave her monthly report to council which included an expected application by GEM Health Care Group to approve accessory buildings at their long-term care facilities in Canso and Guysborough, more than the 1,500-square-foot size permitted under the MODG’s land use by-law.

Torrey said, “They want an accessory building of 2,400 square feet in size, which is basically two single-family dwellings in size. I’m not sure why they need such a big building. But, when they do apply, a registered letter will go out and its basically for a variance to allow them to increase the footprint.”

Torrey also presented a request from Atlantic Edge Properties to buy a section, 2,000 square feet, of a right of way that borders the property the company owns on Church Street in Guysborough. The land would allow for greater safety in parking at the company’s planned apartment development at that location.

Council voted in favour of the staff recommendation to accept Atlantic Edge Properties offer for the land of $3,000, plus HST, and all expenses involved in the sale.

Director of Public Works Glen Avery brought the issue of repairs to the tennis courts in Guysborough to council in his monthly report.

“The Guysborough tennis courts…are 22 years old and they are really showing their age. We have been doing repairs for the last eight to 10 years…what we’d like to do is remove 18 inches, put some new gravel…compact it well and then leave it for the winter; let the frost and the weather get through it for one full year. It’s something road contractors recommend, frost in, frost out makes a much better product. We did budget $100,000 this year so I’m asking council is that we use $40,000… to do this work this fall and then let it set and then in the spring we come back, pave it, put the lines in, paint it, the whole works,” Avery said.

Discussion continued regarding the type of surface replacement that would be used in the tennis court restoration; asphalt or turf, one or two courts. Angie Tavares, director of recreation, told council that local users of the Guysborough tennis courts would like to see at least one court with a turf surface.

Council passed a motion to put the budget towards preparing the court surfaces for further work next year. The decision on what work will be done on the courts in the coming year will be made after MODG staff investigates option costs.

Avery also raised the issue of paving projects under the 50-50 provincial cost-share paving program.

“This year, again [the province is] asking for us to list our three roads. Typically, we move down the priority list; so, next year, I would assume that we would go Sunnyville Road, 400 metres, then Ferry Lane, second, 400 metres,” said Avery.

Council voted on a list to submit to the province with top priority given to a section of road in Sunnyville, second priority to paving on Ferry Lane in Guysborough and third priority to either Hillside Drive or Natalie Court in Little Dover.

MODG public works will decide which of these two roads will be selected as the third road on the list.