We Love Mighty Machines

Those of you with children roughly between 10 and 20 will likely know what a "Mighty Machine" is. There used to be a show on television called Mighty Machines which would highlight some type of machine or piece of equipment and show what it did and how it worked. My sons and I loved that show. They would have everything from heavy construction equipment, trains, street sweepers, racecars to jets. One episode was totally about the demolition of the old St. Lawrence Starch plant that used to be in Port Credit, Ontario. The coolest part of that one was when they showed the demolition of the smokestacks and the factory itself, complete with the countdown to the explosion of the dynamite. That episode was special to us. Cheryl and I lived for several years in Port Credit and used to go by the place every day. Plus, Cheryl's grandfather was a long time employee at St. Lawrence Starch in its heyday. Anyway, I won't blabber on any more today. What I want is to show a few photos that I took of the Delta Airlines 747 which came to Fredericton just a couple of hours ago. This is a rare occurrence in Fredericton due to the smaller nature of the airport here. I was actually surprised to hear that it was coming at all until I found out that it was a military flight from Detroit which is on its way to California after picking up people/cargo here. My pal Shawn Berry even had an article about it in today's Gleaner. Sure enough he was there along with all of the usual local media folk with cameras rolling. It was fun. I called Cheryl at home who met me there with the boys to watch. There were a lot of people there too! All of us a bunch of big and little kids watching the Mighty Machine pay us a visit. One thing that's always amazed me about the 747 is how slow it looks when it's flying along. Like a big gliding bird. Here are some photos. I have a video too. I'll try and post that as well. Stay Well, Tim

Water you looking at?

Hello again. This one is one of my "political" blogs but it's actually pretty interesting if you stay with me and follow along.
As some of you know the Village Council of New Maryland presented our annual budget Wednesday night in our regular Council meeting at the Village Council chambers.
It was read by Councillor Scott Sparks who chairs the Finance Committee who did a great job. Scott usually does.
The gist of the budgets is to officially provide details publicly of the municipality's capital and operating costs as well the tax rate that will be charged to the residents. Information of the New Maryland budgets is available here http://www.vonm.ca/mayorandcouncil/budget/ . The new budget hasn't been posted yet but will be shortly.
Also included in the budget, which I am directing this blog at, is the rates which will be charged to the Village residents that are connected to the Village water and sanitary sewage system.
This falls under my care as I am the Chair of the Water and Wastewater Committee.
Our committee is charged with the task of beating about figures in order to come up with rates that are fair to the users and are sufficient to cover all operating costs associated with these systems. We are not allowed to operate under a deficit situation.
New Maryland is unique in that not all residents are connected to the municipal water supply.
It's slightly higher than one third of the Village's households that are.
The difficulty that this presents is that any and all costs associated with the water system must be paid by those that are on it and not by the other residents who are still on their own wells. (I am on my own well.)
Over the last couple of years the Village has undertaken the task of installing water meters on the properties connected to the system.
There were a few reasons for doing this but the two major reasons were
1. to provide an incentive for the municipal system users to reduce water consumption and conserve where possible and not be wasteful and
2. to make those users that choose to use excess water pay for doing this.

It's not very fair that a household with one or two people should pay the same amount for their water as a household with ten people in it, is it?
At the end of 2008 the majority of the homes getting meters had them installed.
The Water and Wastewater Committee, Council and Village staff then needed to figure out what amount per cubic metre to charge in order to cover the operating costs of the system and allow those reducing water consumption to realize a savings.
In order to do this we needed to gather historical data of the water consumption and calculate from there.
Unfortunately there was not very much historical data available at the end of 2008 to work with. Even so, we did our best and came up with what we believed would work.
I'm not going to rehash the fun of last year when there were differing opinions of what the rates should be. It was done and we did as well as could be expected.
One would think that by the end of 2009 it would be pretty easy to work out the rate for 2010 with a whole year of data available to us.
Almost easy.
A couple of things arose which we felt needed to be taken into consideration.
What about a household which uses absolutely no water over a certain period of time? An example of this would be residents that travel south during winter months.
Currently the only thing they would be required to pay would be the $5 per quarter fee for the actual meter. (This amount is to reserve funds for replacement of the meter at the end of its lifecycle.) Everyone pays that who has a Village meter.
But what about the costs of the system itself? Even though one household may not use water in a given period the costs to operate the system continue in order for the system to still be there for when this household does use it again.
You have no idea how tricky this process was! There were many things to consider and we knew that whatever we came up with had to be totally fair for those who chose to do their civic duty and conserve water.
I'll make this long story shorter here.
My committee with help from Village staff worked tirelessly through several meetings and worked out an amount to recommend to Council for the 2010 water rate.
There was a little back and forth corresponding between Council and the committee but in the end we did it.
I felt pretty darn good about it too. In my mind I am convinced that the new rate is completely fair and will enable the system to operate soundly.
Those who choose to conserve and reduce water consumption will be rewarded accordingly by realizing a savings in their water bill.
The 2010 water rate was set and announced on Wednesday night as part of the budget. This was followed by a motion presented by me to amend By-law No. 40-01-2009 Water Rates and Sewer Rentals By-law to reflect the new rate. This rate is to take effect on January 1, 2010.

I'd like to detail this just a little.

Prior to the new rate taking effect, users of the municipal water system in New Maryland are being charged $1.60 per cubic metre of water metered. In addition there is a charge of $5 per quarter for the meter itself as I mentioned above.
As of January 1, 2010 the water rate will become $1.30 per cubic metre of water as well as a flat fee of $35 per quarter (to allow for all users to contribute to the system's operating costs).
The charge of $5 per quarter for the meter remains in place.
In reality the new water rate is less than the current one.


I would like to use a scenario to illustrate.


Let's take an example of a household which which uses 250 cubic metres of water in a quarter (three month period).

At the present rate of $1.60 this household will pay:


250 cubic metres @ $1.60 equals $400. Adding the $5 meter fee and their charge in this quarter is $405.


The same household at the new rate of $1.30 and $35 per quarter flat fee will pay:

250 cubic metres @ $1.30 is $325. Adding the $35 flat fee and $5 meter fee this works out to a total of $365 in this quarter.

To summarize, $405 based on the current rate and $325 at the new rate as of January 1, 2010.


I am very happy with this. I was very happy with this on Wednesday night.
In my entire time as a Councillor I have never come out of a Council meeting feeling so positive and convinced that we had done a top notch job for the residents.
I truly felt great.

I'm thinking that perhaps it also had something to do with the fact that I had decided to dress nicely in my suit and festive Christmas tie for the meeting. Perhaps by dressing nicely I subconsciously created a positive vibe within me?

It was a good night.

Yesterday morning I read the Daily Gleaner article by Shawn Berry covering our budget. It's at http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/search/article/892787 and as you'll see Mr. Berry has done the professional job I have come to expect from him.
He interviewed Councillor Sparks immediately after the budget was presented and gathered additional facts and opinions right away to complement the details he already had.
This is why I have come to really admire Shawn and the work he does.


As I drove to work I listened to the news on the radio. The report spoke of the Village's new tax rate and several other details.
Then he said "residents of the Village will be paying more for water."

For crying out loud...

That's all I'll say about that.

Stay well,

Tim

But you didn't hear it from me!

I'm not saying but I'm just saying.
This is on the front page of today's Daily Gleaner.
I did speak to Mr. Berry yesterday and gave him my comment for him to use when he ran this piece.
Plus, it's been on every radio station this morning.
Geez, even Premier Graham couldn't wait until it was official before saying something!
I'm just passing along the message.
That's not really telling is it?
:)

NB Liquor makes tracks to station

Published Friday September 11th, 2009

Deal | Crown corp. says new store to be twice the size of old one on King Street A1 By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton's historic train station is getting a new lease on life.

Better days ahead: NB Liquor is taking over the York Street Train Station, where it plans to build a liquor store.
The provincial government has given NB Liquor the OK to rent the Fredericton landmark owned by J.D. Irving Ltd."
A deal has been negotiated with JDI for NB Liquor to lease the refurbished York Street Train Station," said Fredericton-Silverwood MLA Rick Miles on Thursday.
The York Street Train Station has been a focal point of debate over heritage properties in the city. In recent years, residents have grown concerned that the roof would collapse in winter under the weight of heavy snow.
Details of the lease deal weren't available Thursday.
While a media conference is expected next week, Premier Shawn Graham let out word of the deal during a funding announcement Thursday for the Fredericton YMCA.
"We're going to be back here soon for another important announcement for a little railway station down at the bottom of the hill," he said.
Officials from J.D. Irving said they continue to pursue a development on the site that will facilitate the restoration of the train station.
"We are hopeful of good news in the near future. We are unable to comment further," said company spokesman Geoff Britt.
NB Liquor CEO Dana Clendenning confirmed there's an agreement, but he wouldn't discuss specifics, such as the price.
"The terms and conditions are still being kept confidential,'' he said. "They're not finalized. We will have a press conference next week.''
Clendenning did say the location will be run as a corporate store that will have a unique design and unique services.
He said the Crown corporation likes the location given the easy access, ample parking and the store's proximity to the downtown, residential areas and university campuses.
NB Liquor was criticized for its decision to abandon the downtown when it closed its store on King Street last year.
The new store, he said, will be about twice the size of the King Street one.
The liquor store deal, which will see the property rejuvenated, is expected to help spur commercial development on about eight acres of surrounding land, Miles said.
"It's hoped that this project will stimulate redevelopment in that area of the city," he said. "It's been eyesore for too long."With the cost of restoring the train station pegged at $2 million, J.D. Irving said it would need to redevelop the property in the context of a larger business venture.
Mayor Brad Woodside said it was time for something to get done.
"I think this is as good as it gets in terms of news for Frederictonians. I say that because we have been subjected to this eyesore for so long," Woodside said from Collingwood, Ont., where he's attending meetings of the board of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Woodside has been vocal about the need to do something to the property.
"I meant what I said ... People have been upset with me every time I stood up and made it an issue, but I was determined to see a resolution."
Under the Heritage Railways Stations Protection Act, the owner of a historic train station isn't obliged to fix it up, but must get a ministerial order from the federal Environment Department to alter the structure or demolish it.
The nature of the federal legislation left the city powerless to intervene, Woodside said.
"There was absolutely nothing that I could have done. If there was, I felt seriously enough that I would have taken someone to court."
Tim Scammell, president of Fredericton Friends of the Railway Inc., a community group that has pressed decision-makers to keep the station from crumbling, welcomed the news.
"I think that's absolutely wonderful. We've been waiting six long years for this," he said Thursday.
"I always said I don't care who goes in and takes care of it, as long as it's fixed. I'm glad it's going to be saved because otherwise we were heading down that track of being lost forever."
Members of Branch 4 of the Royal Canadian Legion were reportedly working on a proposal to buy the station.
The choice was logical, members said, given that the last glimpse of home for many local servicemen who served in the two world wars was the train station.
Clendenning said NB Liquor acknowledges that the station played a pivotal role in the lives of many New Brunswickers and especially those who headed off to war.
"We are discussing ways of recognizing the role that the station played in the transportation of veterans to and from the Second World War."

There.
For the record, I am totally on side with what is being discussed here and have advised all stakeholders that I am willing to be there and assist every step of the way.
A few years ago I did criticize Brad Woodside for what was (was not) going on to preserve the station but we have long since pitched tents in the same camp and gave joined forces.
But this isn't anything official!

Stay well,
Tim

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Let's do some math shall we?

Here's a nifty address to an interesting blog about the York Street Station and some costs that may be associated with its repairs.

Thanks to Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss (?) Lamespotting for sending it to me. For some reason I can't seem to insert links into my blogs so please just copy and paste the address to go to it. Sorry about that.

http://lamespotting.com/2009/06/22/frederictons-train-station-some-numbers/

Doesn't look very good, does it?

However, today's Gleaner has the following article by my pal Shawn Berry.
It appears that the Legion is going to stick to their dream of saving the station.
(I wish they had thought about this a couple of years ago... Ah well, better late than never as they say.)

I did meet with the Manager at the Legion just over a week ago to provide them with what I have in the way of photos and information.

I told him that I will personally go out and swing a hammer with anyone when (if?) the time comes to begin repairs.
I'm serious too!
In fact, I'll bring my wife and kids and anyone that gets within my grabbing reach to come out and help too!

Here's today's article.
Once again, thanks to Shawn Berry for digging in and biting onto this like a pit bull.

Legion members formally looking at train station


By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com

Members of Branch 4 of the Royal Canadian Legion have given their executive the go-ahead to further explore the potential of turning the York Street train station into their new home.

There was no opposition to the motion at last week's general meeting attended by about 50 legion members.

"They all approved that we look into it further," said branch president Jean-Guy Perreault.

The general meeting in June is the last one until September, so it was important to get the support of members before summer.

The legion is one of at least three groups interested in taking over the deteriorating historic train station.

NB Liquor has had discussions about leasing the station from the owners, J.D. Irving Ltd. And while speculation ran rampant recently that the Crown corporation was days away from inking a deal, an official has said that wasn't the case.

Perreault said his members want to see what would be involved in having the legion buy and revitalize the 86-year-old building.

Past-president Ardith Armstrong said legion members will be looking at the cost of acquiring the train station and what funding might be available to them to repair it in accordance with its historic designation. The price of the refurbishment has been pegged at up to $2 million.

Armstrong said legion members have been told nothing is set in stone.

"We asked their permission to continue with the discovery while assuring them we would commit to nothing without the blessing of the general membership."

Legion members were told recently that members of the executive have been in contact with Mayor Brad Woodside and other civic leaders to support their efforts.

Woodside recently reiterated his call for the building owners to repair it soon or tear it down.

J.D. Irving has said securing a commercial venture for the site is the most viable option to support the $2 million revitalization cost.

Legion members hope to secure funding for a refurbishment before submitting any plan to their membership for approval.

Oh yes, before I forget!
I drove by the station the other day and met a talented chap named Calvin Thompson who was doing a painting of the building.
I took this picture of Calvin at work.
Quite good, isn't he?




All righty then folks.
My hammer is ready. But NOT for tearing anything down. Only for rebuilding.
Any takers?

Stay well,
Tim