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

I'll find water for you my pretty! And your little dog too!

Hi again. I've been in summer vacation mode so this blog has been lacking of late.
In fact, I started this one back on July 19th or 20th but I'm only getting back to it now.
The story is still relevant though.
Do you like the "Wizard of Oz" reference in the title? You'll see how well it fits when you read this.

This story is amusing.
Before you read the newspaper article below let me tell you what happened.

It involves the Village's ongoing search for good capacity wells to maintain the supply for the residents currently on the Village system and possibly consider new development.
We are also reviewing the possibility of adding more of the existing homes in New Maryland onto the system who presently have their own wells.

Last year the Village purchased a piece of property known by many folks as the "Forbes property" on account of the name of the previous owners.

There is a well sitting on the property which was drilled years ago but not brought on-line since it is not potable without proper treatment.
We haven't ruled out the possibility of treating it as needed and using it.

However, Council (on the recommendation of the Water and Wastewater Committee, which I am still a member of) decided to drill to seek other wells on the Forbes property.

The Village has a consulting company who are experts in water exploration.
They examine and review land features and available data to determine where they believe the best spot to hit a gusher will be.

This can't be an easy job. If they had x-ray vision I'm sure they could nail it every time but they don't.
In all honesty no-one knows exactly what's down there and exactly where the water is.
We're talking about millions of years of rock formation and water aquifers forcing their way through the path of least resistance making their winding way through thousands of miles of weaving trails underground.

In my opinion this is not an exact science. It's as close as it can be with what we can determine.

Anyhow, a little while ago this company reviewed the Forbes property and looked at all that they could and told the drilling company where to do their thing.

The result was disappointing and we were not successful in finding a decent flowing spot.

The Village Public Works Supervisor reported the result to the members of the Water and Wastewater committee at our last meeting.

This is where I come into this and it gets interesting.

A long while back I was having a chat with a local guy about the water situation in New Maryland.
He casually mentioned to me that he has a slight knack for being able to get the lay of the land and having pretty good feelings where water may be.
I found that interesting and remarked that we may call him up to have a look at the Forbes property one day.

I mentioned this to the Committee and said that we should buy him a coffee and take him out for a stroll and ask his thoughts.
No pressure, just a stroll to compare his feelings with those of the consultant.
It couldn't hurt could it?
It would most certainly be cheaper.

From what I understand the Public Works Supervisor met our lad out there and walked around the property.

I don't believe the Public Works Supervisor had much faith in what he was told.
I'm not sure why that is.

Oh well, at least he went out there and told us his thoughts and it didn't cost us anything. Right?
No harm, no foul as they say.

Well, this stuff was brought up at the next Council meeting during discussions.
The next thing I know people were asking why we used that guy when there are other guys around who are known for their divining at "witching stick" abilities.
Then it was decided that the Village is going to contact one of these guys and have them look around for water.

I'll let you read the rest of the story here as it appeared in the Gleaner under the heading:

Village turns to water witchery

Published Saturday July 18th, 2009

New Maryland has no luck using conventional methods to find water source for development.

By JENNIFER DUNVILLE
Canadaeast News Service
NEW MARYLAND - The village of New Maryland may try witchery to find a water source on one of its properties.
Mayor Frank Dunn said it might sound silly, but dowsing to find water has been in practice since ancient times and some people put a lot of faith in it. "This all started after we dug for water and were unsuccessful on the old Forbes property we own right on Highway 101," Dunn said.
"A council member made the suggestion that we hire a dowser. It was said in jest, but we figured it might be worth a try. "Dowsing, which is also known as water witchery or divining, is used to locate something underground, including oil, metals or water. A dowser walks with a Y-shaped stick or rod, which points down abruptly when over the right spot.
Some dowsers also use a pendulum or two rods, which cross when over water. There are many skeptics of dowsing because there is no scientific evidence the process works, and Dunn admits he has no idea if it will help, but he said the village has nothing to lose by trying it.
"We have a guy in mind who does dowsing, so we figured we'll contact him and at least give it a chance if he's willing to do it," Dunn said. "In order to continue development in New Maryland in the future, we'll need to find more wells, and so far on this particular property, we haven't been successful in more conventional ways of searching for a water source. "The village is in the process of building a new water tower to improve water distribution, water storage capacity, system operating reliability and firefighting capabilities. Tenders for the elevated reservoir system are expected to be awarded this month, with construction beginning in the fall.
One-third of the village's residents are hooked to the municipal water system, while the rest have wells, and Dunn said the point of finding additional water sources is to have the option of hooking more people to the new system in the future.
"We've been searching for water sources for two years and have been successful in finding three wells, which are currently capped. When we have the funding, those wells will be tied into the new tower in the future," Dunn said.
"We have sufficient water for now. We're just planning ahead for future development." Dunn said a core sample has already been extracted from one area on the property, but it didn't turn up any water. He said two more digs are planned.
"That's the way it is; every time you do a core sample you take a risk that it'll be unsuccessful," Dunn said. "We'll probably drill in two more areas at least, but in the meantime may try contacting a dowser that we have in mind, and give that a try."
Dunn said he won't disclose the name of the dowser the village may use until he's had a chance to talk to him about it.

"Village turns to water witchery"??? What???
Come on. Really...

There's a story about the topic of witchery which I will have to tell you one day.
Let's just say that it isn't a very good word to throw around lightly.

As for the article content it's me that he refers to in the beginning of the article.
But for the record, I did NOT make the suggestion to hire a dowser. I mentioned my pal going for a stroll. That's all.

Nor did I make the suggestion in jest.
I was very serious about getting an opinion, at no cost, to compare with that of the "experts".

Now you know.

Stay well,
Tim

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Well, Well, Well (get it? water? get it?)

Oooo, THAT was a surprise!
All right. I knew what the big press conference was for. Nobody told me before going in but it was easy to figure out.
Our local Member of Parliament and Minister of State for ACOA Keith Ashfield was there as was our Member of the Legislative Assembly Jack Carr and the provincial moneyman and Minister of Business New Brunswick, MLA Greg Byrne. And a few of us Councillors standing at the back.

I don't know if I'm scooping the mainstream media or not but it became official today that "Governments of Canada and New Brunswick invest in New Maryland infrastructure upgrades".
The document provided indicates that each of the three levels of government - federal, provincial and municipal(us) - will all kick in $1,555,333 each for the planned upgrades.

Here it is in its entirety;

20 March 2009 GOVERNMENTS OF CANADA AND NEW BRUNSWICK INVEST IN NEW MARYLAND INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES
New Maryland, New Brunswick
Residents of New Maryland will benefit from upgrades to the Village water and wastewater systems, thanks to joint federal and provincial funding of more than $3 million. The announcement was made today by the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency), and the Honourable Greg Byrne, Minister of Business New Brunswick.


This project is just one example of the commitment of both governments to work together to strengthen the New Brunswick economy and improve the quality of life for its residents. It will create local jobs and enhance local services at a time when the need for economic stimulus is greatest.


The governments of Canada and New Brunswick will each invest up to $1,555,333 in the project, with the Village of New Maryland contributing an equal amount.


“In these challenging economic times, the Government of Canada is working with our partners to create jobs and build stronger and brighter futures for New Brunswick communities,” said Minister Ashfield. “Our federal investment of more than $1.5 million will result in modern, greener, world-class infrastructure which is the foundation of sustainable, long-term economic growth”


“Green infrastructure projects and the funding of this project for the Village of New Maryland are very important to New Brunswick’s self-sufficiency agenda,” said Byrne. “These projects help provide safe and reliable drinking water and increase environmental protection through improved wastewater collection and treatment. Overall these investments contribute to the sustainability of our communities and provide capacity for future community growth. Byrne spoke on behalf of Environment Minister Roland Haché.


The project involves upgrades to the water system in the Springwater Place, Applewood Acres, Pineridge Estates and Forbes subdivisions and the installation of water/sanitary sewer services to ten homes in the Baker Brook Courtand the decommissioning of the aging Baker Brook Court wastewater treatment facility. These improvements will enhance water distribution, increase water storage capacity, and increase the water system’s reliability as well as improve the wastewater collection treatment for the community. Funding for the project is contingent on completion of all contractual agreements, including pending Environmental Impact Assessments with municipalities.


“The Building Canada Fund – Communities Component is an outstanding example of partnerships between the two levels of government and small municipalities, said Dunn. We would like to thank the provincial and federal governments for their support, with special thanks to our MP Keith Ashfield. The improvements and enhancements to our municipal water system are crucial and we thank the government for their funding support of this project. Working together, we are able to provide our citizens with programs and services that we could not do alone.”


This project is one of 32 projects across the province that will get underway quickly thanks to a joint federal- provincial investment of more than $38 million. Together with municipal contributions, more than $57 million will be invested in local infrastructure improvements in New Brunswick. The governments of Canada and New Brunswick are working together to provide long-term, stable and predictable funding to help meet infrastructure needs across the country and to support stronger, safer and better communities.


FOR BROADCAST USE:


Residents of New Maryland will benefit from an improved water system, thanks to joint federal and provincial funding of more than $3 million. The announcement was made today by Keith Ashfield, Minister of State for ACOA and Greg Byrne, Minister of Business New Brunswick.


The $4.6 million project, which is also funded by the Village of New Maryland, will improve water distribution, increase water storage capacity, and enhance the system’s reliability. It is just one example of the commitment of both governments to strengthening the New Brunswick economy and improving the quality of life for its residents.


Funding for this project is contingent on completion of all contractual agreements, including pending Environmental Impact Assessments with the municipalities. - 30 –

INFORMATION:

Bruce MacFarlane, Managing Director
Communications New Brunswick
506-444-4606

Richard Roik, Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs
613-996-4649

Jennifer Graham, Communications Officer
New Brunswick Department of Environment
506-453-3700

It was nice to see former Councillor and past Chair of the Water and Wastewater Committee Bill O'Donnell there and be recognized by the mayor in his speech. (I'm also past Chair of the Committee but I didn't get a special mention :(. I'm kidding of course.) Bill was on Council since the birth of New Maryland and Council didn't even know it was a Council.
He was Committee Chair for 14 or so years and started this whole water tower thing. Darn right he should have been recognized!
I was on the Committee as a public member when he was Chair and saw how much work he put into everything he did.
I honestly felt bad when Bill was not re-elected last time. When I was campaigning if anyone asked about the others I always gave Bill a good word. He truly is a nice guy too.

One thing that one of my fellow Councillors picked up on right away was the line "installation of water/sanitary sewer services to ten homes in the Baker Brook".

You see, we didn't recall anything about adding water to Baker Brook Court in all of the discussions we had. Maybe I'm merely forgetting that but my colleague is pretty good at remembering these things. We'll have to review our stuff.
If we DON'T have the money earmarked in our plans and someone who lives on Baker Brook Court sees this press release we could be in a bit of trouble making good on it.
That could be rather expensive and perhaps those few homes aren't in the mood to cough up for water while on their own wells.

I'm probably mistaken though and everything will be marvellous.

It was good seeing Jack, Keith and Greg again. They are nice guys.
I was somewhat sheepish and apologetic with Jack as I had totally missed the breakfast he put on a few weeks ago, after offering to help out.
Jack told me he forgives me. I'm happy about that.
I'll make it up to him somehow.

Okay, NOW I'm ready to head to Halifax soon.

Ta Ta For Now,
Tim

A Little Bit of Housekeeping

I just wanted to mention a couple of things before heading off to Halifax tomorrow.
I am very happy that my tattoos are all done now. They will be wonderful when the healing is done. For now they're a wee bit red and tender but doing very well.
When I went in there I honestly didn't know what Joey was going to do. I was trying to casually press him for details of his intentions.
I wouldn't say he was evasive but seemed to be a tiny bit amused at my concern.
I should have known already to just trust him. He's a professional and takes much pride in his work.
Even though it only took a couple of hours Joey took no chances and cleared his afternoon for me. He fully intended to take his time and make absolutely sure that my tattoos were going to be perfect.
If only everyone was as serious and took this much pride in their work.
This young man could teach the world a lot about work ethic.
The pictures have already been put on my Facebook for my wonderful friends there.
As usual the comments started right away and as usual I feel so much love from my friends who love me.
It was funny. As I was walking back to my car from White Lotus I ran into the world's second best blogger, Charles LeBlanc.
I hadn't seen Charles in person for quite a while and it was great to see my good friend as it always is.
Of everyone I know in this place Charles is one that I would trust with my life to guard my back. I would do the same for him too.
He knows that.

It's funny, the other day I told someone that there are many people that I would give my life for and they may never ever know it.
Charles knows this though. I've told him.

On Tuesday night I received a copy. Of the Water and Wastewater Committee meeting minutes from the last meeting.
There was something unusual about them.
At the top where it says who was at the meeting it had the mayor's name with Chairman beside it, Councillor Paul Co-Chair and my name with Chairman beside it!
Wow! Was I being promoted? What a lovely surprise! And my birthday isn't until June.
At the Council meeting last night the mayor have the water and Wastewater committee report.
Before accepting the report and voting on it the Deputy Mayor pointed out that it said Chairman beside my name.
I was so excited that the mayor was going to make the big announcement that I was going to be a real Councillor again!
But I'm afraid it was a typographical error...
The person typing it had not been feeling well and was obviously delirious when she put that there. Everyone made sure that was duly noted to fix right away!

I think I was already a little grumpy already last night anyway.
Earlier I had spoken my mind about something and my feelings of manipulation by someone who wants so badly to get their way that they will make the rest of Council appear as heartless by not supporting their motion.
If anything I hope that the grumpiness got the point across that I'm not in the mood for that and won't put up with it anymore.
It was fun really.
I felt pretty good afterwards.
I think I really need to get a punching bag.

Have a great weekend.
I love you all and some a little more than the others.

Stay well,
Tim


Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Re: Agenda for Dec. 30th Special Session

I am not prepared to write a long blog right now since I am still with my Mom in the hospice in Ontario.
She is still giving a fight.
I do want to show you a letter I send to Council last night though.
This had been bothering me and I was relieved to get it off my chest. For those not familiar with this topic I will try and post a link to the article later.
I may be reprimanded when I get back, especially if anyone actually finds out that I put this on my blog.
From Mayor Dunn's reply today I understand the vote is going to proceed without me.
I am not pleased about this and know that at least two of the other Councillors are not either.
This will be interesting but is not of great concern to me at this time.

Mom is continuing to battle bravely but is so tired.
She has been asleep for almost three days and hasn't eaten or drank anything.
I stay here holding her hand and tell her it's okay to let go now but her body doesn't want to yet.
I haven't left this building since Christmas day or this room except to shower or eat.
Sleep has been very unusual since I wake up at least every hour to make sure she is still breathing.
I've lost track of the days and if it weren't for the clocks you could tell me any time and I would believe you.
There will be plenty of time for sleep later.
My Mom doesn't want to leave yet so I'm not going anywhere until she decides that it's time.

Tim

------Original Message------
To: Gisele McCaie-Burke
To: 'Cynthia Geldart'
To: Frank Dunn
To: Judy Wilson-Shee
To: Frank Dunn
To: Paul Leblanc
To: Scott Sparks
Subject: Re: Agenda for Dec. 30th Special Session
Sent: Dec 28, 2008 1:42 AM

Good evening everyone. As some of you know I am presently in Ontario with my mother to be with her for her remaining time in life.
She has been deteriorating as I have sat here with her and I don't expect her to last too much longer.
However, my sister was also a fighter and stood her ground for a good amount of time before succumbing.
I may or may not make it back in time for the December 30th meeting but either way we are going to have an issue with 40-01-2008 Bylaw reading.
If Your Worship wishes I can present the following personally at the next meeting I am in attendance but this is also for you all to read.
Last week I received a call from a resident who also lives on Phillips Drive. She had a question to ask me but also wanted to express her displeasure at what I am doing with the water and sewer rates.
Please note that her displeasure was directed at me personally because I am the Chair of the Water and Wastewater Committee.
She did not wish to direct her anger at the Council but to me personally.
She said that she voted for me because she trusted that I would be working for those who elected me and now she sees that I don't care about residents with fixed incomes or financial difficulties.
I tried to explain to her how we were calculating the water rate and that we were working to lessen the impact of a loan for the future water tower.
She did not seem to even want to hear it but remained focused on something that I am doing to affect residents of the Village which will have a great impact.
It occurred to me afterwards right or wrong this lady had a valid point.
What right do I have to make a push for something that will affect so many of the residents but not myself?
If my name is to be attached to something as far reaching as this then it should be something which involves me too.
Otherwise I don't feel that I have the right.
That is my feeling on that.
The day following the election I personally attended the Mayor's home with only one pleading request, that I please don't be given the Water and Wastewater Committee chair position.
I was completely willing to be co-chair of the committee but I made it completely clear that I was not comfortable with taking the chair role.
Even though I had been a member of the committee for four years I did not feel qualified and correctly realized that there was some information that I would not be fully aware of in a public member capacity.
For some reason my request was disregarded and I was given the exact position I had asked not to have.
Up to this point in time I have been a trooper and have done my best with things I do not claim to be an expert in.
I am not going to do this any more.
It has been suggested to me that with the meters and the tower was also to come much protest from the residents. It was suggested to me that who better to have the displeasure and protest aimed at but the new guy on Council? What a perfect way to assure that he does not stand a chance at reelection? The difficult items are sent through and the new guy will be disposed of come next election.
Of course I scoffed at this theory as conspiracy minded.
The problem that we are going to have with 40-01-2008 Bylaw reading is how am I to be the one reading it when I am now planning to vote against it?
I feel that the water tower project and water meters have been pushed by others and I have been along for the ride.
I expressed my displeasure at the financial burden on the residents quite a while ago and never felt that displeasure went away.
When Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee presented her disagreement with the figures I felt distraught as I felt that we had done so much number crunching and figuring based on data and statistics that we HAD to be right. It had taken so much work.
I now agree with our deputy mayor fully.
I realize that we as Councillors hope to present a united front to the public as far as our decisions are concerned but I feel that if the Village Deputy Mayor is able to publicly voice her displeasure with what is occurring on Council then I am permitted to do so as well.
I do not feel that I have been treated fairly and I am prepared to express these feelings publicly before my public image is completely destroyed.

Now if you will excuse me, I am going back to holding my mother's hand and watching her breathe.

Tim