Council hears request from Rec. Board for hel in tearing down old chimney

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Rainy River Town Council learned Monday evening that the recreation centre is in need of some capital funding to tear down the dilapidated chimney on the building.
Council's representative on the Recreation Board, Ashley Stamler, reported to council that she had attended the board's meeting and they sent word back that the chimney on the building is no longer needed since the installation of the new furnaces.
The old chimney is starting to decay and they are worried that it may collapse through the roof, damaging the building or even more serious, it could fall on someone outside the facility.
Stamler, being just newly elected to council, said that the Rec. Board asked her to speak to council about a supposedly signed agreement from the town in 1994 that would give the board a set amount of dollars each year for capital work.
Councillor Brent Anderson said that the actual fact is that the Rec. Bd. has to come to council annually with a capital needs list and council will then review it and if the town can afford it or it needs to be done it will pay for the work to be done.
Councillor Gord Armstrong recommended that a licensed contractor be used to assess and remove the chimney. "If we get someone who doesn't know what they are doing and they fall off the roof we will be in deep do do!"
Other business
•Council passed a motion granting leave to Town Clerk Veldron Vogan.
•Council rehired a laid off employee as of Jan. 10, 2011 until Jan. 21, 2011.
•Councillor Brent Anderson said the finance committee is still waiting on audited financial statements from 2009 before getting into full blown budget planning.
He did note that the bylaw committee has reviewed its fees and that the public can expect an increase in most user fees this year.
•Public works chairman Larry Armstrong said that he has fielded several complaints about the snow in the community but is hopeful that with a lull in snowfalls over the next couple of weeks the town crew will be able to haul a good deal of it away.
*Armstrong also said that he has been working with the community trails committee and they somehow got the impression that the town was not going to allow trail development on town property. However, council told him that had never been said so he plans to go back to the committee with that word.
•Recycling committee chair Larry Armstrong said that he is not happy with what is taking place at the town's recycling bins on the east side of the town garage. He is working on a brochure with the office staff that they can put in tax bills this March. It will explain the do's and don'ts of recycling.
Council also discussed a request from Beaver Mills to have their own recycling bin.π Councillor Stamler said that the store would like to recycle but would fill much of the town's bins all by itself.
Council agreed to look into their request further.
•Council awarded the tender for 2011 hanging flower baskets to Loewen Greenhouses at a cost of $26.95 plus tax.
•Councilor Gord Armstrong reported that there will be a meeting of area councils this Wednesday about amalgamation of fire depts.
•Council supported a policing cost motion introduced by Fort Frances. It asks that the province pick up any added costs, through its Police Services grant, associated with the recently negotiated O.P.P. contract for al northern and rural municipalities.
•Councils rep. on the chamber, Gord Armstrong, reported that the annual trade show will be on May 14, 2011.
•Council approved sending Councillors Larry Armstrong and Gord Armstrong, Mayor Deb Ewald and Clerk Vogan to the annual Rainy River District Municipal Association meeting on Jan. 29, 2011 in Stratton with expenses paid.