Council to close Main St. for hours Sept. 20th

Ken Johnston
Editor

Rainy River’s town council had a fast regular monthly meeting Monday with only four councillors showing up.
Mayor Gordon Prost and councillors Gerry Marchuk and Larry Armstrong were all notably absent.
Councillor Glen Armstrong was nominated and approved to be acting mayor for the meeting, which he quickly lead them through.
Within 32 minutes they had dealt with the entire agenda in which they did the following:
•Approved the water and sewer budgets for 2002.
•Donated $200 to the Mayor of Thunder Bay, Ken Boshcoff, to help with his election expenses in running for president of the Association Municipalities of Ontario. He was elected.
•Councillor Brent Anderson reported that work is on schedule in the basement of the Community Center and should be completed by the end of September. The basement was damaged for the second time in as many years by the spring flooding.
•Passed a bylaw to close Main Street off on Sept. 20, 2002 from 4-6 p.m. The closure was requested by the Rainy River Walleye Tournament Commitee. That is when the boat parade will take place.
•Acting Mayor Glen Armstrong said that once the walleye tournament is over RR Centenial Committee meeings will begin on a regular basis again.
•Council was asked to support a resolution from the Municipality of Hastings Highlands to reinstate the Spring Bear Hunt in Ontario.
Councillor Lance Lindal noted that council is already on record supporting such a resolution from another group and did not feel it necessary to revisit.
•Council was informed that the annual fall meeting of the Rainy River District Municipal Association will be held next Wednesday, September 18th at the Rainy River Legion.
•After the meeting town clerk Deb Bowman said that council has not received approval or denial for funding from the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program for the proposed replacement of about 1/3 of the town’s sewer system. However an announcment may come today with the visit of Municipal Affairs Minister Chris Hodgson in Fort Frances. Mayor Gord Prost is supposed to be attending the announcement today.