Wanda Waddleton was named Mayor of Trepassey on October 15, and less than a month later, was baptized not by fire, but by hurricane force winds and heavy rains when Hurricane Melissa hit in early November.
The storm caused severe damage to the town’s breakwater and cut off the Lower Coast for several hours.
“It was a challenge believe me,” said Waddleton. “But the biggest challenge is getting the government to realize the residents in rural areas shouldn’t be forgotten.”
The breakwater had been damaged in successive years prior and was still in need of repairs when Hurricane Melissa hit, deteriorating the structure further.
Waddleton said residents were thrilled when the newly minted PC government announced it would tender repairs, and are excited to see work commence.
That contract, valued at $1.6 million, was recently awarded to Rock Construction Company Ltd., with work expected to begin in January.
Waddleton said the completion of the breakwater remains the town’s biggest project in the coming year, but council has other ideas on its agenda as well, including the implementation of a town plan, emergency plan, and a new set of by-laws.
“We’ve been talking about this since I went on council four years ago, but I have stated that we are going to complete these plans this year,” said Waddleton.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for council, Waddleton allowed, is to spend within its means, given the cost of services and the need for expensive infrastructure repairs, coupled with a limited tax base.
“We only have 420 residents, so our tax base is very limited, and most of our infrastructure, like our water lines and sewer, is in great need of repair,” said Waddleton. “Culverts are collapsing underneath roads. And all of this is costing the Town a lot of money. But our biggest ongoing challenge is our snow clearing, which is costing us upwards of $100,000 a year. Plus, garbage collection is up to $83,000 a year. With 420 people, most of whom are seniors, it’s very hard to face these challenges. We’ve been trying to get government to come on board and see if they can help with snow clearing. But it’s been an ongoing challenge. It’s a challenge that comes up every meeting. And we don’t want to increase taxes because we can’t really afford to do that.”
The Town’s budget, said Waddleton, is usually shy of $600,000.
Challenging as it may be, Waddleton, who had just completed a four-year term as councillor, and had previously served as mayor back in the early nineties, said she’s up to the task.
Longstanding, outgoing mayor Rita Pennell secured a council seat but opted to serve as a councillor this time around.
“I have big shoes to fill,” said Waddleton. “Rita has been a strong voice for the people of Trepassey. She’s in her 35th year of municipal politics this year, not always in the capacity of mayor, but as a member of council. But I feel like I’m capable of doing the job at hand, and I’ll do everything in my power for the people of Trepassey. As mayor, my main job is to run our town in an efficient and cost-effective way, but also to be there to obtain whatever funds are available for the betterment of our town. I’m working with an awesome council, and together, I feel we are up to the task we face in the next four years.”