Mount Pearl feeling confident going into Challenge Cup finals

By Cameron Tobin for The Pearl

     Mount Pearl First Choice Haircutters’ coach Andrew Murphy is hoping his squad can keep its streak of strong play going for one more weekend: If so, Mount Pearl could wind up as the winner of this year’s Challenge Cup on its home turf at Smallwood field.
     The third place club, which has been on a streak for the past month or so, will go up against fourth place Feildians Ernst and Young on Friday evening at Smallwood. The next day the winner will play the loser of the match between first place Holy Cross and second place St. Lawrence. And the winner of that game goes to the championship.
     Mount Pearl is heading into the weekend with the confidence of having a top notch keeper in Brandon Noseworthy and the league’s top scorer in Justin Pickford.
     Murphy said Noseworthy has been the biggest difference in the team this season. He came up through the Mount Pearl Minor Soccer Association’s system, but played the past few seasons with Holy Cross.
     “Having one of the best goalies in the league behind you gives the back line a lot of confidence throughout the whole game,” Murphy explained. “And we’re pretty balanced throughout our whole lineup. We’ve got a strong backline, midfield and attackers. And we’ve gotten a lot of support in our goal scoring this year. With Justin Pickford, we’ve got the league’s top scorer. Having him have a big year has been huge for us too.”
     Making good on their scoring opportunities will be a key requirement this weekend, Murphy said. “We are very capable of creating scoring chances, so finishing our chances early in the game will be important.” 
     Sprinkled throughout Mount Pearl’s lineup are finalists for Challenge Cup awards. Murphy has been nominated for the Jeff Babstock Award for top defender, Noseworthy has been nominated for the Al Slaney Award for top goalie, Matthew Hamlyn has been nominated for the Johnny Breen Award for top midfielder, and Pickford has been nominated for the Dick Power Award for league MVP.
     Murphy feels Mount Pearl is capable of beating any of the teams it might face given recent successes against them. “They're both strong and experienced in final weekends,” he allowed of the top two finishers. “But we are coming off a win against St. Lawrence, and we tied our record against Holy Cross, so we know we are capable of beating either team."
     Mount Pearl struggled at the beginning of the season, largely due to the unavailability of some key players earlier in the schedule. Murphy is delighted with the way the team has gelled since then. “We rebounded well, which has been a pleasant surprise for us,” he said. "Once everybody got back in town, we've been on a roll ever since. We had four guys out of town and getting them back is just what we needed."
     Still, Mount Pearl’s success is not entirely unexpected. The squad is built around a core of players who have carried the club through several Challenge Cup seasons.
     “We are in great shape because of all the training we did in the winter, and we have guys who have played many years in the Challenge Cup,” Murphy said. “So our experience is a key for us."
     Murphy believes the key to success against the defending champion Crusaders is stopping their offensive attack. " They have players who are among the top scorers in league. If we can defend well as a group, we'll definitely give ourselves a good chance."
     St. Lawrence too will be a strong contender, Murphy admitted. “St Lawrence has a lot of players who seem to have been in the league forever and they know how to win," he noted.
But Murphy remains confident.
     “It’s been a good season,” he said. “We’ve performed well against all of the teams all year, so we know going into the weekend that we are capable of beating everyone. We just have to put it all together for one weekend. And we’ve got everybody healthy and everybody is training really well, so we’re pretty confident going into the weekend.”
 

It's official: Simms is in race for Mount Pearl North

     It came in the middle of a scorching day in early August after a month of everyone waiting for summer weather to finally arrive, but it didn’t stop a crowd from filling the Masonic Community Centre to hear Mount Pearl Mayor Randy Simms announce he is seeking a seat in provincial politics.
     Simms’ confirmation that he is running in Mount Pearl North against PC incumbent and Deputy Premier Steve Kent didn’t come as a surprise, but the timing did: Most political watchers in the city expected Simms to make the final decision on whether he would run at the end of the summer.
     “I had an awful lot of people asking me about it and there was a lot of pressure to do something or to say something and I didn’t want people to believe that I had changed my mind or anything of that nature,” Simms said.
     The announcement drew as much media attendance as normally accorded to a federal candidate or a provincial party leader. Simms said he was surprised by the attention. He puts it down to the fact he is running against a Deputy Premier and cabinet minister. “Everyone says this is going to be the one to watch,” he admitted.
     Simms used the occasion to highlight some of the challenges facing the province in the coming years and said people are looking for a change in the way the province is managed.
     “There is a certain sense in the air that change is upon us and that change is needed,” Simms repeated during an interview this week.
     He pointed out the party in office has been in power some 13 years. “And I feel that the public are telling them that with our changing economy and our challenging demographics… it may be time for us to take a different direction.”
     The time is also right for him personally to take a serious look at running provincially, he added. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” said Simms, who sought provincial office on two other occasions in his younger years. Since then, he has built a higher profile, not only as a councillor and now mayor of Mount Pearl, but also as one of the province’s best known media personalities and for a while as a manager of a non-profit organization.  He has also served as the president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities.
     “I think I’m ready for it,” Simms said. “And I think my record is intact, that people feel that as a community leader and as a policy maker I have served my community well in that capacity and I am hoping they will look at me and say ‘We think you can serve our community well in this new capacity,’ and I look forward to maybe having that opportunity.”
     Simms is one of the few politicians who have acknowledged that the province is facing serious economic and demographic challenges. But he said there is always a sense of trepidation on the part of the incoming party when administrations change.
     “It’s one thing to get out there and run for it, it’s another thing to find yourself in the morning with the job,” he allowed. “I think we all know that the economic outlook for the next few years is not good. We all know the situation with oil prices and iron ore prices is not good. But we also know there are other opportunities in other natural resource fields, including what’s happening with our fishery. A lower Canadian dollar will bring some benefits. But how we spend money, where we’re going to spend money, what our priorities are going to be in the future – these are the kinds of things that I think the public are looking for a change in.”
     Simms said he supports some of the initiatives announced by Liberal leader Dwight Ball and the party, including the promise to build a new Waterford Hospital for mental health care and to not implement the additional two cent cent levy on the province’s sales tax, which PC Leader and Premier Paul Davis has pledged to bring into effect starting January 1, 2016.
     The HST hike would be a bad move to make at a bad time for the economy, Simms argued. “In this district we have an awful lot of people on fixed incomes, an awful lot of people who are retired, as well as young families who are trying to get ahead,” Simms said. “And they don’t need another two per cent stuck on their tax, not when your government and economists are telling you that the economy is actually slowing.”
     As for his job on council, Simms said he will continue as Mayor until the first week of November when the writ for the provincial election is dropped. “When that happens I will take a leave of absence and I will stay out of City Hall until the election is over,” he said. “If I should I win, I will submit a resignation, the Deputy Mayor would become the mayor and there would be a by-election in late winter or early spring for a new councillor.”
     Simms has appointed retired City Clerk and City Manager Gerard Lewis as his campaign manager, while the former general manager of VOCM, John Murphy, has agreed to serve as manager of communications. Simms and Lewis became acquainted in 1989 when Simms was first elected to council just months after Lewis began working for the City. Murphy was Simms’ boss when served as host of VOCM Open Line. “It’s good to have people participating whom the community knows,” said Simms, who is tickled by the irony of having one key person who in a sense worked for him for years on council and another for whom he worked for for years. “I think that’s very positive stuff,” Simms said.

Admiralty House hosts heritage funding drop, preps for centenary party

     Admiralty House Museum served as the backdrop last month for an announcement of some $1.2 million in operational funding for 115 heritage groups throughout the province.
Some $9,770 of the money is being allocated to the Admiralty House Museum and Archives.
     Business and Tourism Minister Darrin King said the recipients of the funding are reviewed by a special Heritage Advisory Council struck in 2012 and composed of representatives of the department, the Museums Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives, and the Association of Heritage Industries.
Seven groups are getting funding to help with special projects, including the Newfoundland and Labrador Archeological Society which hopes to encourage owners of private collections to come forward so that their artefacts can be documented.
     “We want to gain a better understanding of collections that may not be curated,” said the president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Archaeological Society, Tim Rast.
King complimented groups such as Rast’s for the invaluable work they do in preserving the province’s heritage.
     “As the summer winds down, this announcement is a reminder of the valuable role these organizations play in our communities,” King said. “Summer time is a very important time for museum and heritage organizations across Newfoundland and Labrador. Employees and volunteers work hard to showcase our history, our culture and our heritage to Newfoundland and Labrador families on vacation, to children in summer day camps, to those who have long summer days to themselves and free time, and to tourists who come to our province to experience for themselves this very special place that we call home.”
     Mount Pearl North MHA and Health Minister Steve Kent welcomed all the press conference guests to Mount Pearl. He noted he has a special connection to Admiralty House, having worked with a number of community organizations when the museum re-opened in 1997 and having supported it later as mayor. “This has been an important part of community life for me and thousands of citizens over the last number of years,” he added. “I’ve been involved in touring many youth groups through this facility, many celebrations have happened here at Admiralty House and the beautiful grounds that surround Admiralty House. I’ve attended many arts events at this facility and cultural events. I’ve performed wedding ceremonies (as mayor) out on the grounds.”
     Kent said the heritage funding announced by King helps heritage facilities and organizations to operate.
     Later this month, Admiralty House Museum, which is mostly funded by the City of Mount Pearl, will celebrate a milestone of its own as it marks its 100th anniversary. The facility was built as a secret naval wireless station for the British navy during the first world war. It is the oldest structure in Mount Pearl.
     Museum chairman John Riche said the actual anniversary is September 16. On that day the staff and board will hold a small event at the site. The main celebration will come on Saturday, September 19. “It will be a big event,” said Riche. “The CLB band will be playing, we’ll have their Honours the Lieutenant Governor Frank Fagan and Patricia Fagan, Senator Elizabeth Marshall is bringing greetings from Ottawa, Mayor Randy Simms will be there and the provincial government will be bringing somebody.”
     The event will be hosted in the back garden. “Our grounds are spectacular in the early fall,” Riche said.
     Meanwhile, the museum’s board and staff will soon start working on a funding application to prepare for the centenary of the sinking of the S.S. Florizel in 2018. Admiralty House has an extensive display and collection of artefacts related to the famous sealing and passenger vessel, which sank off Cappahayden in a snow storm on February 25, 1918 with a loss of 138 people.

AAMP touting biggest arts festival yet

     The Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl will mark its 10th anniversary year with its biggest ARTFUSiON Festival ever on September 12-19th, say organizers.
     The celebrations begin with a daylong celebration of the arts on Saturday, September 12 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Kenmount Park Community Centre. This year is particularly special because ARTFUSiON will be a Doors Open site.
     “The ARTFUSiON Festival on Saturday, September 12th includes all kinds of fun performances and activities. There will be displays by local artists and artisans, crafts and activities for the kids, and an introductory community art project for everyone to participate in,” said AAMP’s co-chairperson, Cindy Foote.
     The celebrations continue throughout the week with a number of workshops, activities and events. The 2015 festival has a mix of new performers and crowd favorites, including singer/songwriter Chris LeDrew and storyteller Catherine Wright.
     “Following our full day of performances and displays, we have workshops ranging from writing to dancing, storytelling, crafts for kids and acting for youth and adults,” added fellow co-chairperson Christine Hennebury. “There is even a murder mystery event taking place at Coffee Matters to end off the festival. However you like to participate in the arts - from audience member to performer to crafter- we have something interesting for you to do during ARTFUSiON Week.”
     The Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl encourages all residents of Mount Pearl and surrounding areas to join in the week of fun. Hennebury and Stamp said they would like to express their sincere gratitude to all of AAMP’s community partners and sponsors for their support in making this festival what they hope will be the most successful to date.

City moving to online only registration for most rec programs

     The City of Mount Pearl will make a special effort to make sure seniors have access to flyers and brochures informing them about schedules and registration procedures for recreational programs.
The move comes at the urging of councillor Lucy Stoyles, who raised the issue at last week's public council meeting. She said not all seniors have access to computers to go online and learn about the programs. The City used to publish an Activity Guide that listed its recreational programs and registration guidelines that was mailed to every home in Mount Pearl, but discontinued the practice last year because of the cost.
     Deputy Mayor Jim Locke noted the other reason for no longer publishing the guide is that the City is trying “to filter everything through a green lens.” All program information is now posted on the City’s website starting in late August, he added, and also available at the Summit Centre.
     “It’s not that we’re getting rid of all the print material. At the Summit Centre there will be individual pamphlets for the variety of programs,” said Locke. “So residents can still go and avail of that.”
     Mayor Randy Simms said Stoyles raised a good point and argued the City should have hard copies of the material available for people who request it.
     Locke suggested the City might be able to enlist the help of the Seniors Independence Group in getting the word out about the programs.
     “That’s an excellent outlet for it,” Simms agreed.
     Meanwhile, registration for all recreational programs this year will only be done online, Locke said. The City moved from on-site registration to online registration last year, but didn’t make it mandatory for aquatic programs. This year, registration in aquatic programs will have to be done online too. Registration for the aquatic programs will open on Tuesday, September 8 for Mount Pearl residents only, with non-residents being able to register for the programs two days later. Registration for all the other fitness programs opened on August 31.
     One set of programs remain open for in-person registration. People interested in participating in 50 Plus activities can register in person at the Summit Centre starting on September 8. They can also do it online.

Summit Centre remains open as pool closes for early maintenance

     Though the building has only been open for months, there is nothing unusual about the new swimming pool at the Summit Centre being closed for two weeks for “regular maintenance,” says the City of Mount Pearl’s Director of Community Services, Jason Collins.
     Collins was asked at the August 25 public council meeting to explain the reason for the maintenance shut down after the chairman of council’s Community Services Committee, Deputy Mayor Jim Locke, said the state of the art aquatic centre would be closed from September 5 to 20. The fitness facilities at the Summit Centre and the Reid Centre will remain open.
     “I was asked by a resident the other day how come a building that is not even a year old (is closing for maintenance)?” said councillor Dave Aker. “I know it was under construction and occupied for about three years now, but what is involved with the maintenance?”
Collins said the work is privative in nature. “It could be anything from looking at the skimmers and sensors, to giving the steel a proper cleaning and a waxing when it comes to the pool deck, things that you typically can’t do when the pool is in operation,” he added.
     Some of the water will be drained from the pool to allow the maintenance work to be conducted, Collins acknowledged.
     Mayor Randy Simms asked whether the shut down for maintenance will be carried out in early September every year.
     Collins said the period could vary. Staff opted to undertake the work at this time, he explained, because of the possibility of dust being left in the centre from the recent construction activities, and there happens to be a lull in the pool’s schedule.
     Councillor Lucy Stoyles pointed out that maintenance at the old pool was usually carried out in December.
 

NLHC housing units getting facelift

     Modernization and improvements are underway on 10 Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC) homes on Topsail Road in Mount Pearl.
     G.S. Hunt Enterprises Ltd. has been awarded a $417,000 contract to undertake interior and exterior renovations on the social housing properties.
     The 10 units are contained in one building which will receive new roofing, siding, windows, doors, ventilation and electrical upgrades, along with the installation of heat recovery ventilation systems (HRVs) and exhaust fans. The property will also receive various site improvements. The anticipated completion date is April 2016. 
     “I am pleased to see this contract awarded and the work started. The significant upgrades being undertaken on these 10 social housing homes is just one indication of how our government, through Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, is helping people with low incomes to live in comfortable home environments,” said Mount Pearl North MHA Steve Kent.

Police seeking help with Worrell Drive hit and run case

     The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) is seeking the public’s assistance in relation to a hit and run motor vehicle pedestrian collision that occurred on Park Avenue in Mount Pearl.
     On August 8, sometime between 4:30 a.m. and 5:20 a.m., a pedestrian was walking across the crosswalk on Park Avenue near Worrell Drive when she was struck by a white Chevrolet Impala. The run vehicle was travelling north at the time of the collision.
     The 33 year old female victim was taken to hospital where she was treated and released. The operator failed to stop at the scene of the accident.
    Anyone who has any information in relation to the collision is asked to contact the RNC at 729-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can also provide information anonymously on the NL Crime Stoppers Website at www.nlcrimestoppers.com.

Community gardens taking root

At least two new community gardens are off to a strong start, despite the unseasonal summer weather, thanks to hard work by Mount Pearl’s Green Team and its collaboration with a couple of community partners.
At the Parish of the Good Shepherd on Richard Nolan Drive, the Green Team is busy building growing beds, which Archdeacon Charlene Taylor is offering to share with anyone in the community who would like to try their hand at growing local produce.
The team has also set up four growing beds at Hillcrest Estates, the senior citizens home on Mount Carson Avenue for residents there to use.
The latter project is part of the Conservation Corps of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Growing Through the Ages program. The Green Team is administered by the Conservation Corps but assigned to the City of Mount Pearl for direction. The City decided the Green Team would be a great tool for helping local groups cultivate the idea of starting community gardens.
Green Team Leader Heather Reid said the Conservation Corps has presented the City with 10 pre-made growing beds, which the City is distributing throughout the community. At Hillcrest Estates, the idea is to encourage seniors to become healthier and more active. The site for the remaining six growing beds has yet to be determined.
The Growing Through the Ages project is separate from the one at the Parish of the Good Shepherd, which is an early adoptee of the community garden idea.
“They already had an idea of what they wanted,” said Reid, referring to the Parish. “They already had a plan and Provincial Health and Wellness Grant to get it going. So the City decided to kind of ‘give us’ to them because they already had the ball rolling so well and they had such a clear vision. So we’ve been working with them and learning from them and helping them by doing the manual labour and giving advice.”
Reid, a masters student in geography, has a background in agriculture, having worked for two years on an organic farm in Ontario.
“We’ve been helping them out as best as we can and things have been coming together so quickly,” Reid said. “It just speaks volumes about how well the Parish works together and how clear the vision is about getting this community garden.”
Because it’s already into late summer, the parish is looking at concentrating its efforts on greens – lettuce, spinach, perhaps some turnip tops - that can be grown and harvested by the fall.
Reid said it’s not too late to plant some crops. “Because it’s been cool, it’s actually a great temperature to start growing spinach,” she explained. “Arugula still grows (this time of year), basically all of your greens are still going to grow, assuming we don’t get an early frost. The only things that are not going to grow (if you plant them) now are onions, or any kind of root vegetable or cabbage, or anything like that is now going to grow super well. But we’re hoping to get some lettuce planted next week and it’s never too late for turnip tops.”
Next year the plan is to expand the range of produce to help supply the weekly café that the Parish operates. But most of the beds are available to families, or groups who want to care for a bed. “On a first come, first served basis, at no cost, they’re opening it up to people in the neighborhood and throughout the city to come and adopt a bed and get their hands dirty, basically,” Reid said.
“They’ve been phenomenal,” Reid said of the Parish. “Words cannot express how great the church has been to us, so supportive. It’s been a wonderful place to partner with.”
Archdeacon Taylor said the Parish got interested it the idea of a community garden last year, because it would complement its weekly café and seemed like a good thing to do for the community. “And as you can see, we have lots of land,” Taylor said. “So we researched it to see what we would have to do.”
The timing was great. Around the same time the parish was researching community gardens, the provincial government called for proposals from groups looking for grants of up to $10,000. “We thought, ‘Let’s see if they will fund the start up for our community garden?’” Taylor said. “And we were fortunate enough to get $8,000. That has given us the starting money… all the material for making the beds, the lumber, the soil, all the tools we need, seeds… we bought all of that out of the grant money.”
 Taylor said the church is going to use only two of the beds for itself. “We can use lettuce and spinach and some of the produce in our own kitchen – we serve a hot lunch program every Wednesday here that is free to the community and all walks of life.”
The Church feeds some 120 to 140 people every Wednesday at the café.
The other beds are available to whoever would like to adopt one. “We’ve already put out notices and bulletins to the surrounding neighbourhood for any family or groups of people who would like to come and adopt a bed and plant their own things,” Taylor said. “It’s really for the community, any parishioners or anyone in the neighbourhood who wants to dabble in growing some stuff.”
Anyone who is interested in taking on a bed can call the church at 747-1022.
Taylor is looking forward to celebrating this year’s harvest in the fall and to future harvests. “This will be an ongoing thing now,” she said. “The biggest work was getting it going, prepping the land and building the beds and all that kind of thing. Now that that’s ready, it’s here for perpetuity for whoever wants to be part of it. That’s the plan.”
 

City orders more homework on Glendale condos

It looks like concerns raised by residents living near the proposed site of a condominium complex at 16–24 Glendale Avenue is causing the City of Mount Pearl to ask more questions of its own.
The City will have to rezone the area to Residential High Density to accommodate the project by Gibraltar Developments. But given the feedback at a public briefing session last month, the City’s Development Department is recommending a study into some of the residents’ concerns, which range from a loss of privacy and lowering of property values to increased traffic and strain on the water and sewer system.
Planning and Development Committee chairman Andrew Ledwell said some of the concerns focused on the height and size of the proposed building and how it will affect the view planes of residents, not only on Glendale Avenue, but Castors Drive and Blade Crescent as well.
Ledwell added some people are also concerned about increased traffic on Glendale Avenue and the immediate streets around the proposed development, as well as on Commonwealth Avenue, First Street and Ruth Avenue. Some residents say that area is already congested.
“Finally there were also some concerns surrounding the ability of our municipal infrastructure to service the particular development and the impact of the proposed development on the Waterford River,” Ledwell said. “So at this stage in the process the Planning and Development Department proposes to undertake some further analysis on all of these areas. This analysis is going to be conducted as quickly as possible and certainly will be brought back to council for consideration before any type of decision is made on the rezoning process… The Planning and Development committee has discussed this at length and we certainly recommend that this analysis take place.”
Ledwell said the City will hire an independent consultant to review the height of the proposed complex and determine the effect on the neighbourhood’s sightlines. “In terms of property values, it’s proposed that an independent, professional appraiser be engaged to conduct a study on the property values in the Glendale area but also on Castors and Blade,” he said. “It’s also proposed that we would engage a real estate agent to be consulted.”
In terms of traffic concerns, Ledwell said the City will ensure the streets in the area are included in a traffic study that is already underway in Mount Pearl.
Mayor Randy Simms said he was aware of the recommendation concerning building height and noted the height that was advertised in the paper, which had it as some three-and-a-half to four stories, was incorrect, because a section of the building will be four stories high. “So having the independent professional undertake that review seems to make sense,” he said.
But Simms said he was not aware the additional analysis of the project would involve the larger traffic study, which is already underway. “And I’m concerned about the amount of time involved,” he said.
Simms asked the Director of Infrastructure and Public Works, Gerald Antle, whether he could give a firm date for the study’s completion.
“No, I cannot,” Antle admitted.
The director explained the traffic study is merely in phase one, which includes gathering all the information the City has on traffic matters in Mount Pearl. The next part will involve analysis of that material and a determination of what information will be needed to complete the study, “which is phase two,” he said.
Antle said the City reviewed the traffic information contained with Gibraltar’s development application “and we didn’t see those impacts as being significant.”
As for the potential impact on traffic outside that immediate area, Antle said that will have to be part of the larger study being done by the City. “But to set a time frame on that?” he said. “I think our overall traffic study is somewhere in the next year.”
That led Simms to ask if the Planning committee intends on recommending the proposed development go on hold for a year until the traffic study is done. Simms said he would like to write the residents in the area to inform them of the process that is being followed and the timeline for the analysis.
Planning and Development Direct Stephen Jewczyk indicated the timeline, and the additional analysis, won’t be as broad as the mayor fears. Some of the information will be available from the City’s own departments, he explained, and the question of whether there will be additional traffic congestion can be assessed by obtaining information from the developer.
Pressed by Simms for a firmer timeline on the completion of that work, Jewczyk said “definitely within a couple of months.”
Councillor John Walsh acknowledged the City has seen a couple of contentious developments recently, including a proposed seniors’ condominium complex on Municipal Avenue. “But I just want to say for the record and for the information of the public… and it almost doesn’t need to be said, but it seems like people lose faith in terms of the process or what we do, but does anyone in their right mind think we would actually approve a project in the City of Mount Pearl wherein there is not sufficient water and sewer capacity to handle a development?”
Walsh said the City has held up developments because additional infrastructure was needed. “I just want to restore public confidence,” he said. “In terms of whether there is sufficient water and sewer capacity, we can say unequivocally there is sufficient capacity. If there wasn’t, we would never be able to recommend this for approval. That’s the end of the discussion on that as far as I’m concerned.”