Council calls special meeting to order underpass assessments

Mount Pearl council called a special public meeting February 25 to award a contract for structural assessment of two pedestrian underpasses in the city.

“The City of Mount Pearl recently invited consultants to submit a quotation to complete a structural assessment of the pedestrian underpasses at Richard Nolan Drive and Smallwood Drive,” said councillor Bill Antle. “A previous assessment was completed in 2016, and staff have identified a need to complete an updated assessment. Both structures are showing signs of deterioration and there is a concern regarding their remaining useful life. The proposed updated assessment will evaluate the structural condition of each underpass, provide recommendations for improvements to address potential risks, and reduce uncertainties to ensure the safety and longevity of the infrastructure.”

The request for quotes closed on February 5, and the City received three bids. Antle moved that council award the contract to Nova Consultants in the amount of $28,060, HST included, and that remaining funds from the 2014-2017 provincial Multi-Year Capital Works fund be reallocated to the project.

The motion was approved unanimously.

Councillors heading to annual municipal conference

Mayor Dave Aker, Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley, and councillors Jim Locke, Isabelle Fry, Mark Rice, and Chelsea Lane will be heading to Ottawa this spring for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Annual Convention.
Sessions slated for this year’s conference boast titles such as, ‘Ottawa Unseen: A Journey Through Accessibility,’ ‘Watering Village: Canada Lands newest diverse housing community,’ and ‘Ottawa’s digital twin: Helping seasonal flood mitigation.’
Attendees will also be able to participate in the 2025 FCM trade show, featuring vendors from across the country.
Councillor Bill Antle will be the lone councillor not attending the conference.
Mayor Aker will also be attending the Urban Municipalities Committee (UMC) Meeting in Marystown from March 28 to 29.
The travel requests were approved during the February 18 council meeting.

'Not a cadet...a Kinette!'

By Mark Squibb

The City of Mount Pearl declared Thursday, February 20, as Kin Canada Day and February 16-22 as Kin Canada Week during a recent public council meeting.
Kin Club members, and members of the all-female Kinette Club offshoot organization, participate in a wide variety of community events, including the recent Frosty Festival, during which members helped organize events, sell tickets, clean up and more.
More recently, the club marked February 22 as the Kin Club Day of Kindness, and the club hosted a number of initiatives to show kindness in the community.
“One of our goals this year was to make ourselves known in the community,” said lifelong member Donna Collens. “Because a lot of times, I’ve told people I’m a Kinette and they’ll say ‘Oh, you’re a cadet!’ And I’ll say, ’No, I’m a Kinette.’ So, we want to get our name, the Kinette Club of Mount Pearl, out in the community so everybody knows.”
Both councillors Chelsea Lae and Isabelle Fry are proud to call themselves members of the club.
“What drew me to the club was the motto, ‘Serving the Community’s Greatest Needs,’” said Fry. “And when you have 22 women come together just for the sole purpose of volunteering and making the world a better place, that’s a pretty special thing.”
Lane, meanwhile noted the club is always looking for new members.
“In order to keep organizations like this going, we need new members to join,” said Lane.
This year marks the 105th anniversary of the community service group, which was founded by Harold A. Rogers in 1920.

From left are councillor and Kinette Chelsea Lane, Kinette Donna Collens, Kinette Sanra Milmore, councillor Jim Locke, Mayor Dave Aker, councillor and Kinette Isabelle Fry, Kinette Sandra Anstey, councillor Bill Antle, and councillor Mark Rice.

Members of the Kin Club were unable to attend.

Kin and Kinette Week

Mount Pearl council recently thanked members of the local Kin and Kinette Clubs for their contributions to the community by proclaiming a week in their honour. From left are councillor and kinette Chelsea Lane, Kinette Donna Collens, Kinette Sandra Milmore, councillor Jim Locke, Mayor Dave Aker, councillor and Kinette Isabelle Fry, Kinette Sandra Anstey, councillor Bill Antle and councillor Mark Rice.

Jackman Drive to get the full monty

By Mark Squibb

The City of Mount Pearl has approved upgrades to Jackman Drive in the amount of $365,269 (HST included).

The upgrades include the full replacement of water, sanitary, and storm systems, asphalt, curb, and sidewalks.

The City received five bids, but only three proponents achieved the minimum technical score necessary. Each proponent also included options for both part-time and full-time inspection services as part of their submissions.

The planning committee recommended the contract be awarded to Englobe Corp., the qualifying bidder with the highest overall score. Councillor Bill Antle brought forward a motion to that effect during last week’s public meeting and council approved it unanimously.

Mayor Dave Aker said it’s a major project that was “long overdue.”

Summit Centre to get a new diving board, starter blocks

By Mark Squibb

Mount Pearl council last week approved the purchase of new starter blocks and a new diving board for the Summit Centre swimming pool.

The City received three bids for replacement of the starter blocks. One bid was deemed incomplete and thus disqualified. The recreation committee recommended council award the contract to the lowest bidder, Water and Ice, in the amount of $76,312 plus HST.

The committee noted the company is Canadian.

Council also voted on the replacement of the pool’s diving board. The current diving board was installed when the pool opened in 2014. Given a decade of use, the board has begun to show wear and tear on the stairs, platform, and stainless-steel rails.

“We’re going to replace the diving board with an identical placement to ensure that it aligns and all specifications meet the anchor patterns and so on and so forth,” said councillor Jim Locke, who, as a side note, remarked it was hard to believe the Summit Centre pool is already 10 years old.

The City received three quotes, and the recreation committee recommend awarding the contract to the lowest qualified bidder, Water and Ice once again, in the amount of $29,882 plus HST.

City extends Spartan Fitness contract

By Mark Squibb

Fitness enthusiasts will be happy to hear the City of Mount Pearl has extended its gym equipment maintenance contract with Spartan Fitness for another year.

Councillor Jim Locke, during the February 4 public meeting, explained that for some years now the City has had a preventative maintenance contract with Spartan Fitness and the contract was due to expire April 30.

“There is a provision to extend for another year if agreeable to both parties,” said Locke. “And we talked about this at length at our committee, and these preventative maintenance contracts are working very well for the city. These pieces of equipment that we purchase are not inexpensive, they’re commercial grade, high-quality, and get a lot of use, and we find that these maintenance contracts have extended their life.”

Council voted unanimously to extend the contract for an additional year at a cost of $16,560 HST included.

Frosty Festival has come and gone

Another Frosty Festival has come and gone. This year’s festival boasted a nerf gun night, comedy night, concerts, community breakfasts, afternoon teas, free swims, a wine tasting, Frosty’s Birthday Party, and more. Pictured from left are Mayor Dave Aker, Mount Pearl North MHA Lucy Stoyles, councillor Jim Locke, councillor Bill Antle with grandchildren Arlo and Lincoln Noseworthy, Mount Pearl Youth of The Youth Courtney Abbott, Miss Newfoundland and Labrador Sarah Legge, volunteers Wanda Tiller and Robert Hynes (both of whom are former Frosty Festival chairpersons and former ‘Mount Pearl Citizens of The Year’) and councillor Mark Rice, who were in attendance at Frosty’s community breakfast, amongst many other events. During last week’s public council meeting, members of council praised City staff and volunteers for their efforts in making the festival a success. City of Mount Pearl photo

Frosty's Big Birthday Party

Players with the Mount Pearl Girls Under 15 metro soccer team were quick on the ball at Frosty’s Big Birthday Party at the Glacier on February 8, selling tickets on a $50,000 prize to raise funds for a couple of trips this coming season. The squad includes, starting in the back row, from left: Gloria Power, Avery Stowe, Kaitlyn Braybook, Leah Buckle, Alyssa Simmonds, Sienna Mercer, Sofia LeGrow and Emily Head. Craig Westcott photo