Same keeper chosen to keep the City’s doors under lock and key

By Mark Squibb

Mount Pearl council last week voted to extend the City’s locksmith services contract with Armour Lock and Security Systems for an additional year in the amount of $46,934, HST included.

Council awarded the contract in May 2022, for the same annual amount for the period of July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2025.

Services covered by the contract include repair and replacement of locks, automatic door openers, card access systems, doors and frames.

“I was in conversation today with Matthew Jones, our manager of facilities, and he certainly recommended this company,” said councillor Bill Antle. “They treat us really, really well. He said he picks up the phone, gives them a call, and they show up immediately, and that speaks for itself.”

The extension will respect the terms and conditions of the existing contract.

Mayor Dave Aker noted that, despite inflation, the annual cost will remain the same as when the contract was first inked three years ago.

City wants 50 units built on old pool site

By Mark Squibb

The City of Mount Pearl is accepting expressions of interest for the purchase and development of the site of the former Mount Pearl Swimming Pool on Stapleton Road for a high-density housing development.

In many ways, it’s the end of an era in Mount Pearl’s history.

The pool was constructed in 1974 and was home to both the Mount Pearl Marlins Swim Team and a popular birthday party spot for four decades until it’s closure in 2014 to accommodate the opening of the new pool at the Summit Centre.

In recent years, the building has sat vacant, crumbling away, until it’s demolition in October 2024.

“As we close the chapter on the site where many of us first learned to swim, we look forward to seeing new families create new beginnings and memories on Stapleton Road,” said councillor Chelsea Lane.

She noted that preference will be given to plans that maximize the space and feature over 50 units, and that the City will be accepting proposals until May 8.

As of last Tuesday’s meeting, three contractors had already downloaded the paperwork from the City’s website.

“We’ve been talking about redeveloping that area for about 10 years now,” said councillor Bill Antle. “We had to tear down the old pool, and we had to remediate the land. But we need housing, we need apartments. How many times have I talked to people, and they’ve said they want to sell their home and move to a nice apartment in Mount Pearl.”

The new housing development, said Antle, will be within walking distance of many amenities along Park Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue, as well as many of the City’s trails.

All members of council present (Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley was absent) were in agreement that it was time to move forward and redevelop the land, and voted to approve it.

Mount Pearl keeping it chill with refrigeration contract

By Mark Squibb

Mount Pearl council earlier this month approved a new Eco-Chill System service contract.

Councillor Bill Antle said in June 2020, the City entered into a five-year sole source, customer service agreement with CIMCO for routine and preventative maintenance of both the Glacier’s refrigeration system and the Summit Centre’s heat pump and heat exchange system, which operate onCIMCO machinery.

That contract was set to expire in June, and staff negotiated a new five-year contract at an annual cost of $54,423, HST included, with an annual cost inflation of two percent, which they recommended council approve.

Antle said while the City doesn’t often approve sole source contracts –in other words, bids from a single supplier – CIMCO recently proved its worth.

“We had a little incident at the Glacier a couple weeks ago, and we called this company, and they dropped one of the jobs they were doing and within moments they came to the City of Mount Pearl and went to work right away, which is above and beyond,” said Antle. “It’s really great to see a company do this.”

Antle said that CIMCO and staff worked together to resolve the matter, and that within 17 hours the Glacier was up and running once again without any loss of ice.

Mayor Dave Aker added that in regard to the sole source clause of the contract, the City’s hands are tied in that there are no third parties that maintain CIMCO products.

Planning director Scott Batt concurred with Aker’s assessment.

“As these are CIMCO products, to keep up the warranty and to keep this very important piece of equipment operating, it was deemed that going with CIMCO was the prudent choice here,” said Batt.

Council unanimously approved the new contract. The new deal will expire June 30, 2030.

City hires Afonso to look inside pipes

By Mark Squibb

Mount Pearl council earlier this month approved a new contract for storm and sewer video surveillance.

Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley said the tender for CCTV Video Inspection Services closed on March 5 and the City received two bids.

Of the two bids, staff recommended council award the contract to the lowest qualified bidder Afonso Group Ltd., in the amount of $421,820 annually, HST included, until 2027.

“It’s important to note that this is a time and materials contract which is availed by multiple City departments and is expensed against the department’s operational or capital budget, so that means the City will only be charged for services rendered,” said Kieley, who moved that council award the contract to Afonso Group.

Councillor Mark Rice asked what exactly the contract would entail.

Public Works Director Glen Dollimount explained the video would be used to assess the condition of storm and sewer pipes.

“The beauty of the CCTV is for preventative maintenance and asset management, and seeing how bad, or good, a section of pipe is,” said Dollimount. “It’s very detailed, it’s a great program, and we receive a very important document back from Afonso with all that information on it.”

Council approved the contract unanimously.

City’s new garbage truck will escape Trump’s tariffs

By Mark Squibb

A motion before Mount Pearl council earlier this month to purchase a new garbage truck led to a discussion of the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The City received five bids, and staff recommended council purchase the rear load garbage collection truck from the lowest qualified bidder, Reefer Repair Services, in the amount of $453,703, HST included.

Mayor Dave Aker asked when the truck would be delivered and whether it was manufactured in the U.S., or Canada.

Public Works Director Glen Dollimount said he didn’t expect the truck for at least another 12 to 18 months, and that while the truck body was built in the States, the garbage component was built in Quebec.

The Mayor then asked whether the City was in a position to exclude American products during the bid process.

CAO Cassie Rideout said the City is not in a position to exclude American products from the procurement process, although a review is ongoing in light of the potential of tariffs being levied on goods from south of the border. She added this particular contract will be protected from potential tariffs.

Dollimount said that though he couldn’t be sure, he suspected the truck body had already been built and shipped to Canada.

Prior to calling the motion, councillor Mark Rice said that tariffs, along with post-COVID inflation, would serve to compound price increases further.

“We’re concerned around the table here,” said Rice. “This has a big impact on our budget. Our tax base is not increasing that much, and it’s really concerning to all of us around the table because we got hit with the COVID pricing, and that never ever went down, and now we’re talking tariffs.”

The motion to approve the purchase, and Aker’s subsequent concerns, came the day before Trump slapped Canada and numerous other countries with a laundry list of tariffs.

As to the motion itself, council unanimously approved the purchase.

‘Just like any other kid’

Mount Pearl 2024 Youth of the Year Eamon Fogwill joined council earlier this month to help council proclaim Purple Day and raise awareness of epilepsy. Fogwill was joined by his mother Sherri and fellow 2024 Youth of the Year Courtney Abbott. Members of council and staff wore purple for the occasion. From left are councillors Chelsea Lane and Jim Locke, Sherri Fogwill, Mayor Dave Aker, Eamon Fogwill, Courtney Abbott, and councillors Isabelle Fry, Mark Rice, and Bill Antle. Joining by conference call was Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley. Mark Squibb photo

By Mark Squibb

Mount Pearl 2024 Youth of the Year Eamon Fogwill was in council chambers April 1 to mark Purple Day, an internationally recognized epilepsy awareness day, and speak to the importance of raising awareness about the nervous system disorder.

Fogwill used his own experience after being diagnosed with epilepsy to explain the challenges.

“There’s so much that comes along with being diagnosed with epilepsy,” said Fogwill. “There’s a sort of feeling you get of being different. From my personal experience, I was diagnosed when I was 12, and I definitely did have that feeling, when I was diagnosed, of being different from my classmates.”

Fogwill said that fortunately he had a great group of friends, and that him and his parents were able to explain how his medication worked and what they could do to help if he had a seizure.

“I felt that as a community we need to help people who have been diagnosed, we need to raise awareness about what you actually have to do if you see someone going through this,” said Fogwill. “And we have to make people who have been diagnosed feel more welcomed and accepted and know that they are not alone facing those hardships and challenges.”

Councillor Bill Antle also spoke from personal experience – his grandson Lincoln was diagnosed with epilepsy at age four.

“Awareness is key,” said Antle. “When he was first diagnosed it was a scare for us. We didn’t know what to do.”

Antle said that five years on from the diagnosis, Lincoln is doing well and managing his epilepsy with medication. He hasn’t had a seizure in over two-and-a half years.

Councillor Chelsea Lane, herself a mother of three, asked Eamon’s mom Sherry Fogwill what advice she would offer to families following a diagnosis of a family member.

“I get asked that a lot,” said Sherri. “One of the things I was reading about when he was first diagnosed was social outcomes… One of the concerns for parents is the social outcome — are they going to integrate well with other kids? Or you’re afraid to let them go to the park, you’re afraid to let them climb a tree, you’re afraid to let them do all these things, so we try to normalize (the diagnosis.) So, my advice to a parent would be to be as open as you’re comfortable with, because they need to feel just like any other kid.”

Annual Best in Business Awards

The Mount Pearl Paradise Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Best in Business Awards gala last week. Dozens of local businesses were recognized and well over 200 members of the local business community were in attendance. JAC (top photo) won the Business Excellence Award for companies with 16 or Over Employees. On hand for the presentation were, from left: Jamie Ross of Wedgewood Insurance, which sponsored the award, Emily Pine, Mike Hudson, CEO & Founder John Atkins, Co-Owner and VP of Operations Pat Atkins, Andrew Boyd, and Stephen Andrews. Coleman’s Mount Pearl (bottom photo) received the Local Impact Mount Pearl Award. Presenting the award was Keith Power, left, and Mayor Dave Aker. Accepting it on behalf of Colemans were Sasha Persaud, Lynn McCarthy and Kim Martret-Walsh. The other categories saw Rockateer Treats awarded the Innovation Award, RePUPlic Pets named New Business of The Year, Get Messy awarded the Local Impact Paradise Award, Ventech Total Ventilation Service awarded the People’s Choice Customer Service award, Bellie Beth named Entrepreneur of The Year, Rick O’Neill of O’Neill Auto Group awarded the Business Leader of the Year, and Macintye Homes awarded the Business Excellence Award for companies with 15 or fewer employees. Photos by Sally LeDrew

City tenders Farrell Drive upgrades

By Mark Squibb

The City of Mount Pearl has approved over a million dollars worth of upgrades to Farrell Drive.

The work includes a full replacement of water, sanitary and storm sewers, asphalt, curb and sidewalk from Topsail Road up to Evans Place.

The tender closed March 11 and the City received three bids. Staff recommended council award the contract to lowest bidder Dexter Construction Company for the bid amount of $1,929, 611, HST Included.

The matter was brought before council for approval last week.

“It’s quite a large piece of work and a significant amount of our budget,” said Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley. “It’s good news for development.”

The project is a part of the much larger Northlands development, which also includes upgrades to the Farrell Drive pumphouse and construction of a new water tower.

During the same meeting council approved additional fees associated with two other Northlands projects. Council approved $17,882, HST included, and $28,359, HST included, for additional work associated with the Farrell Drive Pumphouse upgrades and Wyatt Boulevard upgrades respectively.

Easter Seals Month

Last month was Easter Seals Month in the City of Mount Pearl. Easter Seals Newfoundland and Labrador helps those living with disabilities through recreation programming, employment and education services, and the ‘I Can Too’ Disability Awareness Program. Council was joined in chambers by 2025 Easter Seals NL Ambassador (and Mount Pearl resident) Rhea Stark, 14. From left are councillor Chelsea Lane, Rhea’s grandfather Sam Melindy, councillor Isabelle Fry, 2025 Easter Seals NL Ambassador Rhea Stark, councillor Jim Locke, Mayor Dave Aker, Easter Seals representative Breanna Pelley, councillor Mark Rice, and councillor Bill Antle. Mark Squibb photo

Mount Pearl Lions Club hosts annual senior high school public speaking event

The Mount Pearl Lions Club recently hosted its annual senior high school public speaking event. Six students, three each from O’Donel High School and Mount Pearl Senior High (MPSH), competed at the speak-off. Pictured, from left, are Mount Pearl Lions Club President Bonnie Evely, Wegilia Thomas of O’Donel, who spoke on Episodic Animation, Ava O’Brien of MPSH, whose topic was Stepping outside your Comfort Zone, Lauren Young of MPSH, who spoke on Rebuilding Nature: a call to restore our precious habitat, third place winner Jessica Dwyer of MPSH, whose topic was The Importance of Creativity and Originality, second place winner Emily Squires of O’Donel, who praised Laughter, and first place winner Ariana White of O’Donel, who opined on The Impact of One Person, along with speak out chairman Lion Gerald Coombs. MPSH teachers Kim Winter, Lindsey Hammond and Melissa Haggett and O’Donel teacher, Susan Pearcey, attended to support students. Erin Noseworthy and Claudette Coombs served as questioners, while Bonnie Evely served as timekeeper. Bradley Clarke, Geralyn Costello and Emily Garlie served as judges. Cash prizes included $100 for first place, $75 for second place, $50 for third place, and $25 for the other participants. Mount Pearl Lions Club photo