Waterford River Trail to get Mobile kiosk

By Mark Squibb/March 31, 2022

City council last week awarded the Waterford River Commercial Kiosk Design contract to Fougere Menchenton in the amount of $13,020, plus HST.

“This is a part of our commitment to the Find Your Centre City Centre Renewal Plan,” said Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley. “And I went back, because I have a hardcopy of the final report from May 2021, and it is one of those documents that you see and recognise that you are truly part of building the next part and the future of our city.”

Kieley said that like the City Centre signage, which was also approved during that meeting, although with much more debate, the kiosk is a short to medium term initiative identified in the plan. The kiosk, she noted, will help identify the City Centre while also helping to bring foot traffic and commerce to the trailways.

“These kiosks will help amplify the City Centre as a destination for residents and visitors, helping really create new and unique experiences and encouraging private investment and redevelopment,” said Kiley. “Just looking at the pictures and knowing the conversations we’ve had here, this is an incredible opportunity to bring life and economic development, and even pedestrian traffic to some of our parks.”

Councillor Mark Rice added that he was excited about the project and it’s potential, especially if it can be used to promote local business.

The motion passed unanimously.

The mobile kiosk will be installed at the Waterford River Trailway.

Sign design contract reopens debate on 'City Centre'

By Mark Squibb/March 31, 2022

When the City of Mount Pearl launched the Find Your Centre city centre renewal plan last June, the goal was to rebrand the city’s industrial and business core. But now, in the face of rising costs, one Mount Pearl councillor says she cannot support tendering the design for new signs.

At last week’s public meeting, Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley brought forward a recommendation from the corporate services committee to award the City Centre Gateway Signage Design contract to Mills & Wright for $13,345 plus HST.

Kieley explained the signs, or ‘gateway markers,’ will be placed at key places along the boundary of the city centre. The city centre, as defined by the plan, incorporates Ruth Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue, Centennial Square and Bannister Street, Park Avenue, and Topsail Road.

“These signs will become the first impression of a realization of our City Centre Plan, and that builds on our already strong community brand,” said Kieley. “This step is just the beginning of our design phrase, and we’re excited to begin the design phrase and perhaps even include our residents in the final selection of the design. So, as you can imagine, this is quite an exciting item.”

Councilor Isabelle Fry, however, did not find the item very exciting.

“Personally, I don’t see the need for these signs,” said Fry. “To spend $13,345 to design signs, and then to have the cost of (manufacturing) the sign on top of that seems like an awful lot of money in a year where we’re trying to be fiscally (responsible). We did so much penny pinching and cuts to try and balance our budget and to spend tens of thousands on signs right now, I just don’t see it, I don’t agree with it. I understand the concept, I just don’t think this is a good spend at this time.”

Mayor Dave Aker reminded council the purpose of the signs has more to do with City branding than neighbourhood identification.

Director of Corporate Services Cassie Pittman, when asked, agreed with Aker’s assessment, and added the signs were a core recommendation of the plan.

“Mount Pearl has never really historically defined the city centre,” Pitman noted. “So having those gateways – and what they’ll look like I’m not sure, they could be improved lighting, they could be shrubbery or landscaping – that’s all part of the design consultation process. But at the end of the day, really what we’ve seen in areas similar to ours is, in municipalities across the country and internationally, that designated areas attracts additional visitors, and can attract private businesses and investments. It can make people want to be a part of the project. And I think ultimately, it does come down to branding and making sure our city is demonstrating our committee to ‘Find Your Centre.’”

Pittman added the City centre is a geographical region that is committed to redevelopment, and that highlighting the boundaries gives it an identity, and thus is a critical component of the plan.

To that point, Aker asked about the plan for involving the public in the project.

“Will there be some public engagement, so folks who feel like councillor Fry can come out, because maybe that’s the way our residents will feel, that they don’t want that special identification for a special part of the city,” said Aker.

Pittman said a preliminary consultation was held prior to the plan being published, and that gateway signage was a part of that discussion, and furthermore that, when completed, three gateways designs will be presented to the public for comment.

“The reality is, we really want citizens to be engaged in this whole process for ‘Find Your Centre’ because it is a plan that’s going to help reinvigorate the City centre of Mount Pearl, which I think is long overdue,” said Pittman.

Councilor Bill Antle said he understood Fry’s concerns, adding now may be the time to take another look at the report and see how much money council is truly ready to commit to the project.

“Because if we’re going to talk about the signage, there’s more money coming up, and we have to take a look at that and say, ‘Is this what we really, truly want?’” said Antle. “Maybe we have to look at the whole concept and see how much money we truly want to spend. Because we can’t look at $13,000 here and $10,000 there. Maybe we need to take a deeper dive. Because this is only looking at the design. The signs themselves are going to cost $25,000 to $50,000. And I’m just taking a guesstimate.”

Aker noted council does not have a cost for the signs yet, though he agreed it would be more than the $13,000 design fee.

Councillor Chelsea Lane echoed Fry’s opinion.

“I think she brought up some fair points,” said Lane. “We’re starting at $13,000, and like councillor Antle said, this could cost much more. Perhaps we should go back and take another look at the plan, because maybe that money could be spent elsewhere and have a greater purpose than signage. I do respect what the committee is recommending, but I think I do see councillor Fry’s side and perspective on this, and I think I do agree that perhaps we should take another look because perhaps we could use that money elsewhere.”

Councillor Mark Rice said he also understood the concerns, but confirmed his support for redeveloping the city centre.

“I think everyone at this table agrees that the City Centre is going to be really crucial to Mount Pearl in the next 10 years,” said Rice. “Are we serious about developing our City Centre, or are we going to pick it apart once we start doing it? That package, and I would like to go back and revisit it, but I do support the City Centre area being developed. Because in our main area, off Commonwealth and in our City Hall area and Centennial Square, we do need some work in these areas. Because if you look at the backs of some of these buildings, or even the front of some of these buildings in our City Centre, we do need some work.”

Councillor Jim Locke pointed out that council had already agreed during budget talks to financially commit to the project.

“We had great support, we had great input, we did all these focus group sessions, council supported the initiative to move forward, and I’m not one for revisiting the ‘Find Your Centre,’” Locke said. “This is a commitment for this year. And then in next year’s budget, we can look at where we want to move forward. But I don’t want to stall this, personally. I think this is a small investment here. We’re not committing to any expensive sings. Councilor Antle threw some  numbers out there, but we don’t know that yet, that’s the whole purpose of doing this.”

Locke added that according to resident feedback, people are onboard with the idea of identifying the City Centre.

Locke said he is for protecting investments and using money wisely, but that $13,000 is a small portion of a $52 million budget, and he’s not ready to pull the plug on the project.

“Once we come out of COVID, there’s going to be a lot of people anxious to get development going, and I want to make sure that we’re in a ready position to accept any sort of opportunities businesswise, so I will be voting in favour of this expenditure.”

Aker then steered the conversation back to Fry for her final thoughts.

“I am fully in support of ‘Find Your Centre,’” said Fry. “I am fully in support of the development, and the intensification, and all the plans that are in place. My only concern is the signage.”

Fry said the money could be better put toward other aspects of the plan, such as to help local community groups like the Mount Pearl Soccer Association or Admiralty House.

“I just feel that this money can be better used this year,” said Fry. “I’m not saying not to do a sign. But is now the right time?”

Councillor Antle then clarified that he actually supported the motion, but that maybe in the next year council will have to take another look at what it is willing to commit to the project.

Deputy Mayor Kieley reminded council that as the budget has already been balanced, tendering the contract would not be ‘taking away’ from something else.

“This is not above and beyond what’s already budgeted for this year,” said Kieley.

After the lengthy discussion, the matter was put to a vote with councilors Fry and Lane both voting against the motion.

Pool supplies, other hikes dampen budget outlook

By Mark Squibb/March 24, 2022

From gas to groceries, we’ve all heard that things are getting more expensive.

Now you can add cleaning supplies to the list.

At this week’s public meeting, Mount Pearl City council learned the price of pool cleaning chemicals would be increasing.

A 25 kg bag of Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which is used to raise alkaline levels, will increase from $24.32 to $29.98. A 20 kg bag of calcium, which helps balance water levels, will increase from $19.95 to $25.24. And a 3.6 litre bottle of chlorine, which kills germs and bacteria, will increase from $5.04 to $6.65.

All told, the minor increases will add up to an estimated $3,800 in additional costs annually.

The recommendation from the Community Development Committee was to accept the price increase from Clearwater Pools, but only temporarily, while other long-term options are assessed by staff.

“I guess this is the never ending inflationary spiral that we’ve all witnessed since COVID and the (Ukraine) war, and it seems to be our future,” said Aker. “It’s unavoidable.”

Aker then asked Director of Community Development Jason Collins the total value of the contracts.

Collins said he would have to get back on that, noting staff will get a better lay of the land this spring and that the committee may recommend that the city go to tender.

“I think it’s only appropriate, we should go to market at some point,” said Aker. “If only because it sends a message that in the middle of doing business you can’t just change the ground rules. I can understand the cost pressures, but this is now pool supplies, and we’ve seen it with vehicles and we’ve seen it in other areas.”

Aker said that with a $50 million dollar budget, he didn’t think the pool chemical costs would break the budget, but added the more costs increase, the more pressure the city will be under.

Prior to the meeting, staff sought current pricing and details from two other local vendors. Those prices both turned out to be higher still.

Councilor Mark Rice commended staff for their efforts.

Sale of church lands will touch most major communities on the Avalon

By Craig Westcott/March 24, 2022

It's the biggest inventory of buildings, lands and other properties to ever hit the local real estate market at one time, and many people in the industry don't quite know what to make of it or what it's impact will be.

The list runs the gamut from iconic churches such as the Basilica and Corpus Christie in St. John's, to single family homes and lots in Mount Pearl, to a ball field in Conception Bay South.

There are literally pages and pages of properties about to hit the market as the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation tries to sell assets to pay settlements to some of the victims of abuse at Mount Cashel Orphanage. 

In Mount Pearl alone, the package includes both Mary Queen of the World Church and rectory and St. Peter's Church and rectory as well as numerous parcels of vacant land, and a modern two-bedroom home on Ashford Drive. 

They are unique properties," allowed veteran realtor and businessman Jim Burton of RE/MAX Infinity. 

"There are obviously stages that you go through to market a property to get the highest and best usage out of it and I think having a willing buyer and a willing seller come together and look at what opportunities there are for each of these properties is going to be paramount,” he said. “How do you do that? I guess for each of these properties the highest and best use is probably going to be determined by what surrounds them, and bringing together a team of professionals to outline a plan that is going to be best for that community. That may vary a bit for each of the properties. In doing any kind of development, you need to have engineers, you need to have architects, you need to have realtors and communication with the municipality and the public to ensure that what you're doing is going to add to the life and success of that community. Each of these properties are unique and they each deserve that attention. And I would like to think that process will happen at some point. It's difficult to go to the market with an abundance of properties and not flood the market.”

But Burton admitted he is fearful that’s exactly what will happen.

He offers the example of a subdivision. Say your development has 40 lots. If you put that many homes on the market at once, it floods the market and depreciates the value of all the homes. Better to develop and offer eight or 10 for sale at a time.

"If you're coming out with large properties like this, and listing them all at once, it needs to be carefully done," Burton advised. "It needs to be very carefully done and involve the experts to establish the best and highest intended usage."

Another important consideration, Burton allowed, is the sensitivity around the nature of the properties and the reason for the sale. 

"This is a very fragile situation," Burton said. "You're dealing with a group that has to be remunerated based on things that were done in the past and I guess maybe listing them all and trying to sell them to create that cash flow that's needed to make these payouts are important, but equally important is to maximize the value of the sale of each of these properties so that the appropriate people get remunerated at the end of the day and at a level that has the best yield. Is that happening now? I don't know. Maybe it will, maybe they will get maximum dollar for all the properties by tendering them all at once. Maybe listing one or two and going through the market and letting the market determine what they're worth and then put another two out and study them and talk to the developers about what can go on them would probably be a better yield than trying to sell them all at once. I can only tell you that from working on properties, in my opinion, the best yield has always been on properties that have been studied and have had a team of experts brought in to establish what is the best yield for that particular land, for that particular property based on the community's needs.

"And some of these properties, I don't know if you can put a price on them," Burton added. "Maybe there needs to be a balance of protecting the places of worship so that the other lands around them can be used (for other things). These are all conversations that need to happen with experts and authorities on the subject at the table together…

"Maybe the authorities will reach out to those in the industry who have a trusted relationship with the churches and they'll want to work with a plan to establish the marketing and expert advice that's needed to create the best yield on each of these properties. That's where it's going to get interesting and that's where the real fun will start, working on the land development and on what works for the community – (like) are there going to be more playgrounds, are there going to be more daycares, is there going to be affordable homes? And that's something else our industry needs to be looking at. We need to build more homes for those who need to enter home ownership. For me, that's an inspiring thing as I get into the latter part of my career, helping others come into home ownership who couldn't necessarily get there. How do we find solutions for those people? That's the obligation that I think a lot of us need to keep in mind." 

As for the condition of the market presently, Burton said it's perhaps the deepest sellers’ market he's ever seen.

"There's just no inventory," he said. "We're still dealing with historic low interest rates. They've gone up a little bit, but still when you look at the average five-year rate, we're well below the average mortgage rate that we've seen over the last say 20 years. We're still dealing with fallout from Covid and people wanting to move back to Newfoundland. It's not as brisk as we've seen in the past, but that's still there.”

That's in addition to the local market of first-time home buyers, empty nesters who are selling their homes to move to smaller quarters, and workers who are looking for bigger houses so they can work from home, Burton added. 

"The current inventories are at record lows," Burton said. "And we've got buyers stacked up ready to buy and they can't find homes, they just can't find them."

The next decade looks to be just as strong demand wise.

"The premier has already come out and said he wants to bring in 5,100 families by 2025 annually," Burton noted. “That's going to be incredible growth for the real estate market. It's going to put added pressure on inventory, and I think real estate values will continue to appreciate in and around the St. John's area based on population growth that lies ahead."

Nearly full complement of council heading to FCM this year

By Craig Westcott/March 17, 2022

The world looks to be at the point of returning to normal travel again, and Mount Pearl City council is no exception.

Last week, council approved a motion to send six members of council to the annual Federation of Canadian Municipalities Conference and Trade Show this summer.

The event runs from June 2 - 5 in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Representing Mount Pearl will be Mayor Dave Aker, Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley, and councillors Bill Antle, Isabelle Fry, Chelsea Lane and Mark Rice. The only councillor not attending is Jim Locke, who made the motion to send his colleagues out west.

"The costs are in line with our professional development policy and budget," Locke noted. "These events are very useful. It's nice to see that we are getting back in-person again. I've attended many of these over my time on council and they are invaluable. The information that you learn at the sessions, the networking that you're able to do, the friends that you make and the people that you meet from right across our country in little towns and big cities and just getting a chance to share ideas and experiences, it always energizes me and I'm sure that when my colleagues get back from this, they'll be filled with gusto and new ideas and inspired. So I'm happy to bring this forward."

Locke's motion passed unanimously.

Council tweaks deadline for posting minutes of public meetings

For anyone who wants to review the business of council, Mount Pearl council has voted to make the minutes of its public meetings available to the public a little sooner.

In introducing her notice to council about the change during last week’s meeting, Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley pointed out that under the old rules, there was a lack of clarity as to when the minutes had to be made public.

Kieley gave notice she will make a motion to change the rules of the City of Mount Pearl Act at an upcoming meeting. The change will see the minutes of council meetings posted to the City's website within three working days of having been approved at a public meeting.

Anyone interested in perusing the minutes, however, should note that the change still won't mean the minutes are available within three working days of the actual meeting that the minutes are meant to reflect. Rather, they will still lag the meeting by at least two weeks in most cases. For example, the minutes of council's 8 meeting will be examined and adopted by council at its March 22 meeting. So, within three days following that, the minutes of the March 8 meeting will go to the website.

"This is really just to ensure that the public knows when to expect minutes," Kieley said. "I'm a big fan of governance and bylaw tweaks because it usually has a great impact on how we're doing things in an accountable manner and a better manner."

Mount Pearl brings home two marketing awards

By Mark Squibb/March 17, 2022

The City of Mount Pearl is the proud recipient of two Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDCA) Awards for their “Upgrade to Mount Pearl” advertising campaign.

The City won in the Website and Single Publication 5+ Pages category.

The campaign posited Mount Pearl as a crucial player in the Transatlantic Business Hub, and highlighted the city’s business opportunities, amenities, growth opportunities, policies, demographics, and business incentives. The website is accompanied by six industry specific eBooks with further information, which are all downloadable from the website.

The campaign was aimed specially at foreign investors in ocean technology, oil and gas, innovation and technology, health and life sciences, trade and warehousing, and North American head office/back office.

The city’s goal was to attract five to 10 global companies within the next two years and reduce the vacancy rate in Donovans Business Park by five per cent.

The city had previously won three EDAC awards for 2019’s Consider it Done campaign.

Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley, during last week’s public meeting, said the members of the City's corporate services and economic development team, led by director Cassie Pittman, deserve "incredible accolades" for winning the awards. 

"I think it demonstrates our team's pursuit for innovation and enhanced public engagement and for just progressive development," Kieley said. 

"I just have to echo that,” said councillor Jim Locke. “We have such a great team of professionals. And they're the first ones to acknowledge that while they're the winners of this, it's organization wide, they're quick to acknowledge all the help from all the departments that allow them to do the great work that they do."

Locke noted the team is also still in the running for the EDAC Cup, the Economic Developers Association of Canada’s top prize, which the city won in 2019, and which has yet to be announced for this year. “They continue to do us proud,” Locke said.

Ukraine on minds of council

Mount Pearl councillor Jim Locke took a moment last week to acknowledge Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the terrible bloodshed and misery it is causing.

"I know it's on all of our minds," Locke said. "You can't turn on the radio or open a newspaper or social media or watch the television news (without seeing it). It is absolutely horrendous what is ongoing there."

Locke, who is a teacher at Mount Pearl Senior High, noted many young people are in disbelief that in this day and age such a thing could happen, "and the confusion that they have that the rest of the world seems to be sat back watching this take place. They're like, 'Why don't we intervene? Where is the rest of the world?' And it's tough to explain. It's a very complex circumstance. I know our country has reached out with open our arms to any Ukrainians who wish to come here temporarily or on a long-term basis, and I know that if any come to this province that our city will certainly welcome these folk with open arms to help them get through these trying times."

Locke thanked City staff for raising the Ukrainian flag outside City Hall and for broadcasting it on the electronic screen outside the Summit Centre. “They are small acts, but it's just to let people know that we are thinking of them and we are hoping for a quick resolution of this horrendous event that's ongoing,” he said.