Among the almost 2,000 people who ran in the 2022 Tely 10 last weekend were Luke Tremblett (left) of Mount Pearl Senior High and Brady Lawlor of O’ Donel High School. Tremblett finished with a chip time of 1:07:21, putting him in fourth place in the Men’s U19 category. Lawlor finished with a chip time of 1:03:57, earning him second place in the same group. This year’s race, which was rescheduled due to the excessive heat and humidity we had this past summer, marked one hundred years since the road race’s inception in 1922, and was the 94th annual race, as the race was cancelled from 1940 to 1945 because of World War II, and again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Exactly 1,966 people participated in the race, in which Jordan Fewer, nephew of famed Tely 10 winner Colin Fewer, who holds 13 consecutive Tely 10 first place meals and did not participate this year, won first place. Submitted photo
'Kwick-start' your business set for Oct. 19
The City of Mount is making a call to anyone looking at opening a business but not sure where to start.
The so-called ‘Kwick-Start Your Business’ Forum will be held Wednesday, October 19 from 1-4 p.m. at the Mount Pearl Soccer Hut. Anyone can drop in anytime during those hours for a chat and information.
The event is part of National Small Business Week and an opportunity for the City to promote its goal of being a partner to local business operators.
The forum is supposed to “one-stop-shopping” for all the support, resources, and feedback you'll need to ‘kwick-start’ your business.
In addition to members of the City’s economic development team, there will be representatives from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the BDC, Metro Business Opportunities Corporation, the Mount Pearl Paradise Chamber of Commerce, Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE), and RBC.
Mount Pearl to expand depot yard storage
The City of Mount Pearl is planning on expanding the depot storage yard at the H. Neil Windsor Building to accommodate both additional snow storage and possible future equipment storage.
Councillor Isabelle Fry put forward a notice of motion during the October 4 meeting that she would at a future meeting move an amendment to the Mount Pearl Development Regulations 2010 to allow the changes.
That amendment would see an area of land located at the rear of the H. Neil Windsor Building at 59 Clyde Avenue be rezoned from Open Space to Industrial Light. The amendment would also see the Future Land Use Map updated to reflect the change.
The building is named in honour of Neil Windsor, who served as MHA for Mount Pearl from 1975 until 1995 and is often credited as being a driving force behind Mount Pearl being granted city status. The building and yard houses the City’s Public Works Department. Members of the RNC also call the building home, and the site was heavily picketed during this past summer’s municipal workers strike.
Recreation director off to Florida
By Mark Squibb/October 14, 2022
Jason Collins, Mount Pearl’s Director of Recreation and Community Safety, will be packing his bags for Florida to attend the Athletic Business & Expo’s Annual Conference in Orlando.
The motion to send the director passed unanimously.
“This is a great conference, that I’ve attended on several occasions,” noted councillor Jim Locke.
Locke said the cost is in accordance with the guidelines of the professional development budget, but the actual amount was not specified.
Registration for the Athletic Business Conference & Expo is $425.
The conference runs from November 16 to 19.
Manhole repairs hike cost of work
By Mark Squibb/October 14, 2022
Mount Pearl council has approved $20,000 in additional costs for asphalt work around the city.
“Since the work on the 2022 Asphalt and Concrete contract commenced, there have been items identified which require additional repair,” said councillor Mark Rice. “Repairs were required for manhole covers on Valleyview Avenue, as well as additional sidewalk on Commonwealth Avenue.”
As part of the ongoing management of the contract, Engineering Services requested approval of an additional $20,000, HST included, to allow for the changes, as well as any changes of a similar nature discovered as work progresses.
Councillor Bill Antle asked whether the change order was within budget, and Director of Public Works Gerry Antle confirmed that it was.
Councillor Isabelle Fry noted there are roads around the city that require some patchwork, (particularly on Ashford Drive, and asked for confirmation that this is where the money is going.
Director Antle said that particular section of work on Ashford Drive would be done by City staff.
“This contract is for work around the city that is more extensive than that,” said Antle. “So, concrete replacement of sidewalks, curbs, or asphalt in larger sections.”
The motion was carried unanimously
The original contract was awarded to Modern Paving Ltd. for $270,129, HST included.
MOUNT PEARL PROCLAIMS OCTOBER 10 AS WORLD HOMELESS DAY
Mayor Dave Aker has proclaimed October 10 as World Homeless Day in the City of Mount Pearl.
Mount Pearl Streetfriends founder/coordinator Leigh Bursey was in attendance during the October 4 meeting, and spoke to council on the subject. The Mount Pearl Streetfriends is an upstart activist network meant to support those struggling with homelessness, poverty, income inequality, and under-housing. This is a duplicate model of a not-for-profit street outreach group that launched in comparably sized Brockville, Ontario. Their goal is to assist, educate and support those struggling and those who care about them. In the back row, from left to right, are councillors Mark Rice, Jim Locke, Isabelle Fry, and Bill Antle. In the front row, left to right, are councillor Chelsea Lane, Mayor Dave Aker, Streetfriends founder/coordinator Leigh Bursey, and deputy mayor Nicole Kieley. Submitted photo
City switches acid providers because of price hike
It’s a well accepted fact that everything costs more now than it did a few years back — right down to the chemicals the City of Mount Pearl uses to clean its swimming pools.
Earlier this month, council voted to switch chemical suppliers after one such price increase.
Back in July, Bilroc Industries, which supplies the City with hydrochloric acid, also know as muriatic acid, for the treatment of swimming pool water, indicated it was no longer able to continue to supply the acid for the bid price of $404 per drum, HST included, that was set in January 2022.
“The new price quoted by Bilroc is $502 per drum, plus HST,” said recreation committee member Chelsea Lane. “The committee now recommends approval to award Eastchem, the second lowest bidder, the contract to supply and deliver the muriatic acid to the City of Mount Pearl at the price of $467.13 per drum for the remainder of the 2022 fiscal year, with the option to extend based on maintaining the existing price.”
Mayor Dave Aker acknowledged that inflation has become a fact of life in the post-COVID world.
“I guess this is coming put of COVID.” Said Aker. “It’s more inflation— and people wonder why it’s going to become more and more challenging to manage the budgets here at the City.”
Councillor Mark Rice noted that rising prices due to inflation are becoming a common occurrence around the council chambers.
“Every time we put something out to tender, it always comes back that either the tender got cancelled because they couldn’t meet the requirements of the bid or we turn around and see that prices have increased ‘X’ amount of dollars,” said Rice. “And this is another indication of a price increase. We’re talking $404 for a 45-gallon drum going up to $502, so you know, it’s a true reflection of what’s happening.”
It's a problem that Rice doesn’t anticipate will go away overnight.
“I think, looking forward to the next several years, you’re going to see that prices will be really hard to maintain,” said Rice. “And right now, revenues are dropped down, so it’s very difficult to have a balanced budget.”
The motion to do business with the new supplier was approved unanimously.
Antle wonders how City will balance budget given constant cost increases
By Mark Squibb/October 7, 2022
A recent change order that reflects yet another cost increase in materials has Mount Pearl councillor Bill Antle asking how the City will maintain a balanced budget when the price of everything continues to rise.
The change order to the Smallwood Drive Asphalt Renewal project was required to account for the most recent increase in the cost of liquid asphalt.
“As a result of fluctuating fuel prices, the cost of liquid asphalt and clear diesel has increased since the original contract was awarded,” said councillor Isabelle Fry, who noted that change orders due to cost increases have been common this summer.
The price increase resulted in an additional cost of $11,511, HST Included.
Councillor Mark Rice said cost increases seem to be the way of the future for the time being, a point on which councillor Antle concurred.
Antle was concerned about the budgetary implications of the repeated price increases.
“If this is an indication of things to happen, and we run a balanced budget, if every contract is coming in five or 10 percent over, how is that affecting our budget?” asked the councillor. “Can we continue doing the same work? If this an indication, like councillor Rice said, and all our contracts are getting higher and higher, how do we maintain that budget?”
Director of Infrastructure and Public Works Gerry Antle said that regarding this specific change order, liquid asphalt prices are based on petroleum price changes from the date of the contract award.
“So, for contracts that are current today, for example, the pricing would be reflective of what today’s prices are,” said the director. “The increases that we have seen, over the past year or so, reflects that change. As we go forward, we’ll have budgets rbought to council and our estimated costs of construction will reflect the current cost prices that we see now.”
Director Antle said the City will work within those budgets so that the scope of work will fit the budget council has approved.
Any price decreases, he added, will also be reflected in future infrastructure projects.
Director Antle did allow that, yes, the “amount of work we can accomplish within the budget is a lower volume of work, unless council choosees to increase the budget.”
Meanwhile, a second change order for the same project was also approved during the meeting, this for additional storm sewer materials.
“During construction on Smallwood Drive asphalt renewal, it was noted that a storm sewer manhole located on Smallwood Drive required a grade adjustment,” said Fry. “So, therefore, the contractor, Modern Paving, was required to install new storm sewer materials, totaling $1,903.57, and this includes HST.”
The change order was approved unanimously, with Mayor Dave Aker nothing in this case it was just a small one.
Completion of accessible playground suffers slight delay
Those eagerly anticipating the opening of St. David’s accessible playground may have to wait just a little bit longer than expected.
Councilor Mark Rice gave an update on the project during council’s September 6 public meeting. He noted the structures were being assembled on site and that the rubberized service was set to be installed the first week or so of September.
Mayor Dave Aker asked when the playground was scheduled to be complete. Director of Engineering Gerry Antle said the work is expected to be completed later this fall.
“I would note that the rubberized surface is actually delayed this week,” said Antle. “That’s a sub-contractor who does specialized work, so they’re now scheduled to be on site next week.”
Aker said he was looking forward to the City wrapping up the work and carrying on with other projects, adding the playground, though still under construction, looks phenomenal.
“And it will look even better once the new surface gets installed,” said Aker.
Councillor Isabell Fry asked if the City is on target to conclude the project by the end of September.
Antle said he did not anticipate an end of September completion date.
“There’s some complications occurring on site, so I expect it will be later this fall,” said the director.
The upgrades, which include smart technology, improved lighting, and the addition of two new gender-neutral washrooms, were announced in August 2021. The playground will cost just around a million dollars, with both the provincial and federal governments chipping in $150,000 each.
Inflation hikes cost of two big street projects by millions
By Mark Squibb/September 30, 2022
During last week’s public meeting, council voted to revise two funding applications for major roadwork projects due to cost increases since the applications were first made in 2020.
The first application was for major upgrades along Farrell Drive and upgrading between Holden Street and Evans Place.
“This is everything,” said councillor Isabelle Fry. “It’s water, sanitary and storm sewer, asphalt, curb, and sidewalk replacement. So, it’s the full meal deal. The scope of this project is a complete reconstruction of Farrell Drive (approximately from Holden Street to Evans Place) and replacement of all infrastructure within the limits of the City property right-of-way. This includes all design, supply of construction materials, removal of existing infrastructure, and construction of new.”
Mount Pearl requested $5.1 million in federal funding for the project back in 2020.
“Due to the cost escalation in 2020, the revised funding request is $7.1 million, so it’s an increase of $2.1 million for this particular project,” said Fry.
Mayor Dave Aker noted that Infrastructure Canada requires the revised application be recorded in council’s minutes before proceeding.
The next project was for the complete reconstruction of Spruce Avenue from Croucher Place to Commander Place, and Birch Avenue including sanitary sewer realignment and watermain looping, Roosevelt Avenue from Donovan Street to Ruth Avenue, Carroll Drive (excluding the existing watermain), and structural watermain lining on Billard Avenue.
“This project was also applied for in 2020, at a funding request of $5.05 million,” said Fry. “And again, due to the cost of escalation since 2020, the revised funding request is now $7.3 million.”
Councillor Jim Locke asked Director Antle when the work would likely begin — and end —figuring it would be planned over the winter and shovels put into the ground once the next construction season permits.
“A lot of things have to come together,” said Antle. “Optimistically, you’re exactly right. The application has to be made, we have to receive response, we have a couple things to consider then. We have an existing RFP, depending on if we can maintain that, and if not, we’ll have to reprocure, and that’ll be our biggest delay. So, if everything comes together as we hope, yes, we could be doing the design work over the winter with a potential start on construction next season. Otherwise, it might be late next season or even the year following.”
Locke said he asked the question because he knew there were residents in the area anxious to see the sewer work completed on account of surges following recent storms.
Under the federal program involved, municipalities must meet 30 percent of the total project costs.