Clark Hendry of the Mount Pearl Blazers takes a swing during an evening game this past Friday at the Kiwanis Community Cup tournament in Kelligrews, CBS. Five Under 11 teams from throughout the region participated in the baseball tournament. Mark Squibb photo.
Youth award show dinner well worth the money, says Rice
By Mark Squibb / July 7, 2023
If you’ve ever wondered how much it costs to feed a couple hundred of Mount Pearlites, we might have the answer.
During the June 13 public meeting, council voted to pay a number of invoices, among them an invoice made payable to Fireside Catering in the amount of $11,310 for the Focus on Youth Awards Dinner held earlier this year.
Councillor Mark Rice made it a point to voice his support for the dinner, despite the cost.
"That was a fabulous event, and I was so blown away by the talent of the arts community and of everyone who was nominated and also the award winners," said Rice. "But when you look at the money we spend on this, it's well worth the money we put into our youth. The youth are growing up to become the next leaders of the province, of our community, or whatever else they decide to do. I just want to say that it's so good to see that money being spent on a worthwhile cause."
The dinner in question, the thirty-third of its kind since it’s inception, was held this past May. All told, 14 awards were handed out, recognising the athletic, artistic, and academic achievements of students, as well as their volunteer and community service efforts.
Consulting services approved for Jacqueline Road upgrades
The City of Mount Pearl has approved the hiring of a professional consultant to oversee upgrades to Jacqueline Road.
The City received five bids for professional consultant services for sanitary and storm sewer, asphalt, curb and sidewalk replacement on Jacqueline Road, and staff recommended council award the contract to WSP E&I Canada Ltd., for the bid amount of $38,561, HST Included.
Councillor Mark Rice moved the approval of the contract, councillor Isabelle Fry seconded it, and the motion passed unanimously with little discussion.
Here's a change: It's cheaper
By Mark Squibb / July 7, 2023
Change orders almost always mean increased project costs, but Mount Pearl council this week had the rare opportunity to approve a change order that will actually save taxpayers some money.
Back in March, council awarded a contract valued at $254,641, HST included, to JMJ Holdings to convert the Parks Shed at the H. Neil Windsor Building to electric heat, a move initiated to help the City reach its climate change goals.
Council this week found out the job will cost a little less than initially anticipated.
“Due to the change in the easement, and as was advised by Newfoundland Power, the Main Electrical Service entrance to the Parks Shed was relocated to the opposite end of the facility, which was directly outside of the proposed electrical room,” explained councillor Mark Rice. “And so, the general contractor, JMJ Holdings, has advised that the City will receive a credit change order in the amount of $9,200, HST Included, for the relocation of the electrical service entrance due to the savings in material and labour.”
The motion to approve the change order passed unanimously with little discussion, although Mayor Dave Aker noted that credit is always good news, while councillor Isabell Fry admitted it’s not often council has the opportunity to approve credit change orders.
‘If someone gets hurt, it’s too late,’
Council debate safety of pedestrian crossing near T’railway on Commonwealth
By Mark Squibb / July 7, 2023
Councillor Bill Antle had an impassioned plea to bring forward during this week’s public meeting. He wants the City to find a safer way for hikers, bikers and walkers to get across busy Commonwealth Avenue near where it intersects the T’railway.
The councillor shared a firsthand account of how dangerous the crossing, which is located between two busy sets of traffic lights on Topsail Road and the intersection with Park Avenue, can be.
Last weekend, Antle said, he took a bike ride along the T’railway and came to Commonwealth Road. Rather than try crossing the busy road, Antle biked up Commonwealth to the Park Avenue/Ruth Avenue intersection. Ahead of him were a group of about seven boys who were also biking. Antle said the boys were waiting for their turn to cross, and attempted to cross the street once the crosswalk light indicated it was their turn to do so.
“They pushed the button, and they waited their turn,” said Antle. “But as they moved out, cars were blowing horns, and people were yelling at them and telling them to get off the road. But it was their right to be on the crosswalk. And that area is so busy, you have Commonwealth Avenue, you have Park Avenue, you have Ruth Avenue, and the traffic is so fast. I think somebody is going to get hurt. We have to fix that crosswalk. We have talked about it in council and the reason I’m bringing it up now is to let the public know that we are concerned.”
Antle said he would like the matter brought to committee for further review, and see an actual crosswalk installed where the T’railway crosses Commonwealth.
“If Paradise can do it, and St. John’s can do it, why can’t Mount Pearl do it?” said Antle. “I cross Karwood Drive in Paradise, I cross McNamara Drive in Paradise, I cross Topsail Road, and I cross Kings Bridge Road, and they all have very similar crosswalks. How come we can’t find a way? I’ve been on council five years and it’s been five years trying to fix this. If someone gets hurt, it’s too late.”
Antle said he brought the matter forward publicly so that folks would know the City is investigating the matter.
Councillor Jim Locke, whose longer tenure on council has given him a lot of familiarity with discussions about the situation, said he doesn’t believe a crosswalk is warranted where the T’railway crosses Commonwealth.
“I bike ride as well, and I always use the designated crosswalk,” said Locke. “We’ve discussed this multiple times at committee… because of the hill, because of the speed of the traffic coming down Commonwealth Avenue, because of the close proximity to the intersection at Commonwealth, Ruth, and Park, the Transportation Association of Canada did not recommend, and actually suggested, that putting a crosswalk in there could increase the danger and increase the hazard.”
Locke said the crosswalk at the intersection is fully-functional, and it only takes a few minutes to walk up Commonwealth, cross the road at the intersection, and the walk back down along the other side of Commonwealth and back onto the T’railway.
“We have a fully functioning crosswalk up there and until it can be proven to me that it’s safe to do it, I will not support installing a crosswalk down by the T ’railway,” said Locke. “If the experts tell me that it’s unsafe, I am not prepared to install something that can increase or enhance risk to our cyclists or pedestrians who may use it.”
Locke said he would agree with an investigation into the crosswalk at the Ruth Avenue/Park Avenue intersection, and suggested widening the sidewalk or re-aligning traffic flow may address Antle’s safety concerns.
He added, to Antle’s point about other municipalities installing lighted crosswalks to accommodate people using the T’railway, that factors such as sightlines and traffic flow at each location must be taken into account.
“A crosswalk isn’t a crosswalk isn’t a crosswalk,” said Locke. “And so, until the data shows that we can install a crosswalk there and do it safely, I’m not prepared to support that. But, I am prepared to support investigating the existing, legitimate crosswalk, and if we can improve on that to enhance the safety of our pedestrians and cyclists, I’ll happily discuss that at committee.”
Councillor Mark Rice agreed with Antle, comparing the area to a racetrack and saying anyone attempting to cross Commonwealth is taking their life in their own hands.
“It is a dangerous intersection because you have so much traffic coming from all directions,” said Rice.
He did allow that should the Team Gushue Highway ever be completed, traffic in the area may decrease. Rice suggested council look at either modifying the intersection or creating a new crosswalk near the T’railway as other communities have done.
Councillor Isabelle Fry, who had served on the Infrastructure and Public Works committee while the issue was being discussed at committee level, also spoke to the matter.
“For a number of reasons, it had been decided to not place a crosswalk there at Commonwealth Avenue at the entrance of the trail,” said Fry. “But since then, there have been so many crosswalks that are very similar and in close proximity to all of the reasons why we had originally turned it down. I think it’s definitely worth investigating, and I would love to see this go back to committee. And like Councilor Rice has said, if other municipalities can do it, then we can too.”
Fry asked if the Commonwealth Avenue crossing was the only section of the T’railway along a main road without its own crosswalk.
Antle said he believed that is the case.
Though no vote was cast, council seemed agreeable to bringing the matter back to committee.
U17 Boys Provincial Basketball Team
Members of the U17 Boys Provincial Basketball Team will be selling tickets at the Mount Pearl Colemans until Friday, June 30, to raise funds for their upcoming trip to the Nationals. Pictured are teammates Kyle Bridger (left) and Lucas Mate. If you can’t make it out to Colemans while the boys are stationed there but would still like to support the team’s fundraiser efforts, you can purchase tickets from players next Wednesday and Thursday at Paradise NoFrills, or you can e-mail pdcoordinator@hotmail.com. Tickets will be available until July 20, and the draw will take place on July 21. Submitted photo.
Youth award show dinner well worth the money, says Rice
By Mark Squibb / June 29, 2023
If you’ve ever wondered how much it costs to feed a couple hundred of Mount Pearlites, we might have the answer.
During the June 13 public meeting, council voted to pay a number of invoices, among them an invoice made payable to Fireside Catering in the amount of $11,310 for the Focus on Youth Awards Dinner held earlier this year.
Councillor Mark Rice made it a point to voice his support for the dinner, despite the cost.
"That was a fabulous event, and I was so blown away by the talent of the arts community and of everyone who was nominated and also the award winners," said Rice. "But when you look at the money we spend on this, it's well worth the money we put into our youth. The youth are growing up to become the next leaders of the province, of our community, or whatever else they decide to do. I just want to say that it's so good to see that money being spent on a worthwhile cause."
The dinner in question, the thirty-third of its kind since it’s inception, was held this past May. All told, 14 awards were handed out, recognising the athletic, artistic, and academic achievements of students, as well as their volunteer and community service efforts.
Spend it or lose it, Province advises Mount Pearl
By Mark Squibb / June 29, 2023
Mount Pearl City council earlier this month approved a number of project closures and fund reallocations.
"The Committee was advised that in 2021, funds were transferred out from the 2012-2014 Multi-Year Capital Works (MYCW) Funding Programs, and into the 2017-2020 Funding Program," explained councillor Isabelle Fry during the June 13 public meeting. "Of the funds transferred, a balance remains. So, the City has been advised by the Province that those remaining funds must be spent this year, and that the funds cannot be transferred into future programs."
Council voted to close all completed projects funded in the 2017-2020 MYCW program, and transfer $1,576,991 (HST included) of leftover funds into two new projects: Surface Course Asphalt, Partial Sidewalk Replacement and Sewer Manhole Adjustments Olympic Drive ($1,256,991) and Birch Avenue Water Line Loop and Sanitary Trunk Re-alignment ($320,000).
Council also voted to close all projects that were completed using 2014-2017 MYCW funding and transfer the remaining funds ($128,468, HST included) to the Pedestrian Underpass Assessments project, which was within the 2014-2017 project listing.
"So, in a nutshell, the 2014-2017 multi-year capital program is coming to an end once we spend the $128,000 on the underpass," said Mayor Dave Aker. "Also, for 2017 to 2020, we have created a final project. Part one is the Olympic Drive area part and part two is Birch Avenue."
Councillor Bill Antle asked whether any money would be returned to the Province and also whether the City would likely save money down the road by transferring the funds into new projects now.
Councillor Fry said it was a matter of reallocating funding to projects that were not on "this year's project bucket list."
Assistant Manager of Engineering Services Darryl Drover explained further that $450,000 worth of funds being transferred to the Olympic Drive project date back to 2012.
Aker allowed that no money will be returned and that all monies from 2014-2017 and 2017-2020 funding pools would now be accounted for.
"The essence is we're closing '14-‘17 and we're about to close '17-'20," said Aker.
"I believe these are funds that were saved from previous allocations, and so there are a few extra dollars left over," clarified Fry further. "And with that money that we saved we're able to do another project on our bucket list."
Councillor Jim Locke took a moment to applaud the motion, which passed unanimously.
Hutchings, Drover named top athletes
By Mark Squibb / June 29, 2023
The Mount Pearl Sports Alliance last week held it’s annual Sports Hall of Fame and Athletic Awards ceremony and recognized a number of athletes and other prominent members of the sporting community.
Campia Gymnastics and Mount Pearl Soccer were big winners, and took home five prizes between them.
The Official of the Year Award was presented to Shannon Tobin of Mount Pearl Soccer. Tobin is a Provincial level referee and Director of Referees with Mount Pearl Soccer. Last season Tobin refereed nearly 200 weekend games for U7, U9 and U11 Metro League tournaments, while also refereeing U7 to U13 games Monday to Thursday.
Phillip Molloy of Mount Pearl Soccer was named Coach of The Year. Molloy holds a National "C" Coach’s License, and this past season coached with the U11 Tier 1 Girls, acting as Assistant Coach for the U17 Boys (finishing 1st in the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association’s Premiere Youth League) and as Head Coach of the U13 Girls A Team. He was also selected to coach as a part of the Vancouver Whitecaps Soccer Camp.
President of Campia Gymnastics Anna Dominic received the Peter Halliday Memorial Award for the Executive of the Year. Dominic set new goals for the organization, established new fundraising committees, reviewed and ratified Campia’s recreational handbook, reviewed and established new guidelines for strategic planning, attended meetings and conferences, spearheaded social events, and much, much more.
The Female Athlete of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year awards both went to Campia Gymnastics members.
Jillian Hutchings, the Female Athlete of the Year, placed in a number of competitions this past year. At the 2022 Dream Big Provincial Invitational she placed first on vault, second on bars, third on beam, second on floor and second all around. At the Atlantic tournament she placed second on vault, first on bars, second on beam, second on floor, and first all around; and at Canadian Championships qualifiers, she placed twenty-seventh on vault, thirteenth on bars, eighth on beam, twenty-third on floor, and fifteenth all around, qualifying for finals, where she placed twentieth on vault, fourteenth on bars, fourteenth on beam, twenty-fourth on floor, and twenty-second all around.
Michael Drover, the Male Athlete of the Year, this past year placed first on pommel horse in the Senior High-Performance category at both the Dream Big Invitational and Provincial Championships. He placed ninth at National Gymnastics Canada’s Technical Trials, and fifteenth at the Canadian Championships.
The Team of The Year is the Open Starlites Synchro Skating team. The team, which is member-led rather than coach-led, won gold in the 2022 synchro skating nationals in Calgary, Alberta, making them the first synchronized skating team from the province to earn a medal at the national level.
Mount Pearl Soccer Association (MPSA) member Craig Dyer was accorded the Dave Holloway Memorial Award Adult Volunteer with Youth Award. Dyer is a full-time MPSA volunteer, and spends his time coordinating tournaments, organizing fundraisers, attending meetings, taking photographs, and cheering on from the sidelines.
Two members of the Mount Pearl sports community were also inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Olympic gold medalist, World Champion, and five-time Brier champ Brad Gushue is no stranger to accolades, and his induction into the Hall of Fame was just the latest. Recognized as one of the best curlers in Canadian history, you may be surprised to learn that Gushue was also a competitive golfer in his youth. Gushue won the NL Junior Golf Championship consecutively from 1996 to 1999 and won two NL School Championships with the O’Donel Patriots golf team. He also won the Men’s Provincial Amateur Championship in 1999 and was a member of Golf Canada’s High-Performance Junior program.
Long-time referee Derm Bishop was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. Bishop’s referee career began in 1976 and spanned more than 35 years. During that time, he officiated more than 5,000 games, from novice thru to All-Star. He served eight years with the Referees Association, including a time as President. He was also instrumental in helping establish the referees mentorship program. He has earned a number of accolades over the years and was inducted into the Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016.
Another change order for Farrell Drive
By Mark Squibb / June 23, 2023
Councillor Isabelle Fry last week brought forward a recommendation to council from the Planning, Engineering, and Development Committee to approve a change order to the Farrell Drive upgrade project.
“We were advised that there is a requirement for one additional valve on the secondary transmission watermain for Farrell Drive upgrading for Phase 1,” said Fry. “The Committee recommends approving the inclusion of this valve, as it will allow the City to complete leak repairs in the future.”
Council approved the installation of the valve at a cost of $19,468, HST included.
Council had previously approved two change orders, one in the amount of $143,361 back in March related to the increased price of materials.
The first change order was approved in March for Dexter Construction Company Limited for the amount of $143,361.21 (HST included).
The $7.1 million project, funded in part by the federal government, will see water, sanitary and storm sewer, asphalt, curb, and sidewalk replaced along Farrell Drive between Evan’s Place and Holden Street. The work was awarded to Dexter Construction earlier this year. Work began in May, and construction is expected to finish this fall, although landscaping won’t be completed nor the final layer of asphalt laid until 2024.