HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-05-05, Page 9THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016. PAGE 9.
Molenhuis first hire under shared services agreement
Welcome
Jeff Molenhuis, centre, was introduced to the communities of North Huron and Morris-
Turnberry last week as the new Director of Public Works. Under the municipalities' new shared
services agreement, Molenhuis is now the first joint employee hired by both municipalities. The
announcement was made by North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent, left, and Morris-Turnberry
Mayor Paul Gowing, right, at a special press conference held at the Wingham Fire Hall. (Shawn
Loughlin photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Jeff Molenhuis is the first official
face of the North Huron/Morris-
Turnberry shared services
agreement. Hired as the
municipalities' Director of Public
Works, Molenhuis will begin
employment for North Huron and
Morris-Turnberry on May 16.
North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent
and Morris-Turnberry Mayor Paul
Gowing jointly made the
announcement last week at the
Wingham Fire Hall.
"We are so fortunate and pleased
to have Jeff joining us to lead our
public works department. Jeff's
expertise and work experience bring
a higher level of planning and
management to the joint public
works department for both Morris-
Turnberry and North Huron," said
Gowing.
Vincent echoed Gowing's
statements, saying it was a great day
for the communities of both
municipalities in terms of looking
ahead to the future of the
agreement.
"It is with great pleasure that we
welcome Jeff to the Morris-
Turnberry and North Huron shared
services team. We believe that Jeff
possesses the knowledge, skill and
experience necessary to lead our
public works department in a
progressive manner, with a focus on
long-term planning and superior
customer service," Vincent said.
In an interview after the
announcement, Molenhuis detailed
his extensive background in the
worlds of civil engineering and
municipal services.
A Stratford native, Molenhuis
received his civil engineering degree
from McMaster University in
Hamilton before working for a
handful of companies in Kitchener,
London and Tillsonburg before
making his way to Huron County.
Molenhuis said that one of the first
issues he hopes to tackle is a joint
asset management plan for the
municipalities.
He said it will likely be a bit of a
challenge, but also a good
opportunity to establish a framework
for both North Huron and Morris-
Turnberry going forward.
The asset management plan,
Molenhuis said, will be a great
opportunity to chart what the two
municipalities have in terms of
assets, how they have been managed
and how that can be done in a more
efficient manner.
What's most important to
Molenhuis is that he keep an open
mind throughout his first few
months in the job. He said he wants
to look into the municipalities' assets
further, but also get out on the streets
and uncover the important issues
through the eyes of existing public
works staff from both North Huron
and Morris-Tumberry.
Through that process, he said, he
will keep North Huron and Morris-
Turnberry employees involved and
create the opportunity for
collaboration, setting a good tone for
the work to come.
Gowing, in an interview after the
press conference, said it was
Molenhuis's experience that put him
head and shoulders above the rest
and made him the perfect candidate
for this newly -created position.
"He's got the education, the
knowledge and the work experience
that makes [Molenhuis] a great asset
for us," Gowing said.
The hiring of Molenhuis, Gowing
'Are you being served?' asks Clark
Continued from page 3
first step is to say I'm sorry then
figure out what is wrong and fix it
together.
The children and the congregation
repeated the prayer after Rev. Clark.
The hymn "Make a Joyful Sound"
was sung.
Rev. Clark's message to the
congregation was "Are You Being
Served?" We are coming into the
time in church life when fewer
people come out to church, but
church does continue during the
summer along with summer
caterings and a whole list of
activities that go on in the church
during the summer but not much
time in worship. We need to kick it
up and make it worthwhile to come
to church in the summer. When
people are passionate about things,
sparks begin to fly. In Jesus' time,
the same things were happening.
Often we can find wisdom in
reading the Bible. It shows us how to
make good decisions and shows us
how to get along. There always
seems to be conflicts. We have to
deal with conflicts, if we don't, they
will fester and blow up and people
get hurt. We have to find the conflict,
deal with it, keep calm and together,
and solve it. If you are wrong, own it
and deal with it and be honest. Once
we can admit we are wrong, we can
come up with a solution.
In the scripture that morning the
elders saw an opportunity to help the
widows. Everyone is part of the
solution. God is also part of the
healing and solutions. If these things
Letter to the Editor
OPG send congrats
THE EDITOR,
Ontario Power Generation (OPG)
had the pleasure of sponsoring the
2016 Ontario Community
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Better Newspaper Awards Gala, held
on Friday, April 22 in Vaughan.
I had the opportunity to attend and
was thrilled to see you awarded for
Best Community Website. It's
amazing to see local papers be
recognized for outstanding work and
to see the support amongst the over
300 members of the OCNA.
This award is proof of what OPG
already knows: Community
newspapers produce quality news!
On behalf of OPG, I wish all of
you at The Citizen continued
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Congratulations!
Bretton Christensen
Ontario Power Generation
Corporation Relations Officer.
happen, the church will continue to
grow. We have choices: we can stew,
blow or keep calm and solve the
conflict.
The next hymn "Faith of Our
Fathers" was sung. The offering was
received followed by the offertory
response "Grant Us God," the
offertory prayers, the prayers for the
people and the singing of the Lord's
Prayer. The last hymn "I, the Lord of
Sea and Sky" was sung followed by
the benediction and the singing of
"Go Now In Peace"
BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED
r r
Central Huron
FACADE GRANT PROGRAM
The Municipality of Central Huron is pleased to announce their annual
Central Huron Facade Grant Program. The Program includes facade
improvements for properties in Central Huron that are assessed as
Commercial for taxation purposes. The Municipality has set aside
funds to assist property owners in the expansion or improvement of
the building facade or signage.
The proposed facade improvement must meet the specific property
criteria outlined in the "Facade Improvement Concept" and enhance
the "cosmetic" appeal of the structure from a streetscape viewpoint.
Deadline
Applications must be received by the undersigned by 4:00 p.m.
Friday, May 20, 2016. Questions or comments may be directed to the
Municipal office at 519-482-3997.
"Central Huron Facade Grant Program"
Attention: Brenda Maclsaac, Clerk
Municipality of Central Huron
P.O. Box 400, 23 Albert Street
Clinton, Ontario NOM 1 L0
info@centralhuron.com Fax: (519) 482-9183
The Municipality reserves the right to fund projects
as deemed appropriate.
www.centralhuron.com
said, has just been another of many
steps in the right direction that North
Huron and Morris-Turnberry have
been taking together. This has been
evidenced by a number of
municipalities, organizations and the
Province of Ontario taking notice of
what's happening with the two
neighbouring municipalities.
Gowing and Vincent recently
spoke to the shared services
agreement at an Associated
Municipalities of Ontario (AMO)
session, detailing the savings such
an arrangement could bring about in
times of economic challenges.
A lot of people are watching
closely what's happening with North
Huron and Morris-Turnberry,
Gowing said, both positively and
negatively, so it's crucial that all the
right moves are made. With the
hiring of Molenhuis, Gowing said,
it's certainly a step in the right
direction.
Vincent echoed Gowing's
enthusiasm in an interview, saying
he was "overjoyed" to be able to
bring the day's announcement to the
people of North Huron and Morris-
Turnberry.
"He has all the things we wanted
in a director [of public works],"
Vincent said.
He added that Molenhuis's
background in site supervision, as
well as the technical aspects of the
job, such as engineering and the
associated paperwork, were what
made Molenhuis the successful
candidate for the job.
Molenhuis will begin employment
with North Huron and Morris-
Turnberry under its new shared
services agreement on Monday, May
16.
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