Lakeshore Advance, 2013-04-24, Page 1212 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Bluewater accepts tender so Bayfield splash pad construction can begin
116 Bridge funding
4F" passed by
council
Melissa Murray
QMI Agency
The Rayfield splash pad is
one step closer to being ready
by July 1.
Bluewater council accepted
the tender from Openspace
Solutions Inc. at their April 15
meeting and agreed to provide
bridge financing so the splash
pad in Bayfield could be con-
structed in time for the long
weekend in July.
Bluewater's Chief Adminis-
trative Officer, Steve McAuley,
explained to council that staff
received five tenders for the
50 -foot diameter splash pad.
He recommended council
accept the lowest tender for
$102,875 with additions for a
leaf strainer, centre Ix)st activa-
tor and lily pad accents.
The total cost of the project
will be closer to $150,000,
explained McAuley. The total
cost includes donated items
from the community including
electrical labour, the excava-
tion of the pad, the granulars
under the pad, the 10 by 10
control building shed and
excavation and installation of
waterline.
The splash pad will have all
ground sprayers and is for chil-
dren up to age eight, said
McAuley. 'she centre post that
the Bayfield Optimists and
council is requesting would
activate the pad and also has
water spraying out of it. It
•
•
,r
alp
GIRL GUIDE VOLUNTEERS GET A THUMBS UPI
Share your skills and talents
VOLUNTEER TODAY !
PORE FRANKS AREA
TURTLE MONITORING 2013
Learn how you can become part of the
Turtle Monitoring Program for the Port Franks Area
Please join us for an information evening:
Thursday, April 25, 2013
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
at the Port Franks Community Centre
9997 Port Franks Road
* Light refreshments provided *
Please pre -register by calling Hope
at Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA)
519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610
or e-mail hbrock@abea.on.ca by April 24, 2013
Meeting will include:
• Information about turtle biology and Ontario's turtles species
• Information on the Port Franks Turtle Monitoring Program
AVMa11 IA1111111
CONSEMAT1ON
Canal Ontario
this project was Assistance for this
undertaken with the project was p fovMed
financial support of the by the Government
Government of Canada of Ontario
Bayfield splash pad
would be the only feature that is elevated
from the pad.
"it's to give it a little height so people
know it's there and can see what it is." said
McAuley.
Around the outside there will be a six -
toot brick path with nine benches for par-
ents and children to sit on.
Because the date for the completion
of the project was moved up by a
111011(11, the Bayfield Optimists decided
to forgo the Trillium grant and instead
apply for a 1 lydro One grant for the
installation of an Ultra -Violet disinfec-
tion system. 'leo date, this is not 0 legal
requirement, however, McAuley said
the grant would allow thein to install it
at a later date for about $19,000.
Representative of the Rayfield Optimist
club Mike Dixon said the group hoax's the
project can move forward quickly now
that tenders have leen receive'l1.
"We are looking forward to its success-
ful completion;" he said.
The group will be splitting operational
costs with the municipality once it is up
and running, which are estimated to be
Order War Ainps
Key Tags to
Protect Your Keys!
Use a War Amps confidentially
coded key tag to safeguard all
your keys. If you lose them, they
can be returned to you by courier,
free of charge.
dippi-.4141/4/r
When you use War Amps key
tags, you support the Child
Amputee (CHAMP) Program.
The War Amps
1 800 250-3030
waramps.ca
#mYou
Tulle
Charitable Registration No. 13196 9628 RR0001
QMI Agency
between $6,000 and $7,000. The cost
includes a staff sa'ssie'r that would check
to make sure there are no sharp objects in
the pad each day and for hydro, water and
chlorine.
The biggest boost to fundraising of late,
said Dixon, is a contribution by the Raker
Family Foundation, who agreed to snatch
all donations to a maximum of $37,500 by
May 15, so that the Splash Pad could be
opi'ne'd by July 1.
With that boost, Dixon said the group
has raised $124,00( to date and the Opti-
mists have scheduled several events to
slake up the balance including a golf tour-
nament, the (Mirk race a11(1 ani auction at
the Albion 1 lotel.
"We will quite easily see another
$1.3,(XX)," he said.
"We are pleased to show we should be
able to raise the money by June :30, but we
could fall a little short. We are asking that
the municipality cover the (difference in
the very short terns, but likely there will be
nothing;" 11e noted.
Councillors congratulated the Bay-
field Optimists for their efforts, Council-
lor Wise even asked if she could borrow
their training manual.
Councillors unanimously supported
providing bridge financing with no
doubt they would he paid back in very
short order.
"in my 1:3 years if we didn't have the
money up front, we've never been left
hanging for it," said Mayor Bill Rowson.
McAuley said the splash pad will
likely be open from about 9 0.nl. until 7
p.m. daily.
Hayfield Historical Society to lease old
library space
The Hayfield i fistorical Society will be
able to expand its reach, by branching out
into the old library.
The historical society and the munici-
pality of Bluewater are entering into a
10 -year agreement for the space, which
will have the municipality providing tran-
sitional funding for the first six years and
allowing the historical society to be self-
sufficient by the time the lease expires.
McAuley explained the parameters of
the lease agreement are similar to those of
the Hayfield'Ibwil liall.
The lease stipulates the municipality
will provide the historical society with
$10,000 in year one and in year's two
through six, the municipality will give
$4,000, for a total of $30,000 over the 10
years.
1 le felt this type of agreement would
honour the intended pugxose of the buikI-
ing, which was (ionated for the library.
"'This agreement will honour the origi-
nal covenant and allow the historical soci-
ety to expand its services;" 11e said.
Bill Rowat came to council last summer
asking to expand into the vacant library
space because of "cramped conditions"
a11(1 because the archive material is spread
out over different locations.
Rowat suggested at the April 15 meeting
the programming and archive material
move to the old library space for people to
have access to family genealogy and com-
puters. The new space would allow all
archival material to be repatriated and the
front room would be used for a tourism
centre and showcase.
'Hie historical society currently provides
about 10 different programs 0 year and 50
per cent target locals and the other half
targets tourists.
Rowat said he expects the group can
keep the operational costs below $6,(XX).
"We can pretty much bit the mark,"
said Rowat of the Posts, when he looked
into the amount of money the group has
in the reserves in the hopes they could
lease the space.
Mowat said the building is in need of a
lot of work and estimates they could
cost between $75,000 and $80,000 over
the 10 years.
In year one the group hopes to work on
the exterior of the building and work on
making the inside operational including
new flooring. In year two they would focus
on the interior display and welcome cen-
tre, which would include replacing the
ceiling tiles and insulating the building.
Year three they would upgrade the wash-
rooms and the water heater.
Rowat estimated that a lot of volunteer
labour would be used to offset the costs of
the projects.
Zurich library
Bluewater council accepted the tender
for the architect for the new Zurich library
at their April 15 regular council meeting.
Council received 18 tenders from the
request for proposal and the library com-
mittee narrnvl'(t the field to three for inter-
views about the project.
The conmmittle decided on Skinner anti
Skinner Architects Inc., for a cost of
$97,500. The architectural firth is the same
one that designed the Bayfield lihtaty
The lowest tender was not the one
accepted, explained McAuley.
"We tried to keep money out of it and
we focused on the services offered," he
said.
Councillor -at -large Tyler Hesse!
explained that the process Skinner and
Skinner presented made the committee
feel secure in their choice because of their
dedication to community input.
"'They (1ic1 a great job netting with peo-
ple in the past," said I bessel adding, there
weren't extra charges for listening and
extra meetings.
'they are great diplomats with the pub-
lic; he said.
1. ., '.111 •11.1, 6.1110,11i .x,'.1:1, t�.1,1•l •: 111%.1 ..`,1 1 1.1 1.1 ,