The Our Town - Clarenville Blog by Paul Tilley

The trend of using social media to stoke discontent is serving to undermine the common good. One of the things that makes a town an attractive place to live rests in certainty - the certainty that your water will be drinkable and flow in - as well as out, your garbage will be collected, your snow plowed and god forbid, the fire department will show up quickly in the event that you were unfortunate enough to have a fire.  You pay for that certainty through your municipal taxes, and you know that the system is working well when you simply take it all for granted.  To ensure that certainty exists, every town creates a set of agreed-upon rules that help ensure that rights, and the corresponding responsibilities, are respected.  People and businesses trade off individual rights in return for certainty and the greater good.  This is the essence of a community, and indeed the essence of our democracy - a shared sense of being.  So, in communities, provinces and in our ...

One Step Closer to a New Bridge  This past week, the Town of Clarenville passed another milestone on its long journey towards the replacement of the Shoal Harbour Causeway Bridge.    At its March 22nd meeting , Council awarded a contract for preliminary engineering, detailed design, tendering services, contract administration, inspection services and project closing for the Shoal Harbour Causeway Bridge replacement.   This contract, for $224,835.88 (HST included) is the latest step on the way to the bridge's eventual replacement. This stage will take several months and once complete, should lead to issuing of a tender call for the bridge’s construction. Bridge Background Constructed in 1963, as part of the Bonavista Highway, the Shoal Harbour Causeway and the Bridge that spanned the Shoal Harbour river provided a critical and efficient link to the Bonavista peninsula and the rest of the island.  The 34-meter two-lane concrete girder bridge rests on 5 f...

The 2014 NL Winter Games

Patrick Ryan is one of Clarenville's (and Newfoundland's) biggest tourism boosters - He lives in Nova Scotia. Each fall, for the past decade, Ryan and a half dozen or more of his ATVing friends have been coming to Newfoundland and making a week-long trip across the island on the old rail bed (T'rialway). Ryan has been documenting his travels in a Vlog series called, appropriately,  Crossing Newfoundland by ATV   (and its companion YouTube Channel  EastCoastATV  ) Each January, he posts their fall trip in video installments - and each year, thousands of people watch these videos - a good number of whom are inspired to make the trip for themselves.  Ryan's videos have presented a golden opportunity for us to better prepare to capture the benefits of this exposure.  Opportunities for Clarenville and Clarenville area Businesses For east-west trips, Clarenville is always their first overnight stop.  His videos feature Clarenville, the services availabl...

Trail links Animations and Pictures (Round-trip Distances) Easy 0.7 km Elizabeth Swan Park Paved Walking Track 2.0 km Shoal Harbour Causeway Trail Loop 2.0 km Wellness Trail Loop 2.5 km Rotary Trail Loop Moderate 2.0 km Dam Pond Trail 3.0 km Bare Mountain Trail Loop 4.0 km Shoal Harbour River Trail Difficult 14.0 km Pike's Path / Joe's Pond / Boonies Mill (TCH) Trail Ratings EASY: Paths generally have elevation changes or no more than 25m. Hikers will experience good trail conditions. Paths include bridges, stepping stones, boardwalks, steps and retaining walls. MODERATE: Path elevation changes up to 75m may occur. Paths include bridges, stepping stones, or boardwalks. Boardwalks may not cover all wet areas. DIFFICULT: Paths elevation changes up to 150m may occur. Hikers may experience rugged wilderness trail conditions Short Videos of Local Hikes, Regional Hikes and ATV rides Regional Hikes ATV Rides