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TARGA: Safety is First …We Think

START YOUR ENGINES? Next Wednesday’s running of the TARGA road rally through the streets of Clarenville sure seemed like an afterthought in the discussion yesterday’s Council meeting.    To be fair, this end of meeting information item did turn into a 15 minute discussion that unfortunately,  left me feeling more concerned than I should given the unequivocal guarantees that Council said it was looking for before it finally approved the running of the Clarenville leg of the Targa race for 2012.   It was a discussion that heard Councillor Rodway proclaim that “It’s is much more safe event  (this year) and I think that this group has a good control over that.  It seems like Targa has done a lot more work in training this year.”  From there the discussion was further peppered with talk of safety tape placement and with words and phrases like “we’re getting”, “will be posted”, “I think”, “hopefully”, “not official yet”, “don’t have the budget” & “seems”.   Let’s just say

Winter Tourism - Opportunity is knocking, let's answer the door!

This past week, an ad appeared in the PACKET for a position at White Hills that would focus on marketing the facility.  That, coupled with the Town's pronouncement that it would renew efforts to build a Winter Tourism Strategy, started me thinking about some of the tangible things we could do as a community  to take better advantage of the tourism opportunity.   (I use WE because we own the WHITE HILLS RESORT so its future affects us).   I ca ll my suggestions: "Strategic Doing". Of course, these are only my thoughts, I'd like you to share your thoughts here as well.  Together we could all benefit. OUR GOAL I’d like to see a very clear goal spelled out for everyone (especially employees of the Hill) who has anything to do with winter tourism in Clarenville:   OUR GOAL:  The Winter Customer Experience in Clarenville (White Hills) will exceed or at least equal what we promise IT’s ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS: Communication is critical for Winte

Talking Winter During Summer: The 2014 NL Winter Games Committee

The NL Summer Games just came to a successful conclusion in Carbonear/Harbour Grace.  Hard to believe that the 2014 NL Winter Games Committee has been hard at work for more than eight months now. And while going to meetings to discuss winter sports during 25 degree weather seems somewhat odd, we have been making great progress. It takes a lot of effort to pull off a provincial games and the committee is very focused on the games being all about the athletes. Over the coming months, there'll be lots of activity and more information will be available about the games. You can keep apprised of the games at Clarenville2014 on Facebook or on Twitter @nlwg2014 . And don't forget, we'll need lots of volunteers. It's never too early to sign up! Clarenville is proud to host these games-it will be a community effort!

Real. Life. Losing Potential: Development on Prince Street

Several months ago, I wrote a post on my blog about development in Clarenville. In the post, I referenced the importance of communication with residents to alleviate any concerns that they might have about a neighbouring development. The development that I wrote about in February 2011 referenced concerns about flooding and timelines for completion. The development is still ongoing and today there was evidence of concern of potential flooding and impact that the development will have on those people who live on Prince and Viking Streets.  Culverts on those streets are almost full today after last night's rain. In fact, work had to be done early in the morning to divert water away from houses. While it looks like there are plans in place to divert water, it's not done at the moment and those who live in the area are not aware of future plans. It's very disconcerting, particularly with Hurricane Igor still in peoples' minds and hurricane season upcoming, to see culver

A Celebration of Community in Clarenville

The Kraft Celebration tour rolled through Clarenville this weekend and you helped make it an outstanding success. We wanted to show Clarenville at its best - and we did.    This past weekend was a culmination of a summer long effort that under the leadership of Jill Monk, saw the people of greater Clarenville demonstrate the very best in "community". During the planning meetings that we held for this weekend, the folks from TSN and Kraft wanted to show the scenery and the history - and they did that well.  But we wanted to add to that, we wanted to show something a lot less tangible and a lot more important - Community Spirit.  Thank you all for showing that so well. The Cheque The Antics! CBC Interview:  http://www.cbc.ca/video/player.html?clipid=2269515400&position=5758&site=cbc.news.ca We have a huge selection of photos on our companion Our-Town facebook site As well you can see the TSN in Clarenville broadcast @  http://watch.tsn.ca/clip730734#cli

Girls and Go Carts!

All this week at the College of the North Atlantic a dozen young girls are building some great go-carts!  The girls are part of GETT - Girls Exploring Trades and Technology hosted each summer at Clarenville Campus. This Women in Resource Development program is designed to introduce girls to technology and trade careers and encourages them to consider a variety of career choices.  It's a free program that is sponsored by the oil industry and it seeks to  reinforces the importance of taking science; advanced math subjects and industrial arts in high school by stressing the impact those subjects have on career decisions. If you have some time, take the opportunity to come out on Friday afternoon,  Aug. 17 at 1:30 in the parking lot of Clarenville Middle School to see what these girls have created and witness just how much they have learned. To find out more about the camps, go to http://www.wrdc.nf.ca/erc/gett/index.htm. Here's a look at last year's races:

More Than One Clarenville Entrance to Worry About

Last's week's Packet included an article (Overpass Over Time) about the Manitoba Drive/TCH intersection. The Mayor of Clarenville was interviewed regarding the response the town had received from the Minister of Transportation and Works to alter the entrance. Unfortunately, there have been a few deaths at the intersection and consequently, the speed in the area has been reduced to 70 kph. Also unfortunate is the lack of adherence to that speed. At any time of the day or night you can travel that stretch of highway and encounter faster speeds. As important, however, and more potentially dangerous is the entrance into Clarenville between the Irving and the Clarenville Inn. Unlike the west entrance, the east entrance sight lines are not good. More worrisome is the confusion with turning lanes. Being in the turning lane heading west might mean you're turning into the Irving, Clarenville or the Clarenville Inn.  In a couple of months time it will be worse when the new North A

Betty's letter

(Normally I try to stick to Clarenville matters here, but Bonavista's health directly affects Clarenville. So here I go...) How much egg can Bonavista Mayor Betty Fitzgerald and Bonivista MHA Glen Little possibly wear on their faces?  Seems like a lot. There’s a fuss coming out of Bonivista this week that speaks more to how issues are handled in some municipalities. The issue surrounds the historic Bonavista lighthouse. It seems as if it is slowly rotting, demonstrating that maintenance is lacking and restoration is required.  (You can see the story online:  Bonavista mayor asked MHA's staff to pen critical letter and see the copy of the letter on the CBC website) .   Unfortunately neither is happening and because of this yet another of Bonavista’s star tourist attractions is being threatened.  For a town that has pinned a lot of its future hopes on tourism this news and news of similar problems with the “Mickbegger Premises” and the “Matthew”pose a definite threat

There's a CELEBRATION in Clarenville - you're invited!

Clarenville is gearing for the Kraft Celebration Tour coming to our town and our province!  We want to invite everyone to take part in the celebration and the live NL broadcast of SPORTSNET from Clarenville.  (If you can't come we'll have pictures on our companion Facebook page). So if you live in Clarenville - head down to the SHORELINE MARKET on the waterfront next Saturday (Aug 18). If you are not from Clarenville, here's your opportunity to visit - we'd love to see you!      YOU HELPED US GET HERE AND NOW TSN & CLARENVILLE ARE INVITING YOU TO COME OUT TO THE KRAFT CELEBRATION TOUR 10 in 10's CLARENVILLE STOP on SATURDAY, AUGUST 18th! This Community Celebration is taking place in Clarenville on the Waterfront at the SHORELINE PARK on Marine Drive from 5:30 - 9:00pm.  It's going to be a great evening featuring the LIVE BROADCAST of TSN Sports Centre, hosted by Jay Onr ait & Dan O'Toole from 7:30-8:30. Before the broadcast there wil

Welcome to Hell or Opportunity Knocking - The former Clarenville Primary School

This photo is of the former Clarenville Primary School.  You can't quite make out the graffiti on the door which says Welcome to Hell.  Perhaps the artist doesn't realize that it's no longer operating as a school. As I passed by it today, I wondered about the status of the building. It has been closed for over a year now. I assume it is considered an asset of the provincial government but I wonder about its future. It certainly can't be left to rot or left to be the target of vandals. While travelling through Ontario recently with the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference , I toured the Rexdale Community Hub . The community of Rexdale is a priority neighbourhood of the City of Toronto.  The Hub is housed in a renovated school. It houses about 11 social agencies, including a women's centre, medical clinic, family resource centre and employment centre. It also includes a gym with hopes to soon include a community kitchen. It was a pricey ventur

An Optimistic Sign….

People dumping trash wherever they choose. It’s an old story and one that we see evidence of all too often.   Every once in a while such a mindless trashing gets reported to the authorities, and even more rare is that sometimes it is so heinous and so bold that such a blatant offence gets reported in the media.   This latest case of “dumping stupidity” managed to make it through all three stages - I‘m glad it did and I feel that that‘s a very positive sign.  (see the PACKET “In your own backyard” by Ross Mair Aug 2, 2012 ) This dumping got noticed, it got reported and it written up in the local paper.  Many people are now aware of it and with any luck the perpetrator is feeling pretty ashamed. It’s a sign that as a town we are moving forward in developing a stronger notion of community pride.  The the Town too has to be commended for acting so quickly to get the mess cleaned up. So yes there was bad - but the good that came out of it far outstripped the crime.  It’s a win for C

Affordable Housing: The Corner Brook Example

Have you noticed the price of houses in Clarenville.   Prices are bumping into the stratosphere and this s taking a bigger bite out of every new buyer's budget.   If you are of limited financial means this this means that buying a house is becoming next to impossible and renting is becoming a major challenge. So what are we to do as a community? That's the question that the Town has posed and has generally it has been answerd by saying that the the market dictates price and if the price is too high there is little that the Town can do. A role for the Town? The Town's municipal plan clearly spells out a role of the Town.  Corner Brook  has the workings of a potential model for Clarenville.   That city provides non-profit organization's who are involved in developing affordable housing tax relief....if the Town of Clarenville sees a role for itself, this may be an idea worth pursuing here.    

Laundry List of Real Life and Potential

I've been doing a lot of beating around over the summer, walking, running, driving and the like and I have come across a bunch of things that caught my eye that I think add greatly to the value of the town (Potential),  can be improved with minimal effort (Real) and that are downright scary (Life).  Here's what I saw: POTENTIAL Outstanding Community Involvement - The Kraft TSN Celebration Tour.  Clarenville won this competition with over 350,000 votes.  If ever person that voted, voted an average of 100 times that would mean that 3,500 people and businesses were engaged.  In fact Clarenville had the highest vote total in Canada!!  Now, if we can get that many engaged for the opportunity to win $25,000 and an hour of national TV coverage, surely we should be able to get as many involved in other critically important town issues - like voting. Dog poop on the trails is one of the banes of my, and many others, walking existence.  I was so glad to see this disp

The Clarenville Day Kitchen Party & Fireworks

Ahh the Newfoundland Kitchen party was alive and well at the Clarenville Events Centre this week as we began Clarenville Days 2012 Enjoy! Goowiddy Adam Randell Accordion Time Bond Peddle Evelyn Avery Curtis and Joseph Blackmore Darryl Duke Fireworks

Our New Town Logo

Monday marked the beginning of Clarenville Day's here in Clarenville.  Clarenville Days is a week long celebration of what we have in Clarenville.  Last evening we celebrated what could be. After a year long development process, last night the Town unveiled its new branding strategy and logo - Real - Life - Potential . Pilot Communications designed the logo, slogan and the marketing material including a new town website ( www.clarenville.net   ) that you will see compliment the branding strategy.  kudos to them for suggesting such a  bold move and kudos to the Town Council for buying into it. (The degree to which we see the town buy-in and live up to the "Brand Promise" remains to bee seen - I am watching to see real change - See my previous post on this  http://ourtownclarenville.blogspot.ca/2012/04/sizzle-steak-brand-aid-for-clarenville.html  ).   The new logo is a complete departure from the traditional wheel and goose logos that we have seen in the past.

WE WON!

WOW! You could feel the tension inside the Clarenville Events Centre tonight.  Over 250 people packed the hall to hear a 3 second announcement. Here's what it looked like: After an all-nighter of voting and the dedicated support of many-many people and businesses CLARENVILLE won the Kraft Celebration Tour match-up! Final vote count: 385,717 votes for Clarenville to 354,727 for for Canning, NS. For two "small" towns that's a lot of community spirit in both! Elizabeth Swan Memorial Park will now be awarded $25,000 by Kraft foods to help make improvements.   TSN SportsCentre will also broadcast live from Clarenville on August 18th!  This was a huge community building effort that literally extended across the country - thank you all for your active involvement in making it such a success.  If you don't live in Clarenville please visit - and make sure you stop by the park that you will help improve. Emcee - Councillor Rod Nicholl Mayor Fred Best

Vote TODAY for Clarenville!

The day is here! Today, Clarenville is paired in voting competition with Canning NS for the Kraft/TSN Celebration tour Competition prize of $25,000 for park upgrades. The voting window opens at 1:30 pm NL time for 24 hours. We are asking you to vote and vote often for us. On Wednesday evening the winning announcement will take place on TSN's SportsCentre at 6 pm EST (Wednesday 7:30 pm Newfoundland Time). Clarenville's video will begin running Tuesday at noon EST (1:30 pm Newfoundland time)both both on TV and online. OUR VIDEO TSN Video about the Clarenville/Canning Challenge Here's the voting process (Starting a 1:30 NST Tuesday):   1. Go to www.kraftcelebrationtour.ca    2. Click the Blue VOTE NOW button at the top of the between the pictures of both communities.  3. VOTE for  Elizabeth Swan Memorial Park Clarenville . 4. You have to read and type the "Captcha" code (It consist of two separate jumbles of letters. If you cann

VOTE FOR CLARENVILLE July 10/11

A Cause We Can All Support - VOTE July 10/11

    When Jill Monk first sent me an email on her plan to nominate Clarenville‘s Elizabeth Swan Park for the Kraft/TSN Celebration Tour, I have to admit that I knew little to nothing about neither the plan nor the tour.  But it intrigued me. I did not need to be convinced of the value of Elizabeth Swan Park.  Quite a few years ago, when our children were younger the Moody family and our family proposed to the Town that we upgrade the town’s playgrounds. With a lot of work it happened.  Elizabeth Swan’s playground was renovation #1 and we feel good about the work we had done there to make the park better.  Having been a park user for so many years, and having seen other similar community parks across the country; I am always interested in dreaming up ways to improve our park.  I noted in an earlier blog the opportunity to add a new multipurposechalet .  Jill’s thinking was truly aligned with my way of thinking.   After a bit of research (anyone can be an expert on any is