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A Sizable (but Quiet) Investment

If you have been at Walmart of Kent lately, you will have noticed the land development activity that is going on behind these stores.   That development is designed to open up commercial development space in that Shoal Harbour Drive / Coish Place area.      The developer, in this case, is the Town of Clarenville. The Town has borrowed and spent a good chunk of change in order to make that land usable.  At the Council meeting this past Tuesday, the Town accepted a tender from Cougar Construction for $293,000 to do further work.  The problem is that this tendered amount was 30% more ($93,000) than what was predicted by the Town’s own estimates.  That’s a significant overage and a large amount of money that the Town will have to unexpectedly borrow.  It could also potentially affect the town’s ability to borrow for other things - like much needed road improvements.  Although I have no doubt that over time the newly developed land will be sold and the Town will recoup its

The Invisible Cross Walk

This Crosswalk can be found at the intersection of Huntley Drive and Harbour Drive.   I call it the Town's "Invisible" crosswalk because each day people cross here and each day cars zoom past oblivious to it. I go through this intersection many times a week and last week as I was stopped at the intersection I watched in horror as an RCMP cruiser sailed right through the crosswalk while somebody waited to cross.  Of course, I can't totally fault drivers for missing the crosswalk.  Eastbound traffic travelling at speed cannot really see it, or the sign indicating it's there until they are upon it.   More to the point, eastbound traffic can't see pedestrians crossing at the walk until they are up on them. It's a disaster waiting to happen. With school back in session and with the courtesy bus service discontinued from the Clearwater subdivision there are bound to be some kids using that crosswalk.   I shutter to think. There are two issues that nee

A "Lot" of Trouble

This week's edition of the Packet carries a story on the continuing saga of the parking lot at the Clarenville Shopping Centre.  Normally parking lots are not newsworthy but this lot is special - you own it!  (see story: A 'lot' at stake , The Packet) In the context of 1966 when the lot was built, it made perfect sense for a community interested in growth, to develop a piece of land (that would become the Clarenville Shopping Centre's parking lot) so to encourage private developers to build a “modern’ shopping facility.   The idea worked, but the fact that someone neglected to write in a sunset clause into the development agreement that specified that ownership of the parking lot would transfer to the developers after a defined point in time is still haunting us almost half a century later. So what’s the matter with the Town owning the lot you may ask?   For starters the fact that “our lot” is 50 years old means that it needs a tremendous amount of very expensi

Moving towards the 2014 Winter Games

Clarenville is moving closer to the Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games set for March of 2014.   Our committee has been active for almost a  year and collectively we have spent a lot of planning time so far in making sure that this games will create a lifetime memory for this generation of young people in the province in general and the greater Clarenville region in particular. It is with this vision in mind that we made a conscious decision to hold the latest key pre-games event in front of the over 700 students of the Clarenville school system.   This group will be our athletes.  This event we saw the release our games logo (developed by Pilot Communications), the  Provincial Government presented a cheque for its investment of $350,000, and  Our committee launched a game's slogan challenge.   Be sure to watch the video (below) to see  a clear demonstration of the enthusiasm of our youth! Follow the games on: Twitter: @NLWG2014  (#clarenville2014) Facebook:

Clarenville & Development. Reoccurring Themes

Have you ever had the experience of slipping on ice?  There's no worse feeling than not being able to get a grip.   Sometimes I can't help but feel that the Town is slipping on the icy slope that we call development. This week's edition of the PACKET clearly illustrates this in a story and in its editorial.  The question is, are we trying to get a grip or are we just spinning our wheels? SPINNING OUR WHEELS  The story of the man whose property is being overwhelmed  by the Katherine Estates development is not new to me.  ( Pay More Attention , The Packet, September 13 , 2012).   I was on Council when we approved the Katherine Estates development.  I voted for it.   I was asked to make a decision based on a photocopied 8.5*11 paper drawing of the street layout for that development.  The whole affair has been a learning experience for me. I was not told - nor did I know enough to ask, about the elevations - I assumed (wrongly) that the development would follow the natu

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