The Our Town - Clarenville Blog by Paul Tilley

Clarenville's Budget 2016 In her first budget as Chair of Finance, Deputy Mayor Ashling Avery presented Council’s 2016 planned revenues and planned spending for the Town of Clarenville for the 2016 year ahead.  The preparation of the 2016 budget was challenging.   Council has committed to significant renewal – new skilled staff as many long-time town employees retire, upgraded infrastructure to meet the needs of a modern growing town, and stronger commitment to community development to foster livability, growth and sustainability. At the same time, these commitments are met with significant challenges. The 2016 budget is a well-considered balance between the Town’s needs and the ability of taxpayers to pay.  THE BUDGET The budget was presented in light of the fact that growth has slowed and natural revenue growth has not been able to keep up with the demands of operating the town.  The balanced budget laid out plans for the projected collection and expenditure of

Ever wonder what Clarenville looks like from the air? Here's a bird's-eye-view that gives you an idea of just how great we look and how much we're growing. Thanks to Newfoundland Helicopters!

I firmly believe more people should go for a walk in Clarenville.   Walking gives you a much better perspective on our surroundings and it gives you time to think about – on one hand - just how lucky we are to live here – and on the other hand – some of the challenges we face. Take, for example the Harbour walk around the inner Shoal Harbour.  Each evening, this trail is full of walkers enjoying the views – the ocean, the occasional eagle, ducks etc.  This trail was not an accident.   Some visionary people saw the potential for this trail walk and about 10 years ago through a well-organized effort, they turned their vision into the reality that we enjoy today.  Those are the things and the people that make our town a very livable community – and we are lucky for that. But as you walk, you will also notice a very worrisome trend that is not being addressed.   Traffic volumes have jumped exponentially in the past decade and most worrisomely, the average speed of traffic h

Today, Councillor John Pickett spoke to the monthly meeting of the Clarenville Chamber of Commerce.   His topic dealt with the 2013 Town of Clarenville Budget that he presented to Council this past December. Below is a video of   his presentation. I published the details when the budget was first delivered - see HERE Have a look at Coun. Pickett's presentation:

Last week you and I and the Town of Clarenville bought a new pickup truck.   It’s a pretty regular occurrence for the Town to purchase a piece of equipment to allow it to do the things that we, as citizens, expect to be done.   In order to help ensure that our elected officials get the best value for our tax dollars, things of any significant value (>$500) need to be purchased through a tendering process.  This means that we get at least three quotes on a significant item before we buy and then we, through our elected council, select the best of the bids. Multiple quotes ensure that our best interests are served.  Last week this did not happen and I’m not at all sure why.   According to the transcript of the meeting (reported on the PACKET website Oct 6 meeting @ 33 minute mark) , only a single quote was received for a ¾ ton pickup to the value of $39,947 +HST.  This single quote was accepted without question by the Council. There are many companies that sell this

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.

CBC Picture In the trade they are called Vehicle Management Systems.  I call them a good idea. The Town of Gander has just purchased this sign.  It’s portable and it can serve a number of roles including making people aware of just how fast they are driving (it has a speed radar). It's particularly good for those drivers who insist in driving through our town at rate of speed that shows little regard for live (you, me and our children) and Newton’s laws of physics. I first saw these signs used by the RCMP’s highway patrol in Halifax a few years ago and I am told by good authority (my Mountie brother-in-law) that they work. They aren’t cheap at $19,000, but the fact that they work so well as a proactive driver education tool, coupled with the fact that they can serve many purposes including communicating key traffic or event messages (Targa Day: ROAD CLOSED, Clarenville Day: FIREWORKS TONIGHT, or CONGRATULATIONS CARIBOUS) means that such a sign could be a good investm