Thursday, February 10, 2011

CAC Business Brainstorming Meeting

I was at the business brainstorming meeting last night. It seems that because the mall is still standing, people are hesitant to build new. "What if the 'Old' Resurrects?" is of great concern. What's keeping many from re-building our town is the belief that if the mall re-opens it could possibly kill any new business outside of the building.

Is the Mall in our future or not? That question belongs to our Leaders and we need them to answer it before we can move on. What I believe is presently being communicated is "we don't believe anyone is going to purchase the mall, but if that hero appears, then it's still possible." It's a slim chance, but it seems to be enough to deter new business builders. Is the Mall in our Future or not? "Maybe" is no longer an acceptable answer, we need a "Yes" or "No". If we say "Yes" then lets have a plan to support that, and if it's "No" then lets move in that direction. Hornepayne could possibly remain stagnant until we go in one direction or the other.

What's needed is clear vision of what our New Hornepayne will look like. The business meetings themselves are being held to try and establish that. So be encouraged because we are on the right track.

What was pointed out at last night's meeting, and I found very encouraging, was how much Bonnie Claveau and Randy Brown have invested into Hornepayne. They are the forerunners of the NEW HORNEPAYNE. They believed! Let's follow their lead!! ☺

Monday, February 7, 2011

Regular Meeting- Feb 7th 2011

There was a lot of housekeeping items at tonight's meeting.
  • The weight training facility is being used by many unpaid members.
  • A resident complained about our taxi service. Council decided to inform the Taxi Business owner of the complaint.
  • The long distance phone plan is outdated and they are in the process of reducing their monthly fees. Currently the Township pays for 13 phone lines.
  • The Arena will close for the season on Monday April 4th.
  • Our current building inspector submitted her letter of resignation. Council accepted her letter. Being a recent renovator, this news makes me sad.
  • Tracey Gagliardi submitted a letter to inform Council that the figure skating carnival has been cancelled for this year.
This is exciting: They inquired about obtaining the current Public School building and Annex. Their reply stated that the school would need 2.5 million dollars of repairs. As for the Annex, the school board has not yet decided if they will need the space or not. The possibility of obtaining the Annex will be looked at in the future. Gail Jeremy stated that she belives there is mold in the basement, and Heather (who is now head of Health and Safety) stated that she "would not touch that with a ten foot pole".
Mayor Morley's comment on the whole project was, "it's not dead, but it will not be easy."

The next meeting should be on Monday Feb 21st (Family Day), a municipal paid holiday. I'm not sure what will happen in this situation.