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!! ☺
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Regular Meeting- Feb 7th 2011
There was a lot of housekeeping items at tonight's meeting.
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.
- 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- The long distance phone plan is outdated and they are in the process of reducing their monthly fees.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.
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.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Jan 24th
That was a fast 2 weeks. I didn't even realize it was council meeting night! Missed the meeting :(
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Regular Meeting- January 10, 2011
I had a good night sleep before writing this, *sigh*.
When our ex-treasurer Janet Battersby resigned, it was announced at last nights meeting that over $10,000.00 was spent in advertising the job in other communities. And we all know that in the end, we filled that position from our own back yard. Someone from Hornepayne was able to fill the position. What a waist of money!
To be fair, I feel I need to mention that I do have my own personal offense with the Township's hiring practices. You know how sometimes things can get under your skin more because you've been "there", suffered "that"? So if I seem more pissed than what you think the situation deserves, that would be why.
Anyway, it was decided at last nights meeting that this is the route that will be taken for the Road Superintendent's job. Before we look in our own back yard, they are going to spend the extravagant monies on advertising elsewhere. Shouldn't we have learned the $10,000.00 lesson? Maybe, just maybe, Hornepayne-ers are capable of filling the "important jobs". ( The Road Super. was classed as "an important job" at last nights meeting).
We're told that we don't have extra money! It seemed to be a big decision to repair our Curling club. But now we're going to throw over ten thousand dollars into advertising a job that could possibly be awarded to someone who lives here? Why not seek out Hornepayne first? If that processes fails to produce someone who is qualified for the job, THEN spend the cash to advertise elsewhere.
This was a perfect opportunity to show that our New Leaders believe in and value the abilities that exists within the town. But, IMO, they've made a $10,000.00 bet against it.
At a time when we have so little, couldn't we use that money for something else?
*sigh*
Cool down Edit ☺:
To be fair to our New Mayor, Willy, and Paul, the actual cost of advertising was dropped on them during the meeting. I'm assuming Heater would have known the past costs, but perhaps not. I think Morley's facial expression spoke concern. Sue actually does a pretty good job overall, but she shouldn't be their only consultant on matters. There's wisdom in seeking advice from more than one person. Just because "this is how it was done in the past", does not mean it should be done that way in the future. If we want different results we have to do things differently. And, It's time for change. Right?
When our ex-treasurer Janet Battersby resigned, it was announced at last nights meeting that over $10,000.00 was spent in advertising the job in other communities. And we all know that in the end, we filled that position from our own back yard. Someone from Hornepayne was able to fill the position. What a waist of money!
To be fair, I feel I need to mention that I do have my own personal offense with the Township's hiring practices. You know how sometimes things can get under your skin more because you've been "there", suffered "that"? So if I seem more pissed than what you think the situation deserves, that would be why.
Anyway, it was decided at last nights meeting that this is the route that will be taken for the Road Superintendent's job. Before we look in our own back yard, they are going to spend the extravagant monies on advertising elsewhere. Shouldn't we have learned the $10,000.00 lesson? Maybe, just maybe, Hornepayne-ers are capable of filling the "important jobs". ( The Road Super. was classed as "an important job" at last nights meeting).
We're told that we don't have extra money! It seemed to be a big decision to repair our Curling club. But now we're going to throw over ten thousand dollars into advertising a job that could possibly be awarded to someone who lives here? Why not seek out Hornepayne first? If that processes fails to produce someone who is qualified for the job, THEN spend the cash to advertise elsewhere.
This was a perfect opportunity to show that our New Leaders believe in and value the abilities that exists within the town. But, IMO, they've made a $10,000.00 bet against it.
At a time when we have so little, couldn't we use that money for something else?
*sigh*
Cool down Edit ☺:
To be fair to our New Mayor, Willy, and Paul, the actual cost of advertising was dropped on them during the meeting. I'm assuming Heater would have known the past costs, but perhaps not. I think Morley's facial expression spoke concern. Sue actually does a pretty good job overall, but she shouldn't be their only consultant on matters. There's wisdom in seeking advice from more than one person. Just because "this is how it was done in the past", does not mean it should be done that way in the future. If we want different results we have to do things differently. And, It's time for change. Right?
Monday, December 20, 2010
Town Council Meeting- December 20th 2010
I went to the second Council meeting with our new Mayor and Council.
Well, I guess I'll start with the bad news: there is a POSSIBILITY that our water bills are going to be increased by 33% next year. The actual figures will not be known until March, so the final decision will not be made until that time. Mayor Morley has instructed the Office Staff to send out a notice of the Possible increase.
Our Fire Chief Dennis Mackie was in attendance to give a department head report. Our department is in need of Firefighters. Spread the Word! FYI, you have to be 18 years old to join, but they do have a youth program for anyone who is under 18 and is interested in joining the department.
We have 4 new members on the Library Board: Dan Boggess, Cheryl Dane, Heidi Quinn, and Nel Dalcin. Morley is the Township representative on the Board.
Paul has suggested that Council use the Jackfish Journal to keep the Citizens of Hornepayne updated on the Township happenings. Paul get's my big "A+" this meeting! Sue quickly came up with a name for the article "Councilor's Corner", and all agreed with her suggestion. It was also decided that Willy would write the articles.
Willy would like to see each member of Council oversee a department within the Township. In the past they functioned in this system; some years it worked well and other years it did not. The topic of "micromanaging" was discussed, but Willy assured everyone that his intent is not to "micromanage" but to support the department heads.
Sue informed Council of the 5 departments that were used in the past. They were:
If they were to go ahead with this, it can be assumed who will fill each role. Paul would most likely oversee Rec; Morley- Admin and Finance; Willy- PWD; Heather- Health and Safety; Laureen- Economic Development. Seems like a perfect fit to me!
I'm really impressed with our New Mayor and Council. (I'm sure I said this already, but...) Morley seems to be a bold strong leader. He does not strike me as passive or a push over. It's my opinion so far, that he cares for Hornepayne and he's going to do his best to take care of us. In a time when it might feel like we've been taken advantage of in the past, Morley's strengths bring some comfort.
Nobody would argue that Paul is one of the kindest men around, and his heart is an asset to our community. (I could go on and on and on about Paul! ☺)
I've always had good things to say about Laureen. I think she is a good councilor because she is down to earth. She looks at a situation practically and is able to come up with practical solutions. She's not governed by her emotions and she's always looking for the facts. I also consider her to be a creative woman. She constantly keeps her center fresh and new, and I hope we see that pour into our Town.
I like Willy's overall attitude. I think he not only expects a job well done by the employees, but he wants to help them achieve that goal. I would have liked him around when I was employed by the Township.
The next meeting of Council is Monday January 10th, and it will be held down stairs in the Township Office.
Well, I guess I'll start with the bad news: there is a POSSIBILITY that our water bills are going to be increased by 33% next year. The actual figures will not be known until March, so the final decision will not be made until that time. Mayor Morley has instructed the Office Staff to send out a notice of the Possible increase.
Our Fire Chief Dennis Mackie was in attendance to give a department head report. Our department is in need of Firefighters. Spread the Word! FYI, you have to be 18 years old to join, but they do have a youth program for anyone who is under 18 and is interested in joining the department.
We have 4 new members on the Library Board: Dan Boggess, Cheryl Dane, Heidi Quinn, and Nel Dalcin. Morley is the Township representative on the Board.
Paul has suggested that Council use the Jackfish Journal to keep the Citizens of Hornepayne updated on the Township happenings. Paul get's my big "A+" this meeting! Sue quickly came up with a name for the article "Councilor's Corner", and all agreed with her suggestion. It was also decided that Willy would write the articles.
Willy would like to see each member of Council oversee a department within the Township. In the past they functioned in this system; some years it worked well and other years it did not. The topic of "micromanaging" was discussed, but Willy assured everyone that his intent is not to "micromanage" but to support the department heads.
Sue informed Council of the 5 departments that were used in the past. They were:
- Recreation
- Administration and Finance
- Public Works Department
- Health and Safety
- Economic Development
If they were to go ahead with this, it can be assumed who will fill each role. Paul would most likely oversee Rec; Morley- Admin and Finance; Willy- PWD; Heather- Health and Safety; Laureen- Economic Development. Seems like a perfect fit to me!
I'm really impressed with our New Mayor and Council. (I'm sure I said this already, but...) Morley seems to be a bold strong leader. He does not strike me as passive or a push over. It's my opinion so far, that he cares for Hornepayne and he's going to do his best to take care of us. In a time when it might feel like we've been taken advantage of in the past, Morley's strengths bring some comfort.
Nobody would argue that Paul is one of the kindest men around, and his heart is an asset to our community. (I could go on and on and on about Paul! ☺)
I've always had good things to say about Laureen. I think she is a good councilor because she is down to earth. She looks at a situation practically and is able to come up with practical solutions. She's not governed by her emotions and she's always looking for the facts. I also consider her to be a creative woman. She constantly keeps her center fresh and new, and I hope we see that pour into our Town.
I like Willy's overall attitude. I think he not only expects a job well done by the employees, but he wants to help them achieve that goal. I would have liked him around when I was employed by the Township.
The next meeting of Council is Monday January 10th, and it will be held down stairs in the Township Office.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
FIRST MEETING - December 6 2010
Our new leaders officially sat in their seats last night, and held their first council meeting.
Morley seems to be a natural leader. He kept the meeting flowing and clear. He added some humor. I don't think he will be tolerant of any B.S. and I pity the one who plans on trying!
He has already taken steps to move us forward. They passed a resolution to start acquiring information about the nuclear thing. DON'T FREAK OUT! They don't know if it's a good idea for Hornepayne or not, they're just moving forward to learn about it so they can form an opinion. They're not dragging Hornepayne into anything, but they're going to provide us with all the education they receive. We're all going to learn together, and we'll all have a chance to express our opinions. As it stands right now, Morley and Willy think it could be good, and Paul and Laureen have their reservations. Heather didn't let on to which way she was leaning.
The council meetings have been moved from Wednesdays to Mondays, and I think it's to accommodate Willy's work schedule. He was unable to commit to our local committees for the same reason. His mechanical experience gives him an understanding of the Public Works Department, and he started asking questions about their operations. He asked many questions through out the whole meeting; I don't think he's in the B.S. business either. ☺
Paul was appointed to form the new recreation committee. He will sit on it as the Town representative. This is an exciting thing for recreation IMO, but I'm sure most will agree!
Laureen got the ball rolling for our future plan. She has asked for a meeting to be scheduled in March that will be devoted to future vision and goal setting. She gets a big "A+" from me!
The meeting was over 3 hours long.They had much to go through and they were learning the process as they went.
Well, we're off!!!
Morley seems to be a natural leader. He kept the meeting flowing and clear. He added some humor. I don't think he will be tolerant of any B.S. and I pity the one who plans on trying!
He has already taken steps to move us forward. They passed a resolution to start acquiring information about the nuclear thing. DON'T FREAK OUT! They don't know if it's a good idea for Hornepayne or not, they're just moving forward to learn about it so they can form an opinion. They're not dragging Hornepayne into anything, but they're going to provide us with all the education they receive. We're all going to learn together, and we'll all have a chance to express our opinions. As it stands right now, Morley and Willy think it could be good, and Paul and Laureen have their reservations. Heather didn't let on to which way she was leaning.
The council meetings have been moved from Wednesdays to Mondays, and I think it's to accommodate Willy's work schedule. He was unable to commit to our local committees for the same reason. His mechanical experience gives him an understanding of the Public Works Department, and he started asking questions about their operations. He asked many questions through out the whole meeting; I don't think he's in the B.S. business either. ☺
Paul was appointed to form the new recreation committee. He will sit on it as the Town representative. This is an exciting thing for recreation IMO, but I'm sure most will agree!
Laureen got the ball rolling for our future plan. She has asked for a meeting to be scheduled in March that will be devoted to future vision and goal setting. She gets a big "A+" from me!
The meeting was over 3 hours long.They had much to go through and they were learning the process as they went.
Well, we're off!!!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Are we going left or right?
In a perfect world everyone is on board with the Leader's vision. Everyone get's behind it and doesn't question where the Leader is going. Everyone is satisfied and encouraged with the direction. But, we don't live in a perfect world.
You can't go in two directions at the same time, and it's inevitable that someone is going to desire to go on "the path not taken". In the past, Hornepayne had to decide if they were going to abandon the hunting/fishing tourist path and walk on a new path towards the nuclear industry. It has been presented recently that we can have both, but really who is going to be drawn to the nuclear town for Hunting and Fishing?
It seemed to me at the Candidates night last month that there was much support (from the town's people) for the nuclear idea. I don't know enough about this to be for or against it. What will Hornepayne gain by going in this direction, in comparison to what will we loose by abandoning the path we are currently on?
I can't see our Fishing Outfitters excited about the nuclear idea. This is the sad part of changing directions. These people believed in the past vision and got behind it. They put their money and talents behind it and built upon it. They've invested in it, and now could loose much. There is much to consider when changing directions. Are we going to gain more than we loose?
Jody and I went to the business financing meeting that was held at the Legion this past week. How can anyone start a business at this time? There are some obvious "holes" in our town, (like a hotel), but all the needs will not be known until the vision for our future is established. What are we building towards? What are we building on? I need to know these things.
Not everyone is going to like change, and not everyone is going to like staying the same. Hopefully our leaders can be strong in their vision and remain so during transition and in the face of opposition, because it will come.
In a perfect world change is easy, but we're definitely not in a perfect world!
You can't go in two directions at the same time, and it's inevitable that someone is going to desire to go on "the path not taken". In the past, Hornepayne had to decide if they were going to abandon the hunting/fishing tourist path and walk on a new path towards the nuclear industry. It has been presented recently that we can have both, but really who is going to be drawn to the nuclear town for Hunting and Fishing?
It seemed to me at the Candidates night last month that there was much support (from the town's people) for the nuclear idea. I don't know enough about this to be for or against it. What will Hornepayne gain by going in this direction, in comparison to what will we loose by abandoning the path we are currently on?
I can't see our Fishing Outfitters excited about the nuclear idea. This is the sad part of changing directions. These people believed in the past vision and got behind it. They put their money and talents behind it and built upon it. They've invested in it, and now could loose much. There is much to consider when changing directions. Are we going to gain more than we loose?
Jody and I went to the business financing meeting that was held at the Legion this past week. How can anyone start a business at this time? There are some obvious "holes" in our town, (like a hotel), but all the needs will not be known until the vision for our future is established. What are we building towards? What are we building on? I need to know these things.
Not everyone is going to like change, and not everyone is going to like staying the same. Hopefully our leaders can be strong in their vision and remain so during transition and in the face of opposition, because it will come.
In a perfect world change is easy, but we're definitely not in a perfect world!
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