LCLC gets the green light

The Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre (LCLC) took a giant step towards becoming a reality this week.

Bird Construction's $24 million-plus low-bid on the tender for the long-awaited facility came in close enough to the bottom line to allow the project to go forward as planned.

The tender was estimated to be approximately between $500,000 and $900,000 over budget, but committee chairman Paul Belliveau said that money would be made up through fundraising.

The scope of the pool, library and arena are not expected to change, nor are organizers planning to ask its government partners for additional funding.

Work is tentatively expected to begin by March and be complete next spring.

For more information, check back with southshorenow.ca or see next week's edition of the Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin.

MODL says it won't accept Centre school

Mayor Don Downe says the Municiplaity of Lunenburg plans to inform the province it will refuse to accept responsibility for Centre Consolidated School when the South Shore Regional School Board abandons the aging facility next month.

Video link: http://www.southshorenow.ca/newsnowclips/play.php?vid=1663

Award winning author dies

Award winning author and Bridgewater resident, Joyce Barkhouse, died February 2. of heart disease.

Born May 3, 1913, in Woodville, King’s County, Mrs. Barkhouse published her first book, George Dawson: The Little Giant, in 1974. Later books for children include Pit Pony, which was made into both a movie and a television series by Cochran Entertainments and aired on CBC, and a children’s picture book, Anna’s Pet, which she co-authored with her niece Margaret Atwood.

Involved in the formation of the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS), and in the early days of The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC), and the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP), Barkhouse served on the executives of all these groups. She was a founding member of the WFNS “Writers in the Schools” program. Both TWUC and the WFNS gave Barkhouse honourary life membership; the Federation’s Atlantic Writing Competition prize for children’s writing bears her name. Barkhouse cared deeply about the writing community in her province and country, and will be sadly missed by many younger writers with whom she sustained lasting friendships.

Honoured by both her beloved native Nova Scotia and her country, Barkhouse received the Order of Nova Scotia in 2007, and was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2009.

Cremation has taken place; a memorial service for family and friends will be held at a later date. Donations may be made to the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia for their Writers in the Schools program, their Atlantic Writing Competition, or their fund to help support indigent writers.

She is survived by her son Murray Roy (Eileen), her daughter Janet Louise (Greg Howard), five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Woman hurt in Wileville crash

The Wileville fire department says one woman sustained non-life threatening injuries Thursday night after a car left Highway 325 and rolled over. First responders were dispatched to the crash shortly after 8 p.m. No other information was immediately available.

Video Link: http://southshorenow.ca/newsnowclips/play.php?vid=1654

National contest now boasts three local venues

The LaHave River area has jumped all the way from last place to third in the Great Neighbourhoods category of the second annual Great Places in Canada Contest.

As of January 25, the LaHave had registered 1389 votes, trailing Roncesvalles Village in Toronto which led with 1848 votes and the Parkdale area of the same city which was second with 1582.

Two other local venues, the Lunenburg Heritage Bandstand and the Miller Point Peace Park in Dayspring, have also been recently nominated in the Public Spaces category of the contest.

Both of those venues were trailing the category leader, The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver which had received 1631 votes, by a substantial margin as of the same date.

Lunenburg's bandstand had garnered 127 votes while Miller point had received only 47.

To vote for your favourite entry visit www.greatplacesincanada.ca

No nays heard on joint authority

The first of five public meetings about municipalities formally sharing services was held Monday night in Mahone Bay.

There were no objections to the proposal which would see Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and the Municipality of Lunenburg form a joint authority, just lots of questions.

Only about 20 people aside from municipal politicians and staff showed up which left elected officials asking for more public input before they vote on the recommendation next month.

The Lunenburg Regional Services Board would oversee solid waste management for the three units, gradually taking on responsibility for recreation, economic development and possibly other services.

It would operate as a separate municipal corporation. The units would continue to individually provide services not transferred to the joint board.

The concept is being recommended by Dartmouth-based Marathon Human Resource Consulting Group, which studied services, facilities and programs in the three units at their request.

Additional public meetings are scheduled for Pinehurst tonight, Riverport on January 25, Bridgewater on January 26 and Petite Riviere on January 30.

Residents can also drop off comments to municipal offices or submit comments to e-mail addresses provided on each municipal website.

Transport truck collides with car

Emergency response crews were called at about 5 p.m. Friday to a three vehicle crash on Highway 103 near Exit 12.

A transport truck on Highway 103 collided with a small car. The driver was attempting to merge on the highway from the Exit 12 ramp when the two vehicles collided. A third car was also hit. 

Lunenburg County RCMP say there were no injuries and slippery road conditions were a factor in the incident.

Bluenose Academy opens March 21

The date has been set for the first day of classes at Lunenburg's new Bluenose Academy.

After an extended March break, students will report to the new school on the morning of March 21 for classes which will begin at 8:30 a.m., however they will be permitted access to the school any time after 8:10 a.m.

According to the school's website, students will be getting an extra four days off during their annual break with no classes being held on March 8, 9, 19 and 20. 

The extra days off is to allow regular and support staff time to move from their respective former schools, Centre Consolidated and Lunenburg Academy, and set up in the new facility.

Any adjustments regarding classroom configuration will be communicated to students and parents in the next Bluenose Academy newsletter and bussing updates will be provided at a later date by the South Shore Regional School Board.

The opening takes place 21 months to the day since the final graduation ceremony was held at Lunenburg High School, which was located at the same site and torn down in the summer of 2010 to make way for the new building.

The official sod turning ceremony for the school was held October 15, 2010, at which time it was expected that the facility would be opening in January of this year.

Harbour View fraud case delayed

A former Harbour View Haven employee accused of fraud skipped her first court appearance Wednesday.

Sandra Darlene Skinner was scheduled to be arraigned on five counts of fraud exceeding $5,000. Instead, a lawyer appeared in Bridgewater provincial court on her behalf and asked to have the case bumped until February 29.

Ms Skinner, 47, of Rhodes Corner is accused of defrauding the Department of Health of more than $80,000 between June 2005 and March 2011.

Police have said all of the money has been accounted for in the unusual case.

Mounties began investigating last September after a routine audit picked up discrepancies.

They tracked all of the funds, but say the various charges relate to instances when work was not completed, goods not purchased or goods purchased which were not approved.

Town denies fee waiver

Bridgewater won't waive application costs associated with Dylan Robar's pursuit of land use rule changes that will clear him to have his own apartment. Council felt canceling the fee in this case sets a precedent for anyone to ask for the waiver.

Mr. Robar, 18, and his mother, Bonnie Meisner, are going after funding through a provincial residential rehabilitation assistance program to help cover the estimated $50,000 cost to build his apartment at the family home.

Mr. Robar has the genetic disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy which directly impacts his mobility. The apartment would let him live close to family but live independently. Mr. Robar's brother has the same ailment and his family expects he'll one day use the same accommodations.

The town said the family can apply to change the town's land-use rules or lobby the province to change the parameters of a residential grant.

VID LINK: http://southshorenow.ca/newsnowclips/play.php?vid=1635

200 customers without power

Nova Scotia Power is reporting power outages from Bridgewater to Crouse's Settlement.

Approximately 200 customers are without power. The outage occured around 10 a.m. and is expected to be restored by 11:15 a.m.

Effected areas include parts of Oak Hill, Dayspring, Rhodes Corner and as far into Bridgewater as the former Appleberry market.

Tankard coming to Bridgewater

The Nova Scotia men's curling championship is coming to Bridgewater.

The Molson Tankard, as it is known, is scheduled for the Bridgewater Curling Club from February 8 to 12. The winner of the Tankard goes on to represent Nova Scotia in the Canadian championships, perhaps better known as the Tim Hortons Brier.

Trailer stolen from Wileville address

The RCMP are asking anyone with information about a missing U-Haul trailer to come forward.

Mounties are investigating the theft of a tow dolly from Brown's Self Storage on Upper Branch Road in Wileville. The U-Haul was taken sometime between the evening of January 13 and January 15.

If anyone knows anything about the theft, they are asked to contact the Lunenburg County RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

Councils urged to form joint authority

Three municipalities are being urged to work together to improve services to their taxpayers, but a consultant has stopped short of calling for amalgamation.

Dartmouth-based Marathon Human Resource Consulting Group released its report on regional governance and shared services Monday night in Mahone Bay.

The $110,000 study looked at services, facilities and programs in the towns of Bridgewater and Mahone Bay and the Municipality of Lunenburg at the request of those units.

While it won't necessarily save taxpayers money immediately, the consulting firm recommends more shared municipal services which it suggests will improve delivery and could decrease costs down the road.

It suggests the three units, which are already planning a new joint authority for solid waste management, also work together to provide recreation services and encourage economic development. After that, other areas could also be considered.

The recommended Lunenburg Regional Services Board would operate as a separate municipal corporation, gradually cost-sharing more services. The units would continue to individually operate services not transferred to the joint board.

The consultants looked at amalgamation, but saw only limited savings.

The three units will host public input sessions between January 23 and 31. People can also drop off or email comments by February 6.

Councils could vote on the report and its recommendations as early as mid-February.

Chester votes down Mayoral system

The Municipality of Chester council has voted to stick with the warden system for at least the next four years.

The council voted unanimously to do so at its January 12 meeting.

Council had to make a decision in order to meet the imposed February 20 deadline prior to the scheduled October 20 election.