MINUTES
TORBAY ENVIRONMENT & TRAILS COMMITTEE MEETING
Wednesday, March 26, 2003, 7:30pm, Kinsmen Centre
Present: Shirley Thorne Madeleine Florent
Harvey Best Mike Byrne
Ross Traverse Marion Crowley
Agenda approved with an addition under Other Business.
The minutes of the February 26 meeting were approved and the following updates were noted:
- Shirley and Harvey are meeting with Ken on April 4 at 10am to compile the list of volunteers for the Gully project;
- the Forest Landing brochure has been printed and a covering letter will be prepared for the Mayor's signature;
- the treasurer position will be shared between Mike and Francis.
We have not yet heard from Environment Canada if our proposal for phase 2 has been approved so have requested a time extension for phase 1 until April 30. In order to do this, some budget items would be transferred into the salary budget and the town will cover the shortfall as previously agreed.
The Backyard Habitat Workshop on March 19 was well-received but attendance was not as high as expected due to a storm. Harvey has been negotiating regarding the road signs and we should soon have a design available for approval. There will be two signs, one on Torbay Road and another on Lynch's Lane. The design will be submitted to Council for final approval. We expect that the town will do the installation as no funds were budgeted for this. Negotiations are still under way with landowners on stewardship agreements. We are planning an Open House on April 13 to celebrate the end of the project's first year and to mark National Wildlife Week; more details on this will follow. It was suggested we invite Pat Fleming to do demonstrations of fly-tying at the event.
The next meeting of the Steering Committee is taking place on April 2.
Harvey will be preparing applications for 2 summer students and hopefully this will move more quickly than last year so we are able to secure two senior students this time. Harvey has obtained a CD from Dr. Simms with all the maps and will make copies so everyone has a full set of maps. This will make it easier to work with trails that overlap between sections.
Ken will be attending the next meeting of the Coalition and report back to Mike on discussions. We have some reservations about joining this group and will need Council approval if we decide to proceed.
6. Water and Sewage on Patrick's Path/Solid waste Management
Madeleine read an email received from a resident on Patrick's Path who is concerned about the installation of water/sewage on Patrick's Path and asking for our committee's position on this. Madeleine spoke to Bob who reported that 80% of residents on this street supported the installation and that the town was not in a financial position to construct a waste treatment plant in the foreseeable future.
The TETC is supportive of the town building a treatment plant as soon as it can get the necessary funds. In terms of Patrick's Path, there is no doubt that the installation of water/sewer infrastructure will change the complexion of the neighbourhood as more houses are allowed in a serviced area and green spaces may disappear.
It was agreed that we would apply to the Glad company to be part of this national event. The company provides the necessary supplies, eg gloves, bags, sanitizer, etc. We will focus on the Gully and the streets around it. If the weather stays cool however, we may need to delay the clean-up until May. Madeleine will complete the application and fax it in.
Madeleine briefed the committee on the proposal received from Annette today concerning the potential of creating a pony park in Pouch Cove. It is unclear exactly where this proposal is headed or what role the committee is being asked to play. As this initiative appears to be centered in Pouch Cove however and the limited resources of our committee are already strapped to the limit, we are unfortunately unable to offer anyone to help with this initiative. We will keep abreast of developments and wish the group all the best in their endeavours.
All members are invited to the reception being hosted by Council to celebrate this week on April 29 at 7:30pm at the Kinsmen Centre. RSVPs are needed.
No hikes planned.
11.1 Hillside festival, July 26 & 27
We will have a booth again this year. The Women's Institute have agreed to help again with cooking toutons and Ross with fish and brewis. We will need about 50-70lbs of saltfish and should look to buying this as soon as possible to make sure we get good quality fish.
12.1 Landscape Newfoundland and Labrador
Ross spoke about this organization which municipalities are being encouraged to join. The organization sets standards for landscape work, puts off seminars, runs a certification program
for supervisors, etc. Membership also offers financial benefits.
The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 30 at 7:30pm at the Kinsmen Centre.
The meeting adjourned at 9pm.