Access Road
Council approved Westville contributing $74,000 to go toward the price of the access road to the emergency department at the Aberdeen Hospital. That amount is Westville’s share of a combined $892,420 cost of the access road to the emergency department.
Coun. Lynn MacDonald agreed to vote for the amount, but expressed her frustration with the situation. MacDonald found it troubling that the $74,000 asked of the town was not included in the original $6.8 million cost of ongoing redevelopment of the Aberdeen Hospital – a project that Westville also is supporting.
“This annoys me to pieces. Of course I’m going to vote to pay for a road to the hospital, but this is something that comes out of nowhere, and we have nothing to do with. This is New Glasgow’s baby…and I don’t like the way it’s done,” said MacDonald before council passed a motion. “I was elected in 2008 … and part of raising money for the hospital expansion, and never once was this road mentioned.”
MacDonald said she was troubled by the fact that the original plan was abandoned. She noted that a lot of that money going toward the access road could go toward local needs, such as the road work and the construction of sidewalks that needs to be done in Westville.
“This thing has been one thing after another. I know the CAO, in good faith, has been saying it’s going to be the last request, but … it’s the last request, until the next one,” said MacDonald.
The amount asked of Westville was determined using the same cost-sharing formula for the contributions of each municipality to the redevelopment of the Aberdeen Hospital.
Regional Enterprise Network
The Town of Westville has officially joined the Pictou County Regional Enterprise Network (REN). At its April 30 meeting, council unanimously voted to become the final Pictou County municipality to join the inter-municipal economic network. Now all the municipal units of Pictou County are members of the REN.
Before the matter was put to a vote among council, MacDonald asked what the cost of Westville’s participation, per year, would be. CAO Kelly Rice said that this year, Westville’s membership would be covered by a surplus that remains from the previous PRDA, at the time of its dissolution. She noted that in subsequent years, the cost of Westville’s membership in the REN would be $20,000 a year.
Coun. Lennie White noted that the membership is measured in five-year terms, with a one-year notice required to withdrawn from the inter-municipal network.
The Town of Trenton also signed off on REN and will formally vote on the matter at its regular council meeting next week.
“We started this, and didn’t know where it was going to end up,” said White, referring to his and Deputy Mayor Bernie Murphy’s participation in previous years in an economic working group. “I can say, personally, that it has been the most rewarding, satisfactory part of being a councilor from Westville, because …we had a clear purpose, with all (municipal) units represented, with a common goal to work together.
“It shows me that if there is a common purpose in mind, that we are quite capable of all six units working together, toward a common cause.”
Viola’s Place
Westville will be providing a one-time capital donation of $3,333 to the Viola’s Place Society, providing a piece of the collaborative financial support among municipal units in Pictou County, for a homeless shelter serving the region.
Previously, upon receiving the request, council requested an operational plan from the society, which they were provided prior to their April 30 meeting.
The Town of Trenton has also committed to putting $3,300 into Viola’s Place, and will make it official at next week’s council meeting.
