[Smevo]

These updates are from the Wednesday, May 9, 2007 Cape Breton Post.

This has the potential of becoming problematic.

Plenty of interest in parcel of land

CBRM councillors question value of 25-acre site near Membertou

Section: Business

By Chris Shannon, Cape Breton Post
A 25-acre parcel of land situated between George and Alexandra streets is garnering much attention from regional councillors and the Membertou First Nation.

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality owns the land and was expected to declare it surplus to the needs of the municipality at Monday's corporate services committee meeting.

Councillors then began to question the possible value the land may have if Membertou builds a major development on the property.

Membertou has shown interest in acquiring the property and that had Coun. Wes Stubbert seeing red.

"I'm solidly opposed to declaring this land surplus," Stubbert said.

"I have no problem with developments at Membertou but we have to protect CBRM property."

In correspondence sent by Membertou's senior advisor Dan Christmas to the CBRM's planning department in April, Christmas stated the parcel of land would be used as a future commercial site.

Christmas couldn't be immediately reached for further comment, Tuesday.

The land is currently zoned residential and would need an amendment to the municipality's planning strategy before a commercial development could go ahead.

While the exact nature of a future development wasn't disclosed by Membertou, a list was provided that included the possibility of constructing anything from a garment manufacturer, an apartment building, a call centre or an office building, said municipal planner Ken Smith.

He told the committee that if the First Nation bought the property and successfully changed its jurisdiction to federal native reserve land, municipal taxation and development controls would not apply.

That's the worry of several regional councillors. The committee supported a motion that would negotiate the possibility of a lease option with Membertou after consultation with the business community.

"To blindly declare this surplus without knowing what will be put there, that's not moving along carefully," Coun. Tom Wilson said during the meeting.

But Coun. Esmond Marshall, who's Cape Breton's first Mi'kmaq municipal councillor, was appalled at the committee's reluctance to sell land to Membertou.

"How come 25 acres can't be sold to Membertou? They're moving on up," he said.

"I'm tired of hearing, 'These people are taking our land.' I'm tired of it. Who was here first?"

Just let Membertou buy the land, they have more potential of developing it than if the CBRM waited for independent developers.

Closure of St. Peters Canal extended until June 1

Section: Cape Breton

By Chris Hayes, Cape Breton Post
St. Peters Canal won't open for boats until June 1 this year while Parks Canada finishes a repair job.

Parks Canada had planned to reopen the canal, which connects the Bras d'Or Lakes and Atlantic Ocean at St. Peters, by May 15.

Tom Meagher, a Parks Canada spokesman, said while St. Peters Canal averages about 1,100 to 1,200 boats a year, few show up between May 15 and June 1.

The agency has issued a notice of the delay through the Canadian Coast Guard.

Meagher said Parks Canada had to repair cracks within the joints of the steel lock gates which had been causing operational problems and threatened to render the lock unable to operate.

"Several times last summer we had difficulty getting gates open and had to be partially operational and at one time non-operational until we had a tide swing and could get a little assistance getting the gates open," Meagher said.

"That was going to get worse so it's something we had to do."

Meagher said while the canal was empty of water, Parks Canada also did some concrete repairs, renewed the corrosion protection system, painted the steel lock gates and switched to an environmental friendly hydraulic fluid.

"The hydraulic system and the gates are all controlled by hydraulics, had a petroleum-based hydraulic fluid in them and of course that has environmental concerns whenever there could be a spill or a leak so we are switching all that to a vegetable-based hydraulic fluid.

"Not that we anticipate any leaks or spills but if they do happen, the environmental impact would be substantially less."

Boats travelling by water have to use entrances at Big Bras d'Or or Little Bras d'Or to travel between the lake and ocean while the canal is closed.

Canal users are encouraged to contact the lock office at 902-535-2118 to get current information.

I'm happy to see this story.

Next phase of Wentworth Park renovation to begin mid-summer

CBRM will spend $700,000 on project

Section: Cape Breton

By Chris Hayes, Cape Breton Post
The Cape Breton Regional Municipality will spend about $700,000 on the next phase of renovations at Wentworth Park.

Coun. Ray Paruch, a spokesman for the Wentworth Park Society, said this stage of the project will begin at Bentinck Street and head west to include areas around the two ponds on either sides of the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia rail bridge.

"We are going to totally revamp and renovate that whole rail bridge," he said. "You are going to see a lot of improvements with that."

Paruch said the highlights will include an entranceway on George Street, construction of tranquil areas, internal park walkways, landscaping, lighting and wheelchair accessibility.

He hopes to see this stage of renovations begin by mid-summer although it still awaits a review by federal and provincial authorities.

The project shows teamwork and co-operation involving volunteers on the park society and resource people in the community including some at Cape Breton University, he said.

It also shows co-operation between the three levels of government, said the regional councillor.

"There's not a lot of that around."

During a first phase of the park renovations, there was extensive renovation to the lower pond part of the park including landscaping, new fountains, a gazebo and a tunnel running under Kings Road and eventually to the Sydney boardwalk.

Engineering plans are being developed for the bandshell and area which will be renovated in a final phase of the project although those plans no longer include an earlier proposal for a freshwater interpretive centre called a fluvarium.

The park renovations have been a big hit with Sydney residents, Paruch said.

"People seem to be really pleased."

The mentioned phase is the area in red.


There'll be more in tomorrow's paper.

Coal company holding open house

Section: Glace Bay/New Waterford

Officials from Xstrata Coal Donkin Management and CBCL Ltd. will hold an open house 2-4 and 6-9 p.m., today at the Donkin fire hall.

This is one of several open houses planned as part of the ongoing consultation with the community on the progress of the proposed Donkin mine.

Different aspects of the project will be discussed and residents will be given a chance to comment or ask questions on the project.

Thursday, another open house will be held from 2-4 and 6-9 p.m. at the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre.

Columbus Club working on plans for housing complex

Section: Glace Bay/New Waterford

By Julie Collins, cape breton post
The Columbus Club, under the auspices of the Knights of Columbus in North Sydney, is working on plans for an 18-unit affordable housing complex.

The Nova Scotia Housing Development Corp., in partnership with Canada Mortgage and Housing, is seeking proposals for the development of new modest rental units.

The program provides a one-time limited capital cost contribution to reduce the development costs of new housing units in the form of a forgivable loan.

The proposed complex would be located on property across the street from the KOC hall owned by the Columbus Club and would include two handicapped-accessible units.

The land for a portion of the building has been surveyed. If the club is successful in obtaining the funding, a request will go to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality for an additional piece of land to accommodate the remainder of the building.

A committee has been working for several months with Cape Breton Regional Municipality planning officials on the project. It is believed this is the first venture of its kind for any KOC in the Maritimes.

"We've had excellent co-operation with CBRM officials," said Dave Tobin, a member of the planning committee.

"A key fellow in all of this planning is fellow club member Lawrence Shebib, who has dedicated an enormous amount of time to this project."

The other committee members are Robert Parsons, John Parsons, Alistar MacIsaac and Paul Perry.

Committee member Robert Parsons added the club is waiting for word from Canada Mortgage and Housing on the status of the one-time grant.

"This proposal has received an excellent response from councillors, businesses and private citizens," Parsons said. "If we are successful in obtaining the necessary funding, we could get through the zoning process without too much difficulty and hopefully be under construction by early June. Our tenants could be in their new units by December."

The Columbus Club is a not-for-profit group. The rental proceeds would go to the maintenance of the building.

"Anybody that qualifies for modest housing would be considered, regardless of denomination," Parsons said.

"If we are successful in getting this project off the ground, there could be others in the future."