LEWISPORTE -
Elected for the first time as Mayor of the Town of Lewisporte on Sept. 29, 2009, Brian Peckford had some tough issues to face his first week in office.
Shortly after the win, Mayor Peckford was campaigning for a different reason - to save the regions lab and X-ray services.
Mayor Peckford said the decision to close the Lewisporte Lab and X-ray Clinic had the potential to dramatically impact the residents of Lewisporte and area in several ways, including the level of health care would definitely be negatively affected by taking away from our doctors a basic diagnostic tool, patients travelling over roads in adverse weather conditions, delays in receiving care, and an economic loss to the Town and the future growth of Lewisporte.
"When the government announced that the lab and X-ray Clinic would close, it dealt a blow to Lewisporte like never seen before," said Mayor Peckford. "The highlight though was to be a part of such a great team under the tremendous leadership of Reverend Art Elliot, that was faced with the task of taking on a decision that politicians were adamant was a done deal and would not be changed."
Mayor Peckford said the Coalition of Concerned Citizens tackled the issue by planning a strategy and implementing it right away.
"Everything fell into place like a well-scripted plan and all of us will benefit from the success of the Coalition," he said. "Residents can rest assured that this service is here to stay and it makes me proud to go to events where representatives of other municipalities are and have them thank us for not only saving the lab and X-ray in Lewisporte, but for stopping the planned cuts to rural areas all across the province."
Mayor Peckford said it was inspiring to see the residents of the area come together for the common goal and to fight for the continuation of services.
"It was nice to be part of that victory and the others who were involved are certainly worthy of the most sincere appreciation and as a Town they will be recognized on our behalf," he said. "If Lewisporte is to be successful and prosper for years to come then it is incumbent on council to keep this momentum going, built on community pride and spirit to take Lewisporte to where we should and can be."
Other accomplishments during 2009 include the completion of the Lewisporte Stadium, a facility that will serve the area, at a total cost of approximately $5 million. A Downtown Redevelopment Study was completed and a $500,000 application was submitted to Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development for the implementation of Phase I of the Downtown Redevelopment Study, consisting primarily of streetscape improvements including lighting and sidewalk delineation.
The Lewisporte Municipal Park saw the completion of 36 serviced sites with water, electrical and the installation of wireless Internet.
In June 2009, the Town of Lewisporte played host to the North Atlantic Marina and Recreational Boating Conference that brought over 150 exhibitors and delegates from as far away as Florida to the region.
"This initiative has significantly advanced recreational boating and the economic opportunities it provides," said Mayor Peckford. "Throughout the planning process we became involved with the Atlantic Marina Trades Association, the National Marine Manufactures Association and Atlantic Boating News. These are the voices of recreational boating in Atlantic Canada and our relationship with these organizations continues to evolve and for the first time Newfoundland and Labrador will be in the online and print versions of Maritime Boating: Destinations and Marinas."
The gala dinner raised over $10,000 in donations for charity and maintained a profit for the Town. In turn, the boating conference won the Torngat Award for Economic Development at the Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador (MNL) Annual Convention for the initiative.
The marina continues to be at the forefront of council's agenda.
"The Town of Lewisporte also played a major role in the development of the Lewisporte Marina Administrative Authority Inc. and was responsible for the submission of a $220,000 infrastructure project that saw the completion of additional floating docks complete with electrical and an additional finger pier to accommodate the new 30-ton lift," said Mayor Peckford. "Our marina will play a vital role in the future of Lewisporte."
Budget 2010
This year Mayor Peckford was not completely pleased with the budget, due to municipal assessments and the mil rate reduction.
"The property assessment for some people went up considerably, but unfortunately it did not go up at a consistent rate throughout our town," he said. "In fact, the overall increase averaged 14 per cent. This represents three-quarters of a mil, based on current budget revenue. We are in a position that we could only reduce the mill rate by one-quarter and I would like to have reduced it more and spent many hours crunching numbers, but unfortunately it wasn't practical."
Mayor Peckford said the Town took a conservative and balanced approach to the mil rate reduction.
"Everyone must realize that operating costs are steadily increasing," he said. "Also in 2011 when the regional waste disposal site in Norris Arm North is operational, we will be faced with additional waster disposal costs in the vicinity of approximately $130,000 annually.
"I have spoken to many municipal leaders regarding funding waste disposal costs and their solution is to reduce the mil rate this year, but next year impose a new tax on waste disposal. In other words, gave a tax reduction this year, but increase it next year by double. By taking our balanced, conservative approach, projections we have done do not see any new taxes next year either."
Plans for 2010
The Town of Lewisporte is hoping to engage in a very aggressive infrastructure plan in the next five years.
"Currently we benefit from an infrastructure cost share relationship of 80 per cent government and 20 per cent Town, but based on the fiscal positions of both the Federal and Provincial Governments and rumors, this ratio could very easily slide to 50/50 funding in the very near future," said Mayor Peckford. "It is vital that we as stewards of the Town's finances strive to complete as much as we can in the next few years to take advantage of this improved funding relationship."
Some of the infrastructure initiatives the Town of Lewisporte are hoping to achieve going into the future include water, sewer and street upgrades to First Avenue, Hillgrade Street, Laytes Avenue, Harbourview Terrance, Beaumont Street, Lockmore Street and Pond Road. The total cost of the plan is $1,693,119.30, with the municipal share totalling $365,324.77.
Also, within the next five years the Town will pursue Phase I of sewage treatment, Main Street water and sewer upgrades, Southside water, downtown redevelopment, land acquisition in the industrial park, industrial park expansion, expansion of the Lewisporte Marina and improvement to the municipal park. The total cost of that infrastructure plan is $25,792,531, with the Town of Lewisporte share equaling $5,007,194. However, Mayor Peckford said the next round of gas tax funding from the Federal Government will reduce the Town's share considerably and even with the aggressive plan, the Town's debt servicing will remain near current levels.
"With respect to sewage treatment, if council is successful in implementing Phase I, this in itself will be a significant accomplishment for the community of our size," said Mayor Peckford. "I respectfully ask that the residents of Lewisporte look at the big picture. Lewisporte has the potential to be a major growth center; new residential developments coupled with business expansion will see increased revenues to the Town.
"This will benefit us all in terms of how much tax we pay as well as the services we are able to provide, including additional recreational opportunities."
