Municipality has busy July 6 council session
Members of the Nackawic-Millville Council reviewed a memo from Ken Davis, Director of Public Works and Utilities, regarding garbage dumpsters on Carlin Lane and at Sandy Cove on Davidson Lake.
Davis said the area is a constant site of illegal dumping, and dumpsters are continually filled by people who do not reside there.
Feero now empties the dumpsters but does not take the larger items being illegally left there. Davis said that due to the condition of the private roads, it is not possible to collect garbage with the current equipment.
Davis feels a centralized, secure location for household waste is needed and proposed that a corral for bins be located on the Dumfries Fire Hall property.
He stated that the bins can be located in a spot that meets all safety and aesthetic concerns while ensuring public access.
Davis said the location at a municipal property is intended to ensure that a security system can help minimize abuse of the waste receptacles and to allow easy and safe access to the collection equipment and staff.
He said that, if needed, they can arrange pickup service for the bins twice per week to minimize the corral’s footprint and keep the site tidy. He suggested that the Fire Department assist in choosing a location for the corral to ensure there is no disruption to emergency services.
The memo asked council for permission to speak with the fire department to ensure any concerns are addressed and begin planning a structure as soon as possible.
Mayor Tim Fox felt that the council needs more information and details on costs, and suggested that a proposal be submitted with this information.
A motion was made by Councillor Clark and seconded by Councillor Meldrum to refer this issue back to Public Works for further discussion and to obtain some numbers.
Fire Service Review
The Nackawic-Millville Fire Service Review was presented to council by Hennessy Richardson Strategic Services Inc.
The objective of the review was to provide an independent, evidence-based assessment of the fire service’s current state. The review assesses accepted practices, identifies gaps, risks, and opportunities relative to applicable standards and leading practices, makes informed recommendations regarding deployment models and service-level options for Nackawic-Millville, delivers a phased implementation roadmap (including cost, change management, and metrics), and maintains transparency and accountability to council and residents.
Several recommendations were presented, including:
Governance and Leadership
Instill collaborative fire service, hire a Fire Chief/Director of EMO, fill vacant Millville Deputy Fire Chief Position (completed), develop leaders (training) to support succession planning, conduct a Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment (HIRA), adopt NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 1720.
Operations, Deployment, and Training
Ensure each fire station has six NFPA Level 1 firefighters, progressing to six Level 2 firefighters by 2030; adopt automatic aid to align with NFPA 1720; and coordinate and collaborate on training across the three fire stations.
Asset/Fiscal Management
Establish an Apparatus and Equipment Committee to create an apparatus replacement plan to be presented to and endorsed by council; adopt an asset management program that consolidates all three stations; adopt zero-based budgeting; and build a Government of New Brunswick Advocacy Plan (with targeted financial support).
The report concluded that the Nackawic-Millville Fire Service is staffed by dedicated, caring personnel and that this is an opportunity for Nackawic-Millville to serve as a success model for fire service effectiveness in amalgamated New Brunswick communities.
Mayor praises employees
Nackawic-Millville Mayor Tim Fox said he’s received a lot of positive feedback on the work being done in the community and praised both the Public Works Department and the Recreation Department for their hard work.
“When you get compliments instead of complaints it’s good,” said Fox. For example, he said he’s received a lot of positive feedback regarding the turnoff to Landegger.
“The Public Works crew are much appreciated,” said Fox.
Councillor Trail agreed and said they are doing a great job in Millville as well. Mayor Fox also complimented the Recreation Department staff for the hard work that went into Canada Day. Fox said the day was amazing.
“I want to compliment Paul and his staff on a job well done.”
Goosinator helps keep waterfront clean
In the June recreation report, Recreation Director Paul Sherman said they aren’t seeing any geese around during the day, although they are getting geese at night. He said the feces seems manageable so far this year.
Mayor Fox said it does seem better than previous years and that a combination of things seems to be working.
Community beach volleyball court proposal
Council reviewed an email from Ryan Brewer, who hopes to start a conversation about a proposal for community beach volleyball courts.
He proposes developing two beach volleyball courts in Nackawic-Millville to expand access to outdoor recreation and create a flexible, high-use activity space for youth and the broader community.
In the email, Brewer stated that Nackawic-Millville already has strong indoor volleyball participation, with approximately 12 teams active throughout the year: nine school teams and three club teams. He said this results in 70+ individual youth from the Nackawic-Millville community who are involved in the sport.
Brewer said this number does not take into consideration how many adults leave the community to play beach and indoor volleyball in Fredericton.
“Nackawic has had great success over the years in this sport. We are known around the province for the quality of our volleyball teams and the players they produce; it has been like this for many years,” said Brewer.
He said this clearly demonstrates that demand is already well-established and consistent in the town and surrounding areas.
Brewer feels that not only would the project be a nod to the community’s youth and their interests, but it would also provide more opportunities for physical activity.
He noted that it would offer another social hub for youth and families, facilitate the opportunity/ability to host events that bring people to the community, i.e., hosting adult and youth recreational tournaments, summer leagues for youth, youth camps and Volleyball NB competitions, and increase Nackawic-Millville’s recreation offerings at relatively low cost when compared to other recreation infrastructure.
Brewer proposes that the side-by-side sand courts with permanent net systems and a surrounding net or fence be located on the Nackawic High School grounds, the shared green space between the high school and middle school, or at McNair Park.
He feels that the first two options would maximize student access and daily use as they are near the schools, and potentially beside our outdoor basketball courts.
Brewer said there are already cameras at these locations to deter vandalism. He feels that not being at the waterfront would solve problems like competition with other important waterfront projects and complications with wildlife, particularly geese.
Brewer said he has looked at some costs but can’t provide an accurate quote for the project. He said his proposal is to explore whether a couple of beach courts can become a reality.
He said he’s had multiple community members make it clear they are willing to help with labour, the machinery needed for construction, and some of the required equipment.
Brewer said the project aligns well with provincial funding priorities and opportunities, so grants may be available.
A motion was made by Councillor Jeff Clark and seconded by Councillor Errol Graham to refer the idea to the Recreation Committee for their input.
