Off-road vehicle safety concerns
Some of the discussions during the May 20 Nackawic-Millville council meeting focused on ATV safety. Councillors are concerned that some ATV enthusiasts aren’t following the rules of the road.
Deputy Mayor Greg MacFarlane said he’s been getting calls about quads, ATVs and dirtbikes driving fast and recklessly through the community.
Nackawic-Millville allows all-terrain vehicles on a portion of Routes 605 and 105 to reach the Irving gas station and Robins Donuts at the intersection of Landegger Street. The access was through an agreement between the municipality and the local ATV club. In 2022, the community passed a bylaw that expanded access to include Otis Drive, allowing off-road travellers to reconnect with Route 105.
CAO Kathryn Clark said she contacted Quad NB to see if they can conduct an awareness campaign to inform the public of the rules of the road. She also noted that off-road enforcement has already been contacted to request more visibility in the municipality. Mayor Tim Fox said he would send a letter to the local high school.
“At the end of the day, if it’s bad enough council could repeal the bylaw,” said Fox. But the Deputy Mayor said they don’t want to do that as it’s not the club members who are ignoring the rules. Council agreed.
Age-Friendly Community
Council approved a resolution reinforcing that Nackawic-Millville is committed to the age-friendly approach and will continue to participate, support, promote and work to implement age-friendly initiatives to improve our age-friendliness.
Age-Friendly Communities were initiated originally by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an approach to meet the needs of an aging population. Coun. Robert Simpson told the council that this initiative should have a significant budget line next year.
“Things are just not in Nackawic, but they are in other areas as well. We should put money in the budget so that we can do things as they come up,” said Coun. Simpson.
Heavy industrial property
A meeting of New Brunswick Mayors was held on May 13 to discuss opportunities for 33 municipalities across the province. One of the focuses of the meeting was to have municipalities with heavy industrial areas within their boundaries keep revenue from the Heavy Industrial Provincial Property Tax. This would help fund infrastructure deficits and economic growth, and help communities improve their quality of life.
Mayors want the tax revenue earned locally to stay local. If accepted, it would mean an additional $241,508 added to the Nackawic-Millville budget.
“All of us need to collaborate and work together. We’d benefit from having the heavy industrial provincial property tax remain locally,” said Mayor Fox. Councillor Katie Nozzolillo said the area would notice it.
“It would be a huge tax boost to us,” she told fellow councillors.
Fox said he’d like to return to the mayors’ next meeting with a resolution to support this. Councillors were unanimous in supporting the move and passed a motion.
Millville sidewalks in need of repair
The sidewalks in Millville are in dire need of repair and are now a priority for the council.
Deputy Mayor MacFarlane said he agreed with Ward 4 Councillor Colin Trail.
“We’ve been discussing it for two years, so let’s get it in our budget for next summer,” said MacFarlane.
The deputy mayor suggested they could ask Public Works to look at the situation and guide the council. It was suggested that an engineer look at a retaining wall. Councillor Trail suggested hiring an engineering firm to go in and do a study.
“They can come up with a plan to repair and replace,” said Trail.
Mayor Fox said he likes the idea of having a firm come in and do a study, but they would need to consider the cost.
