Paving priorities outlined
“I’d like to take a moment to recognize and thank this council for the dedication and commitment you have shown over the past three years and four months,” Mayor Trina Jones reflected. “When we took office in January of 2023, many of us didn’t really know each other very well. We all came in with the same goal to serve this community with the best of intentions.”
During the last Woodstock Town Council meeting before the municipal elections, the mayor and council looked back over the time they’ve spent serving together. They were the first council to serve an expanded municipality, bringing in four new wards that had never been represented on council before. Mayor Jones remembered that the challenges were there from day one.
“We were immediately faced with a number of legacy challenges, personnel matters, legal issues and decisions that required careful attention and time,” said Jones.
She said the demand on their time was more than most had probably anticipated, going in. They spent much of that time working together as a team, working with staff, asking questions and trying to find the best solutions for often complex issues. She acknowledged that not every decision made by the council was popular, but they always had the best interests of their community at heart.
“At every step, this council has made a sincere effort to inform itself, seeking expert advice, engaging with the community where appropriate and grounding decisions in what we believe to be in the best interest of Woodstock both today and for the long term,” said Jones.
She wished her fellow council members the best of luck in their campaigns and took a moment to remind all those running, both on and off the current council, that success will only come if those sitting around the table are willing to work together, no matter who they are.
“I feel proud of being able to be on this council,” Councillor Norm Brown said. “It’s amazing the work that we’ve done. People don’t know how many hours we put into this under the leadership of Mayor Jones. She has been a great leader, and I hope to see you on the other side.”
Councillor Julie Calhoun-Goodridge is the only councillor not running in this election. She took a few moments to explain her decision.
“It’s been an honour to be part of this council. It was a really hard decision to not re-offer,” said Calhoun-Goodridge. “I just felt like it was the right time. I had moved out of Ward 3 anyways, so I was going to have to compete against my friend and fellow colleague, Will. I didn’t want to do that. I also think that with the kids schedules, it was just the right time.”
Mayor and councillors took turns expressing how much they had appreciated working with her and sharing in the sentiment that she will be missed.
“Julie, it has been an honour sitting beside you at this council table,” said Councillor Christa McCartney. “You’re an exemplary counsellor.”
“I trust that whoever’s sitting around this table in a month will be the right people for the job,” said Calhoun-Goodridge. “I trust our citizens when they go to the polls on May 11.”
Paving
To avoid delays in completing paving work, Council agreed this year to pre-approve the town to begin awarding tenders for the 2026 season. The plan is for the town to complete as much of the paving plan as possible within the budget already allocated. Anything over that budget would go back to the newly formed Council after the elections for further approval.
“We wanted to make sure we could do as much as humanly possible. We do anticipate a price increase due to the current state of gas prices,” explained Mayor Trina Jones during the April 28 council meeting. “We’re hopeful we can still do what we want to do, but that will be a decision of the next council.”
The budgeted amount of $1,239,771 is funded through a combination of Capital Renewal Funds, CCBF funds and Designated Highway funds.
The order of importance they’ve decided to tackle the projects is:
1) Houlton Street, Everett Street to Cook Street subdivision
2) Broadway Street from George to Gertrude as part of their multi-year plan to resurface Broadway
3) Townsview from Langdon to Peter Street as a continuation of resurfacing they started the previous year.
4) Hetherington Court subdivision, the Bicentennial Cul de Sac, and Maxwell to Bicentennial.
CAO Allan Walker also gave an update on the Houlton Street funding. He said they’ve had highway funding approved for $338,000 to do Houlton Street from Charlotte to Union this year, and $332,000 to do Union Street from Union Street to lower Main the following year.
Walker explained that funding for designated highways is split between the province, which covers 75 per cent of the cost up to an approved amount. 25 per cent is covered by the municipality, as well as anything over the set amount. Ward 4 has 3 designated highways: Houlton, Main and Connell Street.
“We are not allowed, technically, to do any work on those roads without prior permission from DTI,” said Jones.
The mayor pointed out that Connell, in particular, needed a lot of work, but according to DTI, that wasn’t likely to happen before 2028. They have a lot of roads they need to look after, she explained.
Council encourages everyone, especially in the outer wards, to contact DTI whenever they see work needed on their roads.
“They told us last year, and it worked,” said Councillor Calhoun-Goodridge. “The more tickets they receive, the more likely they are to expedite.”
