Sarah Rennie
The first snowstorm of the year was not enough to deter some protesters from demonstrating outside the Ormstown town hall this past Monday evening. Cars circled the municipal building with lights flashing and horns blaring, while a handful of individuals stood on the front lawn carrying signs demanding more transparency from the council while denouncing plans to relocate the library. The protest took place at the same time as the council met virtually for its regular monthly meeting.
The library was also the subject of a series of 14 questions submitted to the municipal council by email, which were read aloud and answered during the question period at the start of the meeting. In responding to a first few questions, Mayor Jacques Lapierre confirmed that the library will have its own separate entrance on the first floor of the new medical complex, with the medical clinic located on the second floor. The library will also be equipped with a separate bathroom.
Another set of questions focused on the funds needed for furnishing the library as well as moving costs associated with moving the equipment and inventory of books and furniture from its current location next to the Recreation Centre. The mayor maintained that all of the expenses related to the re-localisation and furnishing of the library will be taken from the $150,000 that was unanimously approved by the council in the 2020 budget.
In response to questions about the safety of the nearby intersection, the mayor suggested that the municipality had very little say in the timeline for the installation of traffic lights as the intersection was technically controlled by the Ministry of Transport. The traffic lights will be installed by the end of December 2021, with the municipality assuming 25 percent of the costs associated with the installation. The municipality is also waiting for the finalization of the new configuration of the intersection, including the traffic lights, before committing to sums associated with the installation of sidewalks. The mayor confirmed however that they will be making provisions for this in the 2021 budget.
The mayor then confirmed that there would be zero tax increase associated with the relocation of the library, and that there were no lawyers’ fees associated with the library, and that all other fees or costs had been made public. The mayor also guaranteed the floor plans for the new library would be released as soon as the municipality receives them, and that the plans will be approved by resolution at a future council meeting.
Finally, the question of the public’s inability to participate in virtual municipal council meetings was addressed. Lapierre insisted the issue would be remedied in time for the December meeting.
Pilot project announced
In response to concerns voiced by citizens over the safety of the intersection between Routes 138 and 201, and specifically in the context of the new library, the municipal council approved a pilot project to hire a crossing guard from the end of June 2021 to December 2021. The council agreed that as public safety was always a top priority, it was reasonable to adopt a temporary measure to ensure the safety of those crossing the intersection to make use of the library. The crossing guard will be in place during library hours. The costs associated with this pilot project will be included in the 2021 budget.
Petition rejected as invalid
Later on in the meeting, the petition launched in August by Ormstown resident Don Rosenbaum and deposited by councillor Tom Vandor during the October meeting was officially rejected. Municipal clerk François Gagnon explained that while the petition was accepted during the previous meeting, he discovered several issues with the document – namely it resembled more a list of names than an official petition. The document, as submitted, listed 196 names but contained no actual signatures. The text of the petition was also absent from the document deposited in October. As such, the clerk was not able to confirm its validity, and recommended it be rejected by the mayor and council. Councillor Stephen Ovans then questioned whether it would be possible for the petition to be resubmitted to the council. This was also rejected.