The Grinch at Mount Pearl Lions Club Food Drive

Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
December 1, 2023 Edition

The Grinch poses mischievously with friends Sandra Millmore and Dion Cantwell outside Wal-Mart during the Mount Pearl Lions Club Food Drive Fill the Truck Challenge last weekend. Aside from Wal-Mart, shoppers also found trucks parked outside Sobeys, Dominion, and Coleman's. The Lions Club thanked those who donated food, including a gentleman who donated an entire cart full of groceries. Grinch spokesperson Bonnie Evely said she was just happy to put smiles on children's faces. Chad Feehan photo

Tear it down, says the inspector

By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
December 1, 2023 Edition

The owner of a dilapidated house on Bannister Street has been served a demolition order by the City of Mount Pearl.

A number of notices have been left at the dwelling since 2019 ordering the owner to fix its problems, which as of January of this year included interior water damage, compromised interior walls, a structurally compromised chimney and exterior walls, crumbling foundation, broken windows, rot, mold, and a hole in the roof.

Residents in the area have complained about the consistent presence of rodents around the home.

An inspector with the St. John’s Regional Fire Department deemed the property a fire hazard, and at risk of spreading fire to other homes. Because of this, the inspector recommended the property be demolished.

The property owner has been ordered to demolish the building within 30 days of the date of the order, but has been unresponsive by telephone since September 21 of this year.

If the property owner fails to demolish the home, the City will do so while charging all associated costs to the owner as a civil debt.

According to City law, the owner or any interested person has the right to appeal demolition orders for a fee of $200.

The motion to issue the order was passed by City council unanimously.

The City of Mount Pearl has been trying to get the owner of this property to make repairs since 2019. Chad Feehan photo.

Winter parking ban takes effect next Friday

By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 24, 2023 Edition

It’s that time of year again: Mount Pearl’s winter parking restrictions come into effect December 1 and will remain in place until the last day of March, 2024.
Between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m., vehicles are prohibited from parking on City-owned streets and land. Parking in those areas during and for 12 hours after a storm is also prohibited.
The penalty for infringing on either of those restrictions is $75, but drivers are also at risk of having their vehicles towed.
During last week’s council meeting, Mayor Dave Aker noted there have been suggestions to implement restrictions following the first occurrence of snow, but allowed the December 1 date has “stood the test of time.”
Councillor Jim Locke agreed the consistency of a regular date, based on weather patterns and historical data, has proven beneficial.
“The whole intent of this is to expedite and ensure safe snow clearing operations on our city streets,” he said.
Director of Public Works Glen Dollimont pointed out that snow has already started to fall, and the parking restriction also benefits operations such as street salting.
“It makes a difference when everything is out of the way; we can do our job quicker, easier, and safer,” he said.
Councillor Chelsea Lane also agreed with keeping the date as it is.
“I think it’s better to be proactive than reactive,” she said. “I think there’s no reason to change things when things are working well right now.”
In addition to parking restrictions, the City can fine you $50 to $100 for shoveling, plowing, and blowing snow from driveways and parking lots onto roadways, sidewalks, and carriageways.

Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus at the Christmas Blessings Market

Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 24, 2023 Edition

As busy as they may be, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus found the time to stop by the Christmas Blessings Market at the Salvation Army Mount Pearl Citadel last Saturday. Lilly White and her parents Vera and Steve White were one of the last families to get a photo with the big man before he went on his way again. Chad Feehan photo

‘Candy Packing’ night at Park Place

November 24, 2023 Edition

The Mount Pearl Lions Club with the help of other volunteers, and the Scouts held a ‘Candy Packing’ night at Park Place last Saturday. Some 3,500 bags were prepared for giveaways at the annual Lions Club Santa Claus Parade set for Saturday, December 2. Local musician Alex Taylor entertained the volunteers while they worked, a couple of whom even took advantage of the music to have a dance during a break in the packing. Volunteers were also rounded up by local MHAs Lucy Stoyles and Paul Lane, making for some 50 people participating overall. Lions Club spokesman Gerald Coombs expressed thanks to all the businesses and individuals who donated candy for the parade and to everyone who helped get the bags ready. Among those preparing the goody bags, were, from left: Kaila Harnum, Robyn Kenny, John Oates, MHA Paul Lane, Kimberley Cox-Kielly, and Sean Keats. Some 35,000 candies were used with leftovers going to local groups that serve children and families.

Soccer Association takes time to acknowledge top performers

By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 24, 2023 Edition

The Mount Pearl Soccer Association (MPSA) has named the top performers in the organization over the past year.

Last week, the club announced that Harrison Luff is the recipient of the Neil Bodman Male Athlete of the Year Award. Luffman played a great season under Coach Rudy Norman on the Boys Under 15 Premiere Youth League (PYL) team.
Bella Norman took home the Dave LeGrow Female Athlete of the Year Award after playing an outstanding season with the Girls Under 12 PYL team.
Jeremy Brake was awarded the Senior Male Athlete of the Year Award. The association recognized Brake for being an important part of this year's Challenge Cup team.
Maggie Pottle is this year’s Senior Female Player of the Year due to her skill exhibited on the Hickman Motors Ladies Intermediate team.
The Coach of the Year was a dual-win this year, going to Nazri Buang and Colin Andrews. They had a busy year leading their Boys Under 11 team to a very successful season, according to the association.
The Hickman Motors Ladies Intermediate team came out on top with the Team of the Year Award. They took first place in Ladies Intermediate Tier 2 and were the top scoring team in both Tier 1 and Tier 2.
The President’s Award was given to the MPSA Director of Officials Shannon Tobin. Tobin leads and mentors a large group of youth officials and was always eager to help out on top of scheduling referees for over 600 games this past summer.
Lilly Tobin was named Official of the Year. Tobin spent a deal great of time on the field this summer for the Club League and Metro League, in addition to helping with other leagues.
This year’s Recognition Award was given to Karen Brake. She is described by the organization as a passionate volunteer who worked the gate in rain or shine, traveled to Burin with the team, and was always willing to help.
Marsha Ransome is the Volunteer of the Year Award winner. Ransome is a soccer mom, board member, team manager, and is always helping out in the background.
Neil McLeod took home the Alumni of the Year Award. McLeod has been an MPSA volunteer for over 50 years, filling the roles of player, coach, official, board member, and supporter in many other ways.

City has to tighten insurance policy for bookings at public facilities

By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 24, 2023 Edition

Booking time at City facilities in Mount Pearl will now require adherence to insurance regulations.
At last week’s city council meeting, councillor Mark Rice detailed information that was reviewed during an October meeting of the corporate services and public works committee.
Due to changes with the City’s insurance underwriter, third parties renting City facilities for their own purposes are now required to provide a copy of their commercial general liability, and request the City be named as an additional insured party. Those unable to provide that documentation or who don’t have such insurance can request coverage under the City’s policy.
If alcohol is served at a City facility, renters must provide proof of responsible training in order to maintain coverage.
Mayor Dave Aker welcomed the change, calling it “the prudent thing to do.”
The change to the City’s insurance policy has been in effect since July.

City earns award for trail promotion efforts

By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 17, 2023 Edition

The City of Mount Pearl has won an award in recognition of a string of summer events that promoted the T’Railway running through the community.

The T’Railway Sundown Series presented a variety of attractions and performers, including live music, yoga, puppetry, face painting and fire spinning, all taking place against the backdrop of the trails’ picturesque scenery.

The Economic Developers Association of Canada accorded Mount Pearl the Marketing Canada Award, which goes to communities that succeed in their marketing efforts.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Director of Corporate Services Cassie Pittman thanked the municipal team for taking home the award, and noted the importance of utilizing the trail, which she described as being one of the city’s best resources.

“More than the award is just the team for recognizing that we have to promote our assets,” she said. “Economic development is more than businesses, it’s also residents and attracting and retaining people to visit our city and hopefully become permanent members of our city.”

New to the area this year are a commercial kiosk and a community garden, which were officially launched in August at a Sundown Series event.

Financial report shows City paring down its debt

By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 17, 2023 Edition

The City of Mount Pearl presented its 2022 audited financial statements at a council meeting Tuesday.

Undertaken by BDO Canada, an independent accounting firm, the audit compared the City’s revenues and operating expenses to that of the previous year.

Councillor Chelsea Lane said the City is in “strong financial shape,” and highlighted that while revenue was down, expenditures followed suit. That was enough to land the City in a surplus position.

“We continue to pay down debt, reducing our long-term debt by just over $2,000,000 in 2022,” Lane said. “We are also continually preparing for the future… The City prides itself on solid financial stewardship and planning for the future. We continue to balance down debt with spending on important infrastructure and recreation investment while looking at opportunities for revenue generation.”

The City’s net debt last year sat at $13,923,367, a significant drop from $18,058,888 in 2021. The City had budgeted its debt for 2022 to be $23,143,512.

Revenues last year were recorded at $49,932,372, down from $53,514,546 in 2021. This was counterbalanced by a drop in expenses from $53,357,952 to $51,266,900 year over year.

Financial assets including cash, cash equivalents, and money owed to the City stood at $31,522,063, which was up over a million dollars from the previous year.

Mayor Dave Aker was pleased at the City’s financial standing in light of what the City faced in 2021 and 2022. 

“We went through a rough couple of years; COVID related and other disruptions,” he said. “We’ve come out of that with a very low net debt amount.”

Pre-pandemic in 2019, the City’s debt was $20,148,153, and its total financial assets totaled $31,998,107. 

Mount Pearl girl named Fire Chief for a day

By Mark Squibb
November 17, 2023 Edition

Rachel Roebotham of Mary Queen of the World Elementary was named ‘Fire Chief for A Day’ last Thursday.

As part of her official duties, she rode in a firetruck, met with the mayors of St. John’s, Mount Pearl, and Paradise, and lunched at McDonalds.

Rachel was named chief for the day after winning the St. John’s Regional Fire Department’s annual Fire Prevention Week poster contest, and said she was super excited, and happy, when her dad Jamie told her that she had won.

“We’re super proud of her,” said Jamie. “But we couldn’t tell anybody until the school knew that she had officially won, so everybody was chomping at the bit to tell everybody that she had won. We’re all really proud of her.”

Both Jamie and wife Rhonda were able to get the day off to share the excitement with their daughter.

“Family is the most important thing, so you try to make that a priority,” said Jamie. “We’re going to enjoy the day with our new fire chief.”

The Department had Rachel’s poster framed, and Fire Prevention Officer Cara Pardy presented the Grade 6 student with the framed poster outside of her school on Thursday morning.

Pardy said picking a winner from amongst over 400 entries was no easy task.

“It’s always hard to choose a winner, because we have a lot of great entries,” said Pardy. “Good artwork is important, and we also look for good safety tips, and that’s what we find even more important.”

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme was ‘Cooking Safety Starts With You,’ and some of the tips on Rachel’s poster included ‘Don’t leave the stove unattended,’ and ‘Use oven mitts.’

Though she was glad to accept the mantle of fire chief for a day, Rachel hopes to be a teacher like her father when she grows up.

She said firefighters have to be brave and willing to help people.

Mary Queen of the World grade six student Rachel Roebotham was named the St. John’s Regional Fire Department ‘Fire Chief for the Day’ last week after her Fire Prevention Week poster was selected as a winner from amongst over 400 entries. With Rachel are parents Rhonda and Jamie, who were able to spend the day with Rachel as she attended to her official duties. Mark Squibb photo