SD&G – In addition to finding out who will be warden of the United Counties in 2017, here are some of the other developments from Monday’s council meeting:
- The Winchester District Memorial Hospital has asked for $80,000 toward a $400,000 project to add five automatic medicine dispensing centers at the facility. The request will be considered during 2017 budget talks.
- The United Way of SD&G was presented with a $1,500 cheque, proceeds from the Warden’s Golf Tournament.
- Members of the Silver Spike Committee petitioned council to make repairs to County Road 18 through Martintown (from the bridge to Nine Mile Road). A report from the roads department will be coming to council at a later date.
- The financial and court services departments will be merged in January 2017, which is expected to save the county about $80,000 a year.
- Colin Munro from South Glengarry has been appointed to fill the vacant space on the library board following Barb Lehtiniemi’s resignation in July following its decision to close three branches.
- Given the favourable weather, repairing more of County Road 2 in South Glengarry will go ahead. Council has authorized to spend $1.2 million from reserves to repair the entire length of road, east of Lancaster. That’s past County Road 26, the original end point for repairs.
- Gerry Boyce, the council appointee on the health unit board, said the Eastern Ontario Health Unit is running a $100,000 deficit and is looking at ways to save money. Boyce added that the EOHU should be able to offer the free shingles vaccine to seniors by January 2017.
- North Stormont and the county will be sharing a slip-in tank for their trucks to perform de-icing this winter. The township had the tank for dust suppression spraying and since the tank would not be used in the winter it’s agreed to let the county use it for black ice suppression, thus sharing the cost of depreciation between the township and county. The de-icing is a $10,000 one year pilot project.