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“Great” green bash RICHARD MAHONEY richard.mahoney@eap.on.ca
Arber, whose Excellent Events staged the event with the help of sponsors. He expressed his appreciation to all those who came out to party and cheer on the parade.“You are the reason we do what we do. The St-Patrick`s Parade is growing each year and will continue to grow as you continue your support for this traditional community event.”
VANKLEEK HILL |A frigid wind could not cool Irish spirits Sunday as a large crowd gathered for the third annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Vankleek Hill. “It was great,” stated organizer Phil Arber, referring to the enthusiasm of the cele- brants. Of the eight entries, the best one was a float entered by Beau’s All Natural Brewery, who won $40 in “Vankleek Hill Bucks.” In the costume contest, the best togs were won by youngster Alexa McLaren, Freda Howes, who was celebrating her 86th birthday, and Bob MacDonald, who is “not yet 86 but working on it!” Each winner went home with $25 in Vankleek Hill cur- rency. Friday, in a random draw, Amanda Hupé was crowned Queen and Jacques Lacelle was chosen as King of the festivities. The Queen, who could not attend the parade, was represented by Janice Duval during the procession. “It was a blast- a cold blast – it was really a blast,” said Arber. “The parties and the pa- rade, the King and Queen, the crowds, all the costumes, all the cheers...Vankleek Hill was certainly Irish last weekend!” Floats passed in front of the reviewing stand not once but twice. “We do things differently in Vankleek Hill,” commented HARRINGTON | Harrington Township can proceed with a $550,000 loan to finance construction of a new $1.5 million munic- ipal garage and offices after project op- ponents failed to muster enough names to force a referendum on the issue. Some 84 people signed a register ex- pressing opposition to the proposal; 136 signatures were needed to hold a referen- dum. The township plans to borrow $ 554,000 in order to proceed with the erection of the garage and administrative offices, for which the municipality will receive a Qué- bec government grant of about $1,030,000. “I am not surprised,” said Brenda Skoda, who argues the township cannot afford what is effectively a new town hall. She has complained that by holding the register
The 57 th SD&G Highlanders Band led off the colourful procession.
Photos Richard Mahoney
A carriage drawn by Angus and Bev McDonald’s team transports “King” Jacques Lacelle and “Queen” Janice Duval, representing Amanda Hupé, along the parade route.
Larry Poirier and Pablo were among the eight entries.
Opposition falls short in bid to block Harrington loan RICHARD MAHONEY RICHARD.MAHONEY@EAP.ON.CA tic and affordable solutions to the issues faced while allowing the municipality to assume its responsibilities.”
day on a Friday, the municipality precluded many seasonal residents from participat- ing. Harrington has about 860 permanent residents, however, there are 1,247 eligible voters. An information meeting had been held the Saturday prior to the March 7 register. The township plans to borrow $ 554,000 in order to proceed with the erection of the garage and administrative offices, for which the municipality will receive a Québec gov- ernment grant of about $1,030,000. In a letter sent to taxpayers recently, Mayor Jacques Parent said the municipality must provide adequate facilities for its pub- lic works department. “As an employer and government entity, we have a responsibility to provide safe and adequate facilities for our employees as well as to ensure the security of municipal documents,” he wrote. “The proposed ga- rage and administrative offices offer realis-
security. The use of the current municipal office space that will be recovered follow- ing the construction is being studied by the council and will be used for the benefit of our citizens and the community centre.” Parent wrote that the project “will give the municipality the tools needed to in- crease its effectiveness and ensure that the costs associated with the Public Works De- partment are comparable and competitive with that of similar markets. Construction of the municipal garage and administrative offices is part of a sound development plan for our municipality and is consistent with our efforts to move towards a prosperous future for our community.” Offices have become cramped, says mayor
No space had been provided for the public works department when it was es- tablished in 2007, the mayor said. “Now, with the department being composed of five permanent employees covered by a collective agreement, a director and vehi- cles needed to maintain municipal servic- es, the municipality is obligated to provide safe facilities for this department.” The message continued: “The admin- istrative offices of the municipality were originally planned for three employees and the Mayor. However, in recent years the offices have been modified and re- furbished several times to accommodate more employees and have become too small for our needs. The storage area des- ignated to keep official documents is also limited and poses a significant risk to their
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