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Mayor Gary Barton reviews the past year
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
His calendar is a little more occupied now, for the new year, as he takes on the du- ties of warden, once more, for the United Counties of Prescott-Russell. But Mayor Gary Barton took a few moments to reflect on how the past year has treated him and Champlain Township. “We have done alright,” Mayor Barton said, during a break in the Jan. 11 session of counties council. He noted that the township is well set to go ahead now with a planned expansion of upgrade of its wastewater treatment system. The present three-cell lagoon setup will have a fourth cell added on to boost the township’s capacity for sewage treatment, in anticipation of future economic devel- opment. Township administration has gotten ap- proval for one-third cost sharing with the provincial and federal governments on the $8.5 million project. “We’re almost ready to go to tender,” Mayor Barton said. One sad note for the community at the close of 2016, Barton observed, was the sudden passing of Phil Arber, local busi- nessman, culture champion, and the spear- head behind several longtime community festivals and other events in Champlain Township and either a partner or committee member of many other projects. “He did a lot of things,” Barton said. “We’re going to miss the big hole he left behind. But we’re fortunate in also having a large and well-skilled volunteer base to run many community events.” Looking ahead to the present year, Barton is now juggling his duties as mayor with his added responsibilities as warden for the counties. In both cases, he noted, the issue of resolving the fire dispatch service needs for both Champlain Township and several other municipalities in Prescott-Russell is a top priority. “We need to get this fire dispatch situation solved,” he said. Other concerns for Barton as mayor in- clude plans afoot for expanding the available community recreation space available for residents. That includes planning for a community centre in the Village of L’Orignal. Also Barton hopes to see more planning work done for expanding the economic development op- portunities in the municipality. Which brings Warden Barton to econom- ic development issues for the counties at large. He noted that extension of natural gas service farther into Eastern Ontario’s rural areas is important to Prescott-Russell too. Barton also wants to help both the St- Albert Cheese Factory in The Nation and Skotidakis Goat Farm in East Hawkesbury Township with their hydro supply needs so they can operate at full capacity. “And, obviously, this (past) year the ce- ment plant has taken up a lot of our time,” Barton said, referring to Colacem Canada Ltd.’s controversial proposal for a cement plant in L’Orignal. “That’s coming to the crunch. We (coun- cil) are kind of in a no-win situation.”
Gary Barton a un calendrier bien rempli pour 2017, avec ses fonctions de maire de la municipalité de Champlain et de préfet des Comtés unis de Prescott et Russell. —photo archives
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