HOW TO CONTACT ME Councillor Matt Whitman District 13

Councillor Matt Whitman
District 13
Hammonds Plains - St. Margarets
Halifax Regional Municipality
Dear Residents,
Greetings to all residents of District 13 and a warm welcome
to new residents in our community. My first year as your
representative on Regional Council has been an exciting and
productive one. I have been working in the community and
dealing with a number of issues, challenges and
opportunities. It is a privilege to serve you as your Municipal
Councillor. I am always pleased to hear from you and
encourage you to contact me with your concerns or
suggestions. Thank you for your continued support. I look
forward to continuing to work with you throughout the next
year.
Winter is just around the corner. There are a number of fun
activities happening around HRM during the winter months.
For a list of activities, please check out HRM’s website at
www.halifax.ca. Use the drop down menu and go to Events
(Civic).
Winter 2013/2014
HOW TO CONTACT ME
My Office is here to serve you
Councillors’ Support Office
Halifax Regional Municipality
P.O. Box 1749, Halifax, NS B3J 3A5
Phone: 240-3330
Fax: 490-4122
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.halifax/ca/districts/dist13
My Council Constituency Coordinator:
Melody Campbell
Phone: 490-2012
Email: [email protected]
As the holiday season approaches, my family and I extend
best wishes for all the blessings of the season and a healthy
and prosperous New Year!
Yours in Service,
Granite Cove Park, Hubley
HRM Citizen Contact Centre – 3-1-1
You can reach the HRM Citizen Contact Centre by calling 3-1-1. By contacting 3-1-1, you can a report an issue and access a wide variety of municipal services and information through the Contact Centre. The Citizen Contact
Centre hours are 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., seven days a week except New Year’s Day and Christmas Day.
Councillor Matt Whitman
District 13
Hammonds Plains - St. Margarets
Snow & Ice Service Standards
Sidewalks
The Halifax Regional Municipality is committed to keeping
streets and sidewalks clear and safe from snow and ice. Even
before a snow event occurs, HRM’s snow operations are set
in motion to facilitate safe movement for both motorists
and pedestrians. Snow and ice operations, however, do take
time. The goal is to set an attainable standard which align
the levels of service with the financial constraints of the HRM
budget.
Priority 1 Sidewalks
First Priority sidewalks include main arterials and sidewalks
within the Capital District. HRM’s goal is to clear these
sidewalks within 12 hours of the end of snowfall.
In order to achieve this standard, routes must be classified
based on their impact on the overall transportation system.
HRM has classified all of the routes and will service them
(salt, sand and plow) in the following order of priority:
Priority 3 Residential Street Sidewalks & Walkways
HRM’s goal is to clear residential sidewalks and walkways
within 36 hours of the end of snowfall.
Streets
Priority 1 Streets & Roads
First Priority streets include main arterials, emergency routes
to hospitals and fire stations, major bus routes, and snow
routes in major hilly terrain during weather situations. HRM’s
goal is to have a plow or salt pass every 3 hours and make
Class 1 streets safe and clear of snow within 12 hours of the
end of snowfall.
Priority 2 Streets & Roads
Second Priority streets include residential and rural routes
with medium to low volume traffic and gravel roads. HRM’s
goal is to start cut throughs at intersections to allow access
onto the local streets after 10 cm’s of accumulation and to
make Class 2 streets passable within 24 hours of the end of
snowfall.
As you know, a number of streets and roads in
District 13 are owned and maintained by the
Province of Nova Scotia. If you want to know who
maintains your street, you can find the
information on the HRM website at www.halifax.ca
- use the drop down menu and go down to Street
Maintenance Directory.
PEOPLE IN OUR
COMMUNITY!
Priority 2 School Route and Transit Route Sidewalks
HRM’s goal is to clear school route sidewalks within 18 hours
of the end of snowfall.
Intersections & Bus Stops
HRM’s goal is to clear bus stops (starting with high volume
stops) within 48 hours of the end of snowfall.
Important Notes on Service Standards
• In snowfalls greater than 30 cm, or in blizzard conditions,
service levels may not be achieved. HRM’s crews will
continue working until all streets and sidewalks are clear and
safe from snow & ice.
• During significant snow events “cut throughs” (one lane
plowing) may commence on residential streets to allow
single lane access prior to full street width clearing.
• While the objective is to maintain sidewalks to a bare
condition, many factors are key to achieving success. Wet
snow packed to ice, freezing rain and sudden freezes after
rain can produce a heavy ice build-up on sidewalks. Sand will
be applied to provide a degree of traction.
• In the case of multiple snowfalls, where there has been
insufficient time to complete all sidewalks, operations will
return to the highest priorities and start over.
• Plowing, from either street or sidewalk operations, will
result in snow at the end of resident’s driveways. HRM is NOT
responsible for removing this snow.
On June 21, 2013 Peter Coade, the Maritime’s mostexperienced meteorologist, broke the Guinness World
Record for the Longest Career as a Weather Forecaster.
In October 2012, Peter marked 50 years as a weather forecaster and meteorologist. The Guinness World Record official
certificate received from their London headquarters states: “The longest career as a weather forecaster is 50 years, 8
months and 21 days, and was achieved by Peter Coade (Canada) at CBC Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada from 1 October
1962 to 21 June, 2013.”
Peter is a member of our St. Margaret’s – Hammonds Plains community. We wish him all the best and congratulations on
his distinguished and long-standing career.
Councillor Matt Whitman
District 13
Hammonds Plains - St. Margarets
District 13 – District Project Updates
Each Councillor is allocated $94,000 each year in District Capital funds as outlined in the Municipal Government Act. Since
becoming Councillor, the following are a few projects that have received donations from the District 13 Capital fund.
The William Black United Church Playground opening was held on Saturday, October 26th. Congratulations to the
Committee for all its work in getting the playground built. It is great to see this playground open for all area children to enjoy.
The Micou’s Island Stewardship Centre has had another successful season. There have been exterior and interior restorations
on the cottage. Thank you to the St. Margaret’s Bay Stewardship Association and its residents for its work to keep Micou’s
Island open to the public. The island is a great asset to our community and is vital in preserving our heritage and celebrating
our natural environment.
COUNCILLOR WHITMAN IN THE
COMMUNITY!
Councillor Whitman and
Mike Leroux with the new
automated external
defribulator for the
St. Margaret’s Bay Centre.
Councillor Whitman
with volunteers of
the St. Margaret’s
Bay Food Bank
during the
installation of the
air heat pump.
Councillor Whitman
presenting funding,
on behalf of the
residents of District
13, to the Tantallon
Citizens on Patrol
Society.
Councillor Whitman
presenting a cheque, on
behalf of the residents of
District 13, to the
volunteers of the Head of
St. Margaret’s Bay/
Boutiliers Point
Recreation Association for
outdoor arena
upgrades and community
centre repairs.
Parkland Planning Project Updates
Hubbards Skatepark
The start-up site meeting and public participation sessions for the Hubbards Skatepark took place in September. The
preliminary design has been reviewed and accepted by the Committee. Detailed design and specifications will be developed
over the winter months. It is anticipated that the skatepark build will begin in the spring of 2014.
White Hills Multi-Purpose Sports Court
A multi-purpose sports court has been built in White Hills, Hammonds Plains. The on-site landscaping was completed in
November.
Granite Cove Park (Five Island)
The Granite Cove Park project is nearing completion. In the past several months, there has been the installation of a floating
boardwalk through the wetland, a dock, interpretive signage, a picnic shelter, benches, planting and green space
development.
Big Hubley Lake Park (Three Brooks)
A BMX park has been developed at Big Hubley Lake Park.
Councillor Matt Whitman
District 13
Hammonds Plains - St. Margarets
The New Bedford Hammonds Plains
Community Centre is now Open!
HRM Community Recreation Services is now offering
programs from its new Bedford Hammonds Plains
Community Centre. Located at 202 Innovation Drive,
Bedford, as part of the new Charles P. Allen High School, the
Bedford Hammonds Plains Community Centre is a spacious,
fully-accessible, and security-monitored recreation facility.
Ridematching
• Are you looking for a way to reduce your commuting costs?
This new centre will be able to support existing recreation
programs in the area, while providing new opportunities for
specialty recreation programs and leisure activities.
• Are you considering trying out transit or cycling for your
daily commute but are unfamiliar with bus routes or feel
uncomfortable cycling on city streets?
The centre features many amenities, including:
- Full-size gymnasium, with capacity for 224 spectators
- Dance room, featuring hardwood floors, bars, & mirrored wall
- Locker room facilities
- Kitchenette (available to sport teams during tournaments)
- Fitness room
- Dedicated youth and senior program room
- Dedicated pre-school program room
- Arts & Crafts room
- Community meeting room
- Dedicated parking spaces
- Performance Art venue
- Full-size FIFA and CFL artificial turf facility
HRM is providing access to a service which can help.
To contact the Bedford Hammonds Plains Community
Centre, please call 490-4238 or 869-4208. For information
on the all-weather turf facility, please call 490-4003.
Tweets
& “Quotes”
“Instead of worrying about what people say of you,
why not spend time trying to accomplish something
they will admire.”
- Dale Carnegie
“The only person you should try and be better than, is
the person you were yesterday.”
- Nicky Gumbel
“The feeling you get from finishing a race is far better
than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing
you were running. Run strong.”
- John Stanton
“Motivation needs to be a part of your own life for you
to be effective in conveying it to other people.”
- Zig Ziglar
• HfxRidematch.ca is a safe and secure on-line ride-matching
system that allows commuters to quickly and securely find
travel partners.
• The system matches people based on proximity to origin
and destination points and travel route as well as similar
working hours, travel mode and compatible preferences.
• The system can be used to match carpool, transit,
cycling and even walking partners.
It’s FREE to use. It’s secure. It’s easy. It’s fast.
BayRides
The St. Margaret’s Bay Community Transportation Society,
known as “BayRides”, is entering the second leg on the path
to establishing community transit in the Bay area. After a
needs and feasibility study carried out last year indicated
considerable interest, BayRides received a grant from the
Nova Scotia Transit Research Initiative Program (NS-TRIP) to
develop a business plan in which alternative service models,
costs and possible sources of funding will be more precisely
determined. A consultant has been hired to help BayRides
with developing the business plan. A public meeting was
held on November 7th with more than 40 people in
attendance. The input gained from this and other meetings
will be used in the business plan.
Public support from the Bay area will be essential if a
community transit service is to become a reality. If a viable
business plan is developed, the next phase in 2014/15 will
be pre-implementation, followed by a pilot phase in 2015/16
and full service in 2016.
Due to Canada Post distribution areas,
some residences which are not in District
13 may receive this newsletter. I apologize for any confusion this may cause and
hope you still find the information useful.