December 2013

Season’s Greetings

The Town Council would like to wish everyone in our town a very, 

Merry Christmas.  May it be a safe and enjoyable one.  

Christmas Office Hours

During the holidays the Town Office will be closed from December 24^th, 2013 

to January 2^nd, 2014. Please try and take care of any business you have with

 the council before the office closes.  The Town Councilors and Staff will 

only be available in case of an emergency.

Parade and Christmas Tree

The annual Santa Claus Parade will be going ahead on Saturday, December 21^st, 2013. 

  The Parade will begin at 1:00 p.m. from the Community Centre; we ask that any float

s be there for 12:30 p.m.  The Christmas Tree will follow the Parade.  Santa Claus will

 be riding in the Fire Brigade Float again this year.

We would love for everyone to come out and participate again this year.

For further information please contact:

Mike Verge, Fire Chief                   243-2560    

Greg Payne, Deputy Fire Chief        243-2100    

 Stan Patey, Treasurer                     243-2382     

Town Office                                    243-2564                                        

Safety Tips for Christmas

Here are a few helpful tips to help make our holidays a safe and happy one:

v  Throw out all packing materials like Styrofoam pellets, ties, plastic bags, and 

wrapping. Children can choke or suffocate on them.

v  When buying a real tree, check to see that it is fresh.  Water tree daily.  Make

 sure the tree is well secured in a sturdy stand. Place tree away from any source of heat.

v  Metal tree ornaments and decoration should be kept away from young children. 

  They may contain lead that can be harmful to young children if they put them in their mouths.

v  When decorating your home, only use indoor lights inside and outdoor lights outside.

  Check the light strings and extension cords for frayed or exposed wires, loose connections

 or broken light sockets. Do not overload electrical outlets. Turn off holiday lights before you

 go to bed.

v  Have your chimney cleaned and inspected at least once a year.  Make sure that your

 chimney is working well so that wood smoke does not come into the room.

v  Make sure you have working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

v  Please do not drink and drive.  Walk or arrange to be picked up by someone else.  

You are not only a danger to yourself but a danger to everyone in the community when you 

drink and drive. 

Long Range Waste Management Site

As of Sunday, December 1^st, 2013, the Long Range Waste Management Site will not 

be open to the public on Wednesday.  It will continue to be open on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m.

 to 4:00 p.m.  

Garbage will be collected in Parsons Pond for the holidays on Monday, December 23^rd, 2013

 and Monday, December 30^th, 2013.  

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Susan at (709) 215-0975.  

She is available to discuss anything regarding Waste Management Tuesday to Saturday weekly 

from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Snow clearing Regulations

(a)    During the period of December 1 to May 31 it is illegal to park any vehicle on a street or highway 

under the jurisdiction of the Town Council of Parsons Pond, between the hours of 12 midnight 

and 8:00 a.m.

(b)   It is illegal to throw, push or otherwise deposit snow or any other material onto any street or 

highway (which would also include all street reservation and ditch areas).

Violators may be ticketed for each occurrence.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.  These regulations are in place for everyone’s safety.

November 2013

Remembrance Day Service

Monday, November 11^th, 2013 there was a service held for Remembrance Day.  It started at St. Peter’s 

Anglican Church, and then proceeded to the Anglican Cemetery for remainder of the service. 

Lemonte Thornhill, Christopher Payne, Jeff Caines, and Robin Payne laid wreaths in tribute.  Forty one 

people attended to show their respect to the courageous people that have fought for our freedom.  May we 

never take for granted what these people do for us.   Following the service everyone went to the Community 

Center for finger foods. 

Municipal Taxes

We would like to thank those of you that have made an effort to pay your taxes.  For those of you that still 

owe taxes please make an effort to make payment.  The deadline for unpaid taxes is December 2013. 

  

Cat Issue

It has come to the Town Council’s attention that people are abandoning cats in several locations in our

 community.  This was an issue in the past that cost the tax payers a large sum of money. 

Also, we have had reports of someone shooting cats and kittens with pellets.  This is cruel and uncalled for.

These two issues are punishable by law.  If you have any information about who may be doing this please

 contact the town office at 243-2564.  Any tips that are given are confidential.  With the help of the

 people in the community we can put a stop to this animal cruelty.  These animals have not asked to be

 brought here so let’s show a little compassion.

Boil Water Advisory

The boil water advisory was lifted as of Thursday, October 31^st, 2013.  We would like to thank you 

for your understanding during this time.

October 2013

Election Results 

Election Day was Tuesday, September 24th, 2013.    We would like to thank everyone 

who participated,  Adelaide Shears and Cynthia Caines for their years of service to

 our community, and to the newly elected council for their commitment to serve this

 community for the next four years. 

The following people were elected to our town council:

·         Brenda Biggin

·         Paul Parsons

·         Otto Payne

·         Robin Payne

·         Susan Payne

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor were decided at our first meeting.  They are:

·         Mayor-Brenda Biggin

·         Deputy Mayor-Robin Payne

If you have any questions or concerns please contact the town office at 243-2564.

Waste In Our Community 

Someone is dumping waste in various locations within the community.  There is waste 

piled up on the point and in the outer part of the Subdivision.

We should be showing pride in our community not reflecting on it poorly. 

The town now has to look into how they are going to clean up this mess.   This will be

 an added expense this community should not have to incur.   The waste dumped may 

lead to wild animals entering our community; which leads to an unsafe environment for 

everyone from both the garbage and wild animals.

The Long Range Waste Management Site is open to the public on Wednesdays 

and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for your dumping needs.

It is illegal to dump in a non-certified site.  If you or someone you know have information a

bout the dumping of waste please contact the town office at 243-2564. 

 Emergency Preparedness

We would like to remind the residents of Parsons Pond to be prepared for adverse weather.  Here are a

 few simple tips to help you prepare for this time of year:

·         Watch for warnings and advisories

·         Follow local weather forecasts

·         Prepare and maintain an emergency kit-be ready to cope on your own for at least 72 hours

·         Develop an emergency plan, remember the specific requirements of pets or any person in your household 

       with a medical condition, mobility issues, or other specific needs

·         Be aware of all local emergency numbers

·         Understand your insurance policy

·         Ensure sump pumps are in working order

·         Keep all household drains free from debris

·         Secure patio furniture, yard tools, or playground equipment, and remove dead trees and branches which 

        may be affected by heavy winds

·         Consider installing a hard-lined phone in your residence as cordless phones will not work in a power outage

·         Do not touch or attempt to move downed power lines; advise your utility provider immediately instead

·         If you become aware of flooding on streets or observe areas where culvers are blocked, contact municipal officials to advise them of the situation as soon as possible.

       More details on personal preparedness can be found at www.gov.nl.ca/fe or at www.getprepared.ca.  

Come Home Year 2016

 The planning of Come Home Year has begun.  Executive members are now in place for the Come 

Home Year Committee. 

Each committee or organization will be asked to have someone represent them on this committee. 

Please help out to make this Come Home Year 2016 a special time for our community

Boil Water Advisory

 From Wednesday, October 9, 2013 to Friday, October 11, 2013 the regional maintenance man 

will be flushing our water lines.

Therefore, boil water advisory will be in effect until further notice.

Consumers are advised to bring water that you may ingest to a rigorous boil for one minute.

For Example:

·         drinking

·         cooking

·         brushing teeth

·         washing vegetables & fruit

·         making any beverages with water

·         making infant formula & cereal

September 2013

Election Day 

Election Day is Tuesday, September 24th, 2013. The poll station will be open at Parsons Pond Community Hall 

from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

The nominated candidates are:

•         Adelaide Shears
•          Brenda Biggin
•          Cythnia Caines
•          Otto Payne
•          Paul Parsons
•          Robin Payne
•          Susan Payne

Please come forward to vote for your community council members. Remember this is your opportunity to 

have your say on who is representing the people of Parsons Pond. 

If you are not available to vote on Election Day or unable to come to the polling station because of 

sickness the council office has Proxy Applications available that can be filled out and submitted to

 have someone vote on your behalf.  The application completed and returned by Monday, September 23^rd, 2013 

at 4:00 p.m. 

Municipal Taxes 

We would like to thank those of you that have been paying their municipal taxes.  For those of 

you who don’t drive you may contact the town office to make arrangements for your payments to

 be picked up by the town clerk. 

We would also like to inform people that have arrears with the town and have not made an effort to

 make payments we are now working with a collection agency.  You may be contacted by the collection agency collecting taxes on behalf of the community. If we have to collect your taxes through the agency 

your credit rating will be affected.  This service is costly which takes away from other services the town could be providing with your tax dollars. 

Summer Festival Update  

The Summer Festival this year was a great success.  We would like to thank everyone who helped.  

Without your continued support this would not be possible

Sports and Recreation would like to thank everyone who made a donation, or helped out in any way

 for their functions. 

The Parsons Pond Fire Brigade would like to thank everyone who made a donation, or helped out 

in any way for their Pork Chop Dinner and Bingo game.

The winners of the button prizes were:

BBQ-Susan Payne

Shampoo-Stephanie Keough

Angel Decoration-Natalia Verge

Lamppost Decoration-Bevin Goosney

Hat & T-Shirt-Danielle Brake

Coat-Justine Major

Large Cooler Bag-Angela Thornhill

Small Cooler Bag-Mike Payne

Helmet-Lilly Blanchard

The winners of the 50/50 draws were:

Dwayne Parsons

Meghan Verge

The winner of the Quilt Ticket donated by Jean Parsons was Ryan Keough.  

Bus Shelter 

Someone in the community has been using the bus shelter by the community hall has a washroom

 facility.  This is not the first time this as happened,  if this continues we will have no choice but to

 close up this bus shelter altogether. 

The children in this community use that bus shelter to wait for the bus to pick them up.  It would be a

 shame for them to lose this advantage because of someone’s senseless act. 

If you have any information regarding this matter please contact the council office at 243-2564.  Any 

person caught will be reported to the R.C.M.P. in Rocky Harbour.  Furthermore, charges could be laid.      

June 2013

911

 

As you may already know, 911 will be introduced province wide in the near future.  Therefore, the council recommends that residents put a number on their house which will assist emergency responders in case of an emergency.  If you are not sure what your house numbe is, please contact the town office or you can get it from your property assessment notice that you receive in the mail from Municipal Assessment Agency.

 

 

 

Municipal Election

 

 

Election Day will be September 24, 2013.  The date for Nomination Day has not been determined yet.

 

 

 

Town Clerk/Manager-Leave of Absence

 

I would like to confirm that I will be away from the office on a leave of absence starting June 21, 2013-January 6, 2013.

 

During this time, I will be visting with my family out of the province.  This hasn't been an easy decision because I care for the overall community as I do for my personal concerns.

 

In my absence, I will make myself available as much as possible to the council and staff in order to make their jobs less difficult and stressful. 

 

It's been a pleasure working with the residents and the council of Parsons Pond and I couldn't have asked for a nicer town to work in. 

 

Joan Parsons

 

 

 

Janeway Fundraiser

 

 

The Volunteer Fire Brigade and Firettes raised $506.00 to donate to Janeway Hospital. 

 

The council would like to extend appreciation to the volunteers that organized this event and to all the people that donated prizes and food. 

May 2013

Boil Order Removed

The boil water advisory has been lifted from the Town's water supply:

• two successive satisfactory bacteriological water analyses have been obtained
• satisfactory free chlorine residual is maintained at the entry to the distribution system
• free chlorine residual is detectable and maintained throughout the distribution system

Delinquent Taxes

We would like to thank those of you that continue to pay your taxes on time and remind those still owing to please make an effort to come in and pay your taxes as soon as possible.

For those of you owing Property or Water/Sewer Tax the dealine will be May 30, 2013 to have all taxes paid in full or your water will be cut.

All Poll Tax must be paid by May 31, 2013 as well, or your account will be submitted to the Collection Agency.

Recreation Update

We raised $520.00 from the Lobster Tickets and the winner were:

Boyce Decker and Shania Payne

Water Protected Areas

It is illegal for anyone to enter a water protected area, but yet we are still having people doing so.  The gate leading to the reservoir was beat down again a couple weeks ago, this is the fourth time we have had to do repairs to the gate.  The public, council, and the Department of Environment are responsible for monitoring and protecting our water supply area in accordance with the Water Resource Act.  Together, we have to ensure the security of having a healthly water supply.  If you have any information regarding this, please contact the council office. 

To put cameras in the watershed area will cost more than $2,000.00 but we are left with no choice but to do so. 

May 2013

Fire Brigade Report

Our Fire Brigade delivers vital fire protection services to our community.  During the Summer months we have a lot of our members away working, so we would like encourage people to come forward and volunteer. 

Some of the support services of being a Fire Brigade Member:

- Provincial Long Service Awards/Medals
- Firefighter License Plates
- Tax Credit of $3000.00
- Training that can be included on your resume

Annual Spring Cleanup

The Town of Parsons Pond will be holding their annual spring cleanup from Monday, May 13, 2013 to Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Please note:

- All garbage must be secured in boxes or garbage bags in a proper manner and placed at your curb
- This cleanup does not include tires and machines or old machines parts
- All residents are asked to clean the ditches out in front of their property
- The coucil would like to encourage everyone to clean up their property
- For garbage pickup please contact the council office at 243-2564 or call Susan at 243-2286

The Waster Management Site will be open to the public every Wednesday starting May 8, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

April 2013

Thank You

– to all of you Parsons Pond Volunteer Fire Brigade

A very big Thank you for your help and support during a call in the beach area. We could not have done it without your help and as well thank you, Rod Goosney for the cutting the trees to make a path to the beach.
It is good to know that you guys are always nearby with your help and support whenever we call. Great Job Boys!
Message from: The Daniel’s Harbour Ambulance

Fire Brigade Update

· Mr. Jim Barry conducted a Fire Department Assessment on our Fire Department on April 3, 2013. This was done as part of a process to gauge the level of services we offer.
· The Town and the Fire Department will work together to improve on areas such as training and better record keeping, as we work toward setting higher standards for the benefit of the community.

· We have made a request from the Department of Municipal Affairs to purchase a new Pumper Fire Truck on 90/10 Municipal/Provincial Ratio. With emphasis being stressed on having an emergency plan in place a new Fire Truck will improve and thus allow a more sustainable response capability to fire and emergency services in Parsons Pond and Three Mile Rock.

· The Fire Brigade is looking for volunteers to help with fundraising. To become a volunteer with the Firettes you must register with the Fire Brigade. Funds raised will go toward the new Fire Truck as well as other equipment needed for example a generator, lighting system for emergencies that happen in the night, and we have a Fire and Rescue Vehicle that need to be painted, etc.

Town of Parsons Pond Blog Address

The Town Council is in the process of setting up a blog. If you have any suggestions on what information should be on the blog, please contact the council office.
Blog address:

www.townofparsonspond.blogspot.ca

Boil Water Advisory

A boil order advisory effective immediately for the following reason:

Water distribution system undergoing repairs.

The boil water advisory shall remain in effect until the reason for issuing the advisory has been corrected and the following criteria have been met:

1. One set of satisfactory bacteriological water samples is obtained with absence

   total coliform and absence of e. Coli per 100ml of sample.

2. Satisfactory free chlorine residual is maintained at the entry to the

   distribution system.

3. Free chlorine residual is detectable & maintained throughout the distribution

   system.

The Boil Water Advisory is for the entire community of Parsons Pond.