Town of Parsons Pond P.O. Box 39, Parsons Pond,  NL  A0K 3Z0 Telephone:  (709)243-2564    Fax:  (709)243-2254 Brenda Biggin, Mayor  /  Robin Payne, Deputy-Mayor  /  Blanche Thornhill, Town Clerk/Manager Wayne Bennett, Regional Maintenance  /  Arch Payne, Part-time Maintenance Mike Verge, Fire Chief  /  Angela Thornhill, Recreation

June Newsletter 2014

Survey Results

We would like to thank everyone who participated in our town survey.  We feel that it was a great success.  The results of our survey are as follows: 

 Number of Residents by Age Range: 

                                                                       0-12 Years-37

13-18 Years-14

19-35 Years-52

36-54 Years-98

55-64 Years-60

65-74 Years-44

75+ Years-37

Total Residents-342 Surveyed

We did not received data from 11 households.  The data collected is essential when applying for funding for our community.  We are now working with Western Health to provide gift baskets for seniors.  These baskets will be free and delivered to the doors of a select age group.

Lift Station

The Lift Station on Springhill Drive was plugged and sewer was unable to run through properly.    Several times in the last few months the Lift Station has been plugged with mop heads and rags.  We would like to urge people flushing these down their toilets that this not only affects them but everyone located on that lift station.  We are asking that residents be more careful with what they are flushing.  Thank you.

Flushing Water Lines

The Towns water lines will be flushed from Monday June 9 2014 to Friday June 13 2014.  At times you may experience low water pressure.  Water is still on boil order until further notice.

Parsons Pond Volunteer Fire Brigade

Parsons Pond volunteer fire brigade and firettes would like to thank everyone who helped with the bake sale.   A $525 donation was donated to the Janeway telethon,from the proceeds of the bake sale.

Waste Management

The Long Range Waste Management Site is now open to the public Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. 

We would like to remind residents that there is a limit of six bags per household.

You are not permitted to put your bags of garbage in another household container.  We are receiving complaints that people are putting their waste in other people’s containers without permission.  This is not permitted.  If there is more than one household in one container inform the town office so they can notify the garbage collector.

   

Student Employment

We have applied for funding and will be accepting resumes for summer 2014. Please submit your resume with your level education to the town office.

Central Development will also be accepting resumes.  Please forward resumes to their office if you are interested.

May 2014

Student Employment

We have applied for funding and will be accepting resumes for summer 2014. 

Please submit your resume with your level education to the town office.

Central Development will also be accepting resumes pending funding. Please forward

 resumes to their office if you are interested.

Youth Ventures

The Youth Ventures Program is up and running again this year as of April 28/2014. 

Contact will be made with schools and councils starting on May 5/2014. If you know

 a student between the age of 12 & 29, who will be returning to school in September 2014

 that is interested in starting their own business please tell them about our program. Contact 

Cathy Payne at 243-2744.

Annual Spring Cleanup

The town of Parsons Pond will be holding their annual spring cleanup from Monday, May 

12 to Saturday, May 17/2014.

PLEASE NOTE:

·         All garbage must be secured in boxes or garbage bags in a proper manner and placed at 

y    our curb.

·         This cleanup does not include old car/truck parts or tires—the waste site is open 

      Wednesdays and Saturdays for those items.

·         Council would like all residents to do their part and help beautify the town by cleaning/tidying

      their property and surrounding areas.

·         For garbage pickup please contact the council office at 243-2564 or Dexter Payne at 243-2286.

     Theatre Newfoundland & Labrador

TNL will be hosting a Neddy Norris Night on July 31^st/2014 at Parsons Pond Lounge.

Admission:   Adults $27.00

                   Students $15.00

If you would like to purchase tickets early due to limited space, you can contact Brenda Biggin 

at 243-2553 or Stephanie Keough at the Town office at 243-2564.

Civic Address

Everyone in Parsons Pond has a civic address. The town council is asking that everyone make 

their address visible to your street by putting your number on your house.

This is necessary in case of emergency. The ambulance, fire truck and police will need information

 once the 911 implementation is put in place.

Please contact the town office Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm to confirm your civic 

address.

Snow Clearing 2013/2014

We try our best to provide the best snow clearing through our town. In saying that our tax dollars pay for this service.

The winter of 2013/2014 has been long and hard, which meant we had to go $10,000.00 over on our budget in snow clearing this year. This is why it is important to collect all outstanding taxes.

April 2014

Fireman’s Banquet Update

The Fire Brigade would like to thank everyone who supported their banquet

 this year.  It was a great success.  In total they raised $784.00 on the door 

and $70.00 in donations.  They raised $2423.89 on ticket sales that is with 

the payment $170.11 taken out for printing and licensing fees. 

The ticket winners were 1^st Prize ($500.00)-Marilyn Plowman of Port Aux 

Choix, 2nd Prize ($300.00)-Randy Parsons of Cow Head, and 3^rd Prize ($200.00)

-Rebecca Patey of Cow Head.   

Water Shut Off Date

Just a reminder that as of Friday, May 2^nd, 2014 anyone who owes outstanding 

taxes will have their Water Shut Off.  The deadline for payment is Tuesday, 

April 29^th, 2014.  Please contact the town office to set up payment options for 

these accounts. 

After this date notices will be sent out to people with outstanding accounts.  An 

outstanding account is one that is owed for a previous year. 

We once again would like to thank those residents who make a point of paying 

their accounts on time.  We feel it is only fair that everyone pay their share.  Just a

 reminder that if you have no transportation to the council office please contact the

town office to arrange pick up of your payment. 

Survey

Someone from the town office will be contacting you in the upcoming weeks via telephone. 

We are trying to set up a database for the town.  This person will be asking you general 

questions about your household.  This data bank will be set up for the town office purpose 

only.  No information will be shared from this survey to any other organization. 

This information will be used to help us with applying of funding for improvements within our

 community.

March 2014

Long Range Waste Management

Long Range Waste Management is now located in the Town of Parsons Pond 

Council Office.   Should you have any waste management questions or concerns

 please call 243-2564.   The town clerk will be more than happy to help you.

Cat Rescue Ticket Draw

The cat rescue fund tickets were a great success.  In total there was $200.00 raised

 to help offset the cost of bringing the cats to Corner Brook.  The lucky winner of 

$200.00 was Ben Kennedy.  On behalf of the individuals taking care of the rescue 

efforts we would like to thank you for your support.     

Deadline For Outstanding Accounts

The deadline for payment for outstanding accounts is only one month away.  On 

May 2^nd, 2014, the maintenance man will be going to the households of this account

 to shut off water.  Once your water is shut off the complete balance must be paid to 

the town manager plus a $100.00 hookup fee.

For those of you who do not have water connections.  Your accounts will be submitted

 to the Credit Bureau for collections with an additional 5% to offset the cost of this 

service. The other option will be contacting your employer to garnish your wages. 

We would like to sincerely thank those of you that are paying your accounts regularly. 

  It doesn't seem fair for a small portion of our community to use the services without paying

 their share of the expenses.  

February 2014

Changes in Municipal Tax Policy

In a meeting held on December 10^th, 2013 a regulation change.  

All municipal taxes will now have to be paid by October 31^st of 

that year. This change is necessary so all taxes will be collected

 before year end. We still have tax payers who take the services 

offered in our community for granted and fail to pay their taxes on 

time.This makes it bad for everyone else. Council would like to thank 

those of you that are making an effort each year to have your taxes paid 

on time. 

Come Home Year Update

The Come Home Year Committee has received a lot of addresses for 

their Come Home Year 2016 from residents.  If you know of anyone 

from Parsons Pond who has not submitted their address to date please 

ask them to forward their information along to chyc2016@live.com or 

to Box 149, Parsons Pond, NL, A0K 3Z0. 

The Come Home Year Committee will be holding their next public meeting 

on Monday, March 10^th, 2014 at Parsons Pond Club starting at 6:30 p.m. 

A Message From The Fire Brigade

With your help we were able to make the van for the Jaws of Life a reality.  

We will be putting the finishing touches on the van in near future. Through 

our fundraising efforts we are able to have our members do training, which

 is essential in offering our town the best protection possible.  

We are now fundraising to buy a large generator for the community in case 

of an emergency where everyone would have to go to the community center. 

  We have tickets for sale from each of your fire brigade members.   On behalf 

of the volunteer fire brigade I would like to thank everyone for their continued

 support throughout the years.  

                                              Mike Verge, Fire Chief

Cat Rescue Efforts

Recently Scaredy Cat Rescue had nineteen cats spayed/neutered.  These cats

 are now marked by their ears being sniped and two have collars on them.  The

 local residents that are taken care of the cat rescue efforts are asking that no 

one hurt these cats.  It was costly to have this procedure done.  The residents that 

are overseeing the rescue efforts have 50/50 tickets available for sale to help raise

 funds to offset the cost of having to transporting the cats to Corner Brook.  They 

are hoping to have more cats spayed/neutered in the upcoming months.

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.