Minutes Village of Westport Commission
Tuesday October 10th, 2023
1. Call to Order:6:36pm
2. Additions to the Agenda:none
3. Adoption of Agenda:
Motion to adopt:Trevor, Second: Shelley
4. Minutes of Tuesday September 5th, 2023
Motion to adopt: Shelley, Second: Trevor
5. Monthly Financial Statement
a. August Financials
Motion to adopt: Trevor, Second: Shelley
6. Old Business:
a. Asset Retirement Obligations Assessment: Invoice has been received and payment has been made. Total for assessment and report production was $2875. Financial planning for recommendations in the report will be discussed with Grant Thornton to budget for the future.
b. Comm & Rec Hall doors and locks repairs/replacement:Community Hall locks are still waiting to be replaced. Rec Hall double doors are still awaiting tumbler reset or lock replacement.
c. Island Medical Services:Village has been advised that an ambulance will be placed at the bay in the Islands Medical Center everyday unless it is called out.
d. Veterans Signs:Digby Signs has advised production takes approximately 14 days. The total cost, including the bracket, will be $246.50 plus tax per banner. The personal information requirements for the banner are first & last name, middle if available. Rank and war served in, as well as a photograph. The photographs can be challenging to acquire and a real photo is better than a digital picture or photograph of an actual picture. Getting in touch with the Legion in Freeport has been challenging but Crystal McDormand confirmed the best hours and contact number are Thursday-Saturday from 4pm at 902-839-2606. It was recommended to check with Fred Taylor who may be able to help.Crystal also advised the church is interested in having a banner done for Sergeant Edgar Wheaton Payson from WWI. They are working on getting permission to use his photo from the Islands Historical society. Everett Powell is also interested in having a banner made for his Grandfather Murray Pugh and is working on getting a photo.Lynne McDormand expressed interest in having a banner made for Shirley McDormand. He served during WWII and she is checking into rank/photo.Janis Albright expressed interest in a banner for Eric Albright but probably not until 2024.
e. Audit Committee Meeting and training:No date has been booked as we are still waiting on a date from Grant Thornton. Clerk has emailed the training link to the Audit Committee and Commissioners.
f. Hall Rentals:An email has been sent to the Seniors group and Recreation Auxiliary as they are frequent users of the halls in order to advise them of the changes to rental fees, booking, and payment expectations. Fees will continue to be enforced going forward.
g. Electrical work Rec hall & Community Hall:Darren Vantasell will be coming in the next few weeks to complete the electrical work in the Rec Hall and Community Hall.
h. AGM scheduling:Still pending meeting with Auditor.
i. New Fire Truck:Truck has been purchased and is pending shipment.
j. Ceiling Fans Rec Hall:Darren Vantasell will be replacing the fans.
k. Rec Hall Heater:Waiting to hear back on a date from Royal Propane regarding fixing the heater.
l. Beach steps:Steps are completed. Stairs to the beach have been removed for the season to avoid damage. Clerk contacted Digby Signs to see how much it would cost for “Use at own risk” signs suitable for the outdoors. Signs approximately 12×12” are $20 plus tax. To be ordered in the spring before steps are put back in position. Removing from agenda until the spring.
m. New Clerk:A copy of the Clerk job description was provided to commissioners to review for approval-and was approved. Position to be posted to website, Facebook groups, and locally at the store and Post Office. Initial closing date November 1st.
n. Rec Hall Dehumidifier:Gordie is still looking into a commercial grade dehumidifier for the Rec Hall.
o. Park Insurance:The clerk emailed our Brokerlink representative to answer our questions about whether the park is covered under the Village or Auxiliary Insurance. Her response was the following:
“If I remember correctly you have an agreement with Westport Recreation Auxiliary that indicates they are responsible for the operations of the park. So we cover the operations of the park under that policy, however, I believe you are still the land OWNER and as such the Village would be protected under the village policy. That said we recommend that the Village be named as additional insured under the Auxiliary Insurance policy (that would transfer your exposure to the Auxiliary policy).”
We also inquired about playground equipment and whether there are specific pieces (swings/slides/etc) or materials (wood/metal/etc) that would be easier/cheaper to insure. She indicated she had no idea other than it would need to be CSA approved. She did say if we could provide a list of equipment including the materials and cost that they could obtain a quote. She also provided some information regarding playground risk management. We can pass this information on to the Recreation Auxiliary.
7. New Business:None
8. Next Village Meeting Tuesday March 5th, 2024
9. Adjournment:8:39pm