Liverpool, NS, August 29, 2018: Region of Queens Municipality officially launches the “Queens: Planning for the Future” project this week. Over the course of the next 18 months the Municipality will work with residents, business owners, seasonal home-owners, agencies and community groups to modernize the land use planning framework within the Region. Specifically, the project will result in an updated Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use (zoning) By-law. These documents guide how and where businesses, homes, farms, and new infrastructure can and should happen.

Councillor Heather Kelly, Chair of the Planning Advisory Committee, is excited to see the project get underway. “Queens: Planning for the Future is a chance to ask ourselves, ‘where do we want to be 10 or 20 years from now?’ and to define that picture of the future. We’ll be working with the public to establish a vision, and to identify what is needed to get us there. We want to shape our communities so they continue to be places where people want to live.”

Mike MacLeod, Director of Planning and Development, added, “This project will also help us get ahead of some challenges we will face in the future, such as climate change and an aging population. How can we balance the needs of our diverse rural and settlement areas? Do we have enough opportunities for seniors’ housing? Do we have the jobs and services to attract and retain young families? These are the kinds of questions we will be asking throughout the project.”

Starting now, the Region will be reaching out to ask, “What do you want your Queens to be?” and to engage in important conversations on specific issues, such as housing, agriculture, home-based businesses, coastal development, and more. The project is being carried out with
support from Upland Planning and Design Studio, who will be hosting events and presentations in communities throughout the region this fall.
Anyone interested in learning more about the project or participating in the process can review the project website, sign-up for the e-newsletter, send an email, or call the municipal office.

www.queensplan.com
hello@queensplan.com
902-354-3455

The Region of Queens Municipality is currently seeking proposals for auditing services.  Applicants must be Registered Municipal Auditors, as certified by the Province of Nova Scotia. 

To download a Request for Proposal package, please click here.

Deadline for proposals is September 21, 2018.

The Region of Queens Municipality reserves the right to reject any or all bids as authorized by law and to award the contract to other than the lowest bidder at its discretion.  The best interest of the Region of Queens Municipality is hereby served.

Any questions with regard to this RFP should be directed to:

Jennifer Keating-Hubley, BAccS, CPA, CGA

Director of Finance

Region of Queens Municipality

P.O. Box 2164

Liverpool, Nova Scotia

B0T 1K0

Tel:   (902) 354-3453

Fax:  (902) 354-7473

Email: jkeatinghubley@regionofqueens.com

August 22, 2018; Liverpool, NS:  As part of a nine person contingent from the Lunenburg/Queens Special Olympics chapter, five residents of  Queens traveled to Antigonish, Nova Scotia to join 900 Special Olympics athletes at the 2018 National Special Olympics Summer Games.

Jamie Belong, Rebecca Delaney, Rebecca Maule, Colby Oickle, and Ben Theriau competed in a variety of disciplines, and collectively brought home eight medals, including six gold, as part of Team Nova Scotia’s overall medal count of 134. To honour their achievements, the Region of Queens Municipality is hosting a reception on Wednesday, August 29th in the lobby at Queens Place Emera Centre.

The event will take place from 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm, and the public is welcome to attend and meet these athletes, and commend them on their outstanding performance and dedication.  “The Region of Queens is immensely proud of their accomplishments and the manner in which these athletes represented Queens and Nova Scotia during the 2018 Summer Games. We are pleased to host this reception and hope the public will come to meet and congratulate them” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. The Mayor also noted the commitment of the volunteers with the Special Olympics program and family support as being integral to their success. 

There will be some light refreshments provided by the Region of Queens, and The Snug café will be open for those wishing to purchase lunch.  

For more information please call the Recreation and Healthy Communities Department at 902-354-5741.

August 14, 2018; Liverpool, NS:  The audited financial statement and trust fund financial statements for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018  were adopted by Region of Queens Municipality’s Council at their August 14, 2018 Regular Council meeting.  An overview of the audited financial statements from the 2017/2018 fiscal year was presented by Paul Belliveau and Michael Metcalfe, of the firm Belliveau Veinotte Inc., independent external auditors appointed by the Municipality.  He previously reviewed the audited financial statements at the Region of Queens Municipality’s Audit Committee meeting on August 7, 2018.

“Prudent financial planning, strategic investments in our community, and careful budgeting remain a priority of this Council, and we are pleased that the Region of Queens continues to remain in a strong financial position,” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality.

General operations ended the fiscal year, March 31, 2018 with an operating surplus of $138,233.  Higher than anticipated deed transfer tax revenue accounted for a large percentage of the surplus.  While the water utility operating statement was mainly static this year, the maintenance and repairs budget was overspent due to a water line break at the water treatment plant in February, 2018. 

The 2017/2018 Audited Financial Statement will be posted on the Region of Queens website at http://www.regionofqueens.com/municipal-services/finance/financial-statement/audited-statement by the end of the week. 

July 24, 2018; Liverpool, NS: Partnerships enable much to be accomplished, and such is the case for repairs required to reopen the Trestle Trail Bridge in Liverpool, NS. Queens Rails to Trails Association’s request for funding support from Region of Queens Municipality’s Council was approved at the Region of Queens July 24, 2018 Regular Council meeting, in an amount up to $90,000 to be funded in 2018-2019 through a withdrawal from Gas Tax Reserve, subject to all funding being in place to advance the first phase of the upgrades.

“Council is happy to provide funds to support Phase One of the upgrades required to reopen the Trestle Trail Bridge, and join with funding partners from private sector and the province to ensure that this popular trail reopens,” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. “Completion of repairs that will allow the reopening of the Trestle Trail Bridge will support future trail development by the Queens Rails to Trails Association which will connect east and west Queens.”

The Trestle Trail Bridge is part of the popular Trestle Trail which runs through Liverpool, joining the east and west side of the community by crossing the Mersey River. The bridge was closed in November 2014 due to a recommendation for immediate closure to vehicular and pedestrian traffic following an inspection by structural engineers. Estimates for repairs to the bridge a year following its closure were in the area of half a million dollars. In September, 2016, Council approved a Letter of Authority with Queens Rails to Trails Association for establishment of a shared use trail on the abandoned rail corridor in Liverpool. An agreement was signed in October, 2016 with Queens Rails to Trails Association turning over authority for construction, operation and maintenance of a shared use trail and related facilities for the abandoned rail corridor owned by the Region of Queens Municipality from Bristol Avenue to White Point Road in Liverpool, encompassing the Trestle Trail. The agreement required that prior to construction of the Trail or related facilities, that the Association and Municipality review and finalize the construction schedule, design, and construction standards. As well, the agreement states that the Municipality shall not be responsible for the cost of constructing, maintaining or operating any trails or related facilities within these lands.

The Region of Queens and the Province cost shared with the Queens Rails to Trails Association to provide the Region of Queens with a copy of an engineering report by CBCL Limited concerning short and long term costs over a 10 year period to repair the Trestle Trail Bridge only. The 10 year Class D estimate contained in the report for bridge restoration is estimated to be $1,570,000, with a contingency of 10% built in at each stage for engineering and 20% built in at each stage for cost overruns. The upgrades planned by Queens Rails to Trails are planned in three phases; Phase One is expected to begin in the coming months at an estimated to cost of $490,000, which will enable the bridge to reopen once critical structural work is completed. Queens Rails to Trails Association intends to begin Phase Two soon after Phase One, at an estimated cost of $950,000 for additional structural work. Phase Three is budgeted at $130,000 and must be completed within the ten year time frame. It should be noted that a Class D estimate is usually estimated at a 40% contingency for cost overruns, not 20%, however, future tender bids will determine actual project costs.

Confirmed funding for Phase One includes the Region of Queens commitment of up to $90,000, along with $150,000 from the Province of Nova Scotia, and $250,000 from the J&W Murphy Foundation. Phase Two funding has $500,000 confirmed from the J&W Murphy Foundation, with the balance of $450,000 as yet unconfirmed. Phase Three funding estimated at $130,000 is currently unsecured.

Since 2010, Region of Queens Council has worked with organizations in Queens to conditionally permit off highway vehicle access to the Trestle Trail Bridge to create a recreational trail within Queens that would eventually connect to existing ATV trails in Lunenburg and Shelburne Counties.

July 18, 2018

Milton Centennial Pool will be closed Wednesday, July 18, 2018 as a result of a chemical imbalance.  Those registered for swim lessons are being contacted regarding the closure.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused.  The safety of our participants and staff is our #1 priority; we will re-open the pool for aquatic activity only when we are positive that there will be no safety issues for swimmers and staff.  We anticipate that the pool will resume its regular schedule of activities Thursday, July 19, 2018.

July 10, 2018; Liverpool, NS: As time passes, communities change, trends shift and new practices emerge; Region of Queens Municipality is taking steps to continue to evolve with the shift in demographics, changes in the business community, climate change impacts, and other developments affecting the community. At the July 10, 2018 Region of Queens Council meeting, the contact for consulting services for the Review of the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) was awarded to UPLAND for a total cost of $138,000.

“There has been much change in Queens since 2009, and Council is pleased see the MPS and LUB review moving forward under the skilled leadership of UPLAND. The Region of Queens plans to build on the success of the community, and through engagement with our citizens throughout the review. The updated plan will serve our community’s needs now and into the near future,” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality.

Periodic updates to MPS and LUB documents are required by the Municipal Government Act; the current Region of Queens MPS and LUB were adopted by Council on July 20, 2009, and there has been much change in Queens County in the ensuing years.

A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued on May 4, 2018, with a deadline of June 15, 2018, to engage the services of an integrated land use planning and engineering consulting firm with expertise in land use planning to carry out a formal review of the Region of Queens Municipality’s MPS and LUB. The RFP identified that the project would be expected to take place over approximately 18 months in 2018 and 2019. Seven consulting firms submitted proposals, all of which were reviewed by a committee consisting of the Region of Queens Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) and Municipal staff. The proposal from UPLAND had the third highest project hours, second highest project hours by firm project manager, and the lowest overall project price. The Review Committee felt UPLAND’s experience with a similar project was an advantage; in 2017, the firm completed a review and consolidation of planning documents for the Municipality of Cumberland, which is similar to the Region of Queens Municipality in that it has a large geographic area, primarily rural with pockets of urbanized development, and extensive coastlines.

The scope of the project will encompass six guiding principles:
1. Building sustainable communities where residents have varied housing choices, and increased opportunities where to live, work, learn, volunteer, shop, and to have access to a variety of recreational opportunities;
2. Balancing the desires, needs, and unique qualities of our diverse urban and rural communities within the Region;
3. Expanding and growing the local population and economy;
4. Preserving and enhancing community character, the natural environment, and the Region’s sense of space;
5. Responding to climate change; and,
6. Engaging local residents, business community, community organizations, and external agencies and departments throughout the planning process.

The project is expected to start ion the next couple of weeks, and will provide plenty of opportunity for the public to become involved in helping to shape the future of their communities.

July 10, 2018; Liverpool, NS: Homes and public facilities in Liverpool, NS date back centuries, and at the July 10, 2018 Region of Queens Municipality’s Council meeting, motions were approved to preserve and recognize two buildings for their historic significance in the community.

The Heritage Advisory Committee of the Region of Queens Municipality met on June 14, 2018 to discuss the requests for Heritage designations. The owners of the property located at 547 Main Street, Liverpool, NS submitted an application to have their property designated under the municipal register of heritage properties. The dwelling was constructed between 1760 and 1762 on land that was part of the original Town plot, and granted to Captain John West. It is known locally as the John and Phebe West House (West’s Tavern), and the portion of the house containing the original Gambrel-roofed construction is thought to be one of the oldest structures in Liverpool. The architectural style of Gambrel-roofed homes is rare, and the home is among approximately seven in Nova Scotia. The property received provincial heritage designation in 2012. Council served Notice of Recommendation upon the owners of 547 Main Street, Liverpool, and on August 14, 2018 at 9 a.m. in Council Chamber, 249 White Point Road, Liverpool, NS, will sit to hear any comments and/or concerns from the owners regarding the registration.

A letter of request was received from the Queens County Museum requesting that the Region of Queens Municipality, as owners of the building, consider making application to have the Liverpool Court House designated as a Place of National Historic Significance. Council approved a motion in support of this recommendation, and requested staff begin the application, which once submitted, may take up to two years to process by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The Court House was recognized for its historical significance with a provincial heritage designation in 2001. The Court House was built in 1854 by George W. Boehner and was designed by William G. Hammond; it is considered an excellent example of Greek Revival temple style architecture. The Court House has been home to the Queens Museum of Justice since 2017.
Both properties are recognized for their historical significance through listings on Canada’s Historic Places website, which is a Federal, Provincial and Territorial collaboration, featuring historic buildings across the country.