Council approves $286,786 expenditure for SCBA and air cylinders for fire departments
Cumberland municipal council has approved the purchase of 25 sets of SCBA and 50 air cylinders for the fire service.
The cost of the self-contained breathing apparatus is $245,593 (including non-recoverable HST) and the air cylinders cost $41,192 (including non-recoverable HST) for a total of $286,786.
Safety Source Ltd. was the only company to submit a proposal. It has been the supplier of SCBA for the past two years.
SCBA is one of the most important pieces of personal protective equipment a firefighter uses.
Cumberland Paving and Contracting awarded $1.12-million capital paving program
Cumberland municipal council has voted to award the paving of Springhill and Parrsboro municipal streets to Cumberland Paving and Contracting for $1,120,192 (including non-recoverable HST).
The municipality is responsible for approximately 70 kilometres of road surfaces in the former towns of Springhill and Parrsboro.
The capital paving program aims to maintain a portion of these surfaces every year based on frequency of use and condition assessment.
The source of funding for the capital paving program is the Canada Community Building Fund, commonly referred to as the Gas Tax Fund.
Council passes motion to extend CAO contract by one year to April 30, 2027
Cumberland municipal council has passed a motion to extend the contract of the chief administrative officer for an additional year to April 30, 2027.
The current contract expires on April 30, 2026.
Greg Herrett, a chartered professional accountant, joined the Municipality of Cumberland as CAO in April 2021 after serving as the CAO of the Town of Amherst since 2005.
Municipal council passes first reading of amendment to rezone Smith Road property to rural industrial
Cumberland municipal council passed first reading of a proposal to amend the land-use bylaw to rezone a property on Smith Road, Upper Nappan from agricultural to rural industrial.
A public hearing will be held prior to second reading.
The property consists of three parcels of land divided by an unmaintained portion of Blair Lake. A portion of the land is part of the Nappan River Dam Marsh and will not be included in the land that is rezoned.
The proposed project for a crustacean drying operation will process crustacean shells into various industrial products such as crop fertilizers. The operation uses proprietary technology that works to remove excessive odors and emissions as a result of the operation of the facility.
It’s proposed to be located on land at a higher elevation to avoid wetlands. It’s also ideal in that prevailing winds will carry odor away from any residential areas.
Municipal council approves amendments to Dangerous and Unsightly Premises Policy
Cumberland municipal council has approved amendments to the Dangerous and Unsightly Premises Policy that will give the administrator the power to monitor a property against which an order has been made within the preceding 12 months and issue further orders without a new complaint.
The existing policy provides that an investigation can only be made following a complaint.
The policy does not adequately address the issue of repeat offenders for unsightly properties.
All other sections of the policy will remain the same.
Municipality of Cumberland repeals 25 obsolete, outdated policies
Municipal council has approved a motion to repeal 25 obsolete policies from the former towns of Springhill and Parrsboro and the Municipality of Cumberland.
Following the 2022 Clear the Deck initiative, consultants Stantec compiled a list of all active bylaws for the municipality and the former towns, including recommendations on which ones needed additional review and those that can be repealed.
The review also provided an opportunity to identify bylaw and policy gap areas.
Staff and council have been using these findings to phase in recommendations for repeals, amendments and creating new bylaws and policies. Numerous policies and bylaws have already been repealed while other policies have been amended and new ones created to address gaps.
Municipality of Cumberland renews NSCC Foundation Gift agreement for four years
Cumberland municipal council has passed a motion to approve the 2025-29 Nova Scotia Community College Foundation Gift Agreement.
The municipality first signed a five-year agreement with NSCC in 2018-19 to provide $20,000 annually to the foundation to be used for student awards.
The funding supported 10 to 20 students annually.
The intent of the program is to provide financial assistance to students attending the Cumberland Campus or Amherst Learning Centre of NSCC. The bursaries encourage students to stay, work and help build the local economy.
The new agreement is for four years, which aligns with council’s term and approvals are subject to the annual municipal budget process.
The awards are $1,000 for part-time students and $2,000 for full-time students.
There has been $117,000 disbursed to 67 award recipients since the first year.
Water utility source advisory committee terms of reference approved
Council has approved the Cumberland Water Utility Source Advisory Committee’s terms of reference.
The municipality’s approval to operate each water system issued by the provincial Environment and Climate Change Department requires the implementation of an approved source water protection plan.
An advisory committee is part of that plan.
The municipality merged three former water utilities in Pugwash, Parrsboro and Springhill into the Cumberland Water Utility in early 2023.
Council holds public hearings on land-use amendments for Malagash area properties
Cumberland municipal council held a public hearing on an amendment to the land-use bylaw that would enable to development of a take-out restaurant, small automotive service station and a public restroom at 15518 Highway 6 in Upper Malagash.
This would be accomplished by rezoning the property from agricultural to country commercial.
The land was originally zoned agricultural based on soil profiles and the lot, located near the boundary with Colchester County, is currently vacant. Rezoning the property would decrease the amount of agricultural-zoned land by less than one per cent.
It’s located in a largely residential area and is very unlikely to be used for agricultural purposes.
The municipality also held a public hearing on a proposal to rezone property between 148 Blue Sea Rd. and Golden Brook in Malagash Centre from agricultural to residential recreation.
This would support the creation of residential building lots.
Prior to being active farmland, the six-acre property was a cheese factory between 1828 and 1929. Presently, the property is vacant and wooded and there are no agricultural activities near the property.
The property owner wishes to subdivide the area into five lots, each of approximately 6,000 square metres.
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