More Downtown trees to be replaced
At the November 9th session for Perth town council’s committee of the whole meeting, staff presented a report on the state of the ash trees in the downtown corridor. In 2016 an arborist was contracted to examine them and they found a severe infestation of emerald ash borers in 27 of the trees. Between then and today, 8 have been removed. Staff reported that another 13 require replacement for the same reason in 2022 and they plan on removing the final 6 in 2023. The replacement species have yet to be selected. Staff also met with BIA representatives to discuss the annual Christmas light displays that use the trees as next year, the new plantings will not be big enough to support the lights and wiring. The budget impact for next year’s work has been estimated at $50K.
Strategic Plan Strikes Out Again
After several special meetings, including a day-long session, Perth council was no closer to adopting their strategic plan at the Nov. 9th meeting than when they started. The document sets out spending and project plans for the next 5 years and Perth is one of the few area municipalities that complete this exercise on a regular basis. Some councilors were concerned about the lack of focus on economic development and seniors’ services. Others wanted more public feedback in the process. At the end, the matter was deferred to a future meeting for further discussion.
Re-use Centre to return
Grant Machan, Perth’s Director of Environmental Services reported to the committee that the first trial run of a community re-use centre at the town’s landfill site was a success. It ran from May to August on Saturday mornings and accepted construction and household materials that could be reused, averaging 20 visitors each morning. It was run by volunteers, including the mayor. Staff were recommending continuing the project and adding a secure and weatherproof storage rack to protect sensitive materials from damage. The centre will be open to Perth residents only and this past season diverted thousands of pounds of material from the landfill.
