By Chad Ingram

Published Nov. 23 2017

The following are brief reports of items discussed during a Nov. 16 meeting of Algonquin Highlands council.

The Stanhope Airport committee is coming down from the clouds and abandoning a potential plan to bring in the Snowbirds for an air show to celebrate the airport’s 50th anniversary this summer.
“It’s just too big too much to handle” said Deputy-mayor Liz Danielsen who sits on the committee. The price tag for a flyover by the famed aerial exhibitionists would have been $10000 an amount that had been questioned by Mayor Carol Moffatt.
Instead Danielsen said the committee is looking at getting some military air vehicles helicopters etc. for display on the day of the celebration. There will still be some costs including for portable washrooms advertising etc.
The celebration is tentatively scheduled for the same date as the township’s annual Heritage Day.

Fall colours costs

Including staff time the township spent nearly $12000 controlling traffic during the pinnacle of the fall foliage season at the Dorset tower.
A report from parks recreation and trails manager Chris Card showed the township spent $3900 on full-time staff wages and benefits and some $2650 on part-time staff wages at the Dorset tower during the Thanksgiving weekend.
It also spent about $3800 on paid-duty police officers to help patrol traffic. Those costs had been anticipated and were included in the 2017 budget.
The township also spent $1300 acquiring extra parking space for the weekend.
Revenues at the tower for the weekend were approximately $12500 which Card’s report indicated likely would have been higher were it not for inclement weather that weekend.