April 30 2014
By Chad Ingram

The following are brief reports of items discussed at an April 24 Minden Hills Council meeting.

A motion to make the Minden 150 Bike Tour a signature Minden Hills event was deferred by council.

As he had at an April 10 committee-of-the-whole meeting Councillor Larry Clarke expressed reservations about the township taking over the event and said several areas needed to be addressed including formulating a plan going to staff to check the resources available financing and a policy or guidelines for the township to assume such events.

At the April 10 meeting the majority of council indicated they wanted to see the township take over the summer event which has traditionally been run by a group of volunteers.

Those volunteers have announced they will no longer be running the event and instead of seeing the bike tour fold council intends to bring it under the township’s umbrella.

Depending on how many volunteers the township is able to recruit the event could cost $17000 or more to host.

Reeve Barb Reid Councillor Ken Redpath and wife Sheila will form the base of a new volunteer committee.

Councillors were fine with looking into Clarke’s request but intend to make a decision at the May meeting.

“I think we’re going to have to bring a resolution for that council meeting” Reid said “but I think we can take another two weeks.”

Cycling safety organization Share the Road which helps administer the event and takes a portion of the proceeds continues to be involved and will be producing a list of task usually handled by volunteers for the municipality.

Road sale deferred

Council deferred a decision to sell the Elm Street roadway to the former Anglican church in Irondale to Bark Lake Cultural Developments for $1.

The organization owns the church and wishes to take advantage of an in-kind paving donation for the roadway.

While council on a recommendation from staff had recommended moving forward with the sale at an April 10 committee-of-the-whole