Saturday 23 January 2016

Update on Airport Motions

I voted yes to the business case study but qualified that the business case made by MMM would not have warranted investment without the subsequent work by Paul Easson and the Freedom Aviation Society.

Three other motions (investment related) were adjusted prior to the meeting. The solo motion presented ws a long one but fundamentally dealt with the $1.147 Million grant to Freedom Aviation Society to establish civilian airport activities at Greenwood.

I put an amendment on the floor to the motion that added:

"Based on an estimated grant to FAS of $1.147 Million that council immediately enter into negotiations with Minister Furey, Minister Brison, and MP Colin Fraser to have a portion of the risks associated with this investment underwritten."

The ammendment passed but with Brothers, Hirtle and Lloyd speaking vehemently against and urging a "no vote".

Councillor Winsor spoke in favour of the project but voted no. His position was based on a need to see the governance structure outlined first and his view that council needed to be represented on the airport's board. Hi arguments were very valid and my preference would have been to see these details some time ago. However, I feel these matters will be dealt with soon.

Councillor MacQuarrie had indicated on Tuesday that she would likely attend the Friday Special Council meeting, noting that she would work to readjust some other appointments and urging council to not consider other dates/times. However, she did not attend. Therefore, no assumptions should be made about her feelings on this matter based on the voting details above.

That's the news from council. There were very few individuals in attendance beyond Paul Easson and a few other Kings County residents (aviatiors and Mr. Goldie who operated the flight school at Waterville).

No one made any public comments besides Paul Easson who spoke in strong support. In other words, any alternate public view was absent in chambers.

The municipal airport will officially close on March 31, 2016. I look forward to an update from Michelin regarding its planned expansion prior to that date.

Friday 22 January 2016

Four Airport Motions Before Council Today

The closure of the Waterville Municipal Airport to make room for an impending Michelin expansion has been a painful process replete with unexpected twists. I am getting ready for a 10AM special council meeting.

I'm looking for some guarantee for the taxpayers' funds at today's council meeting. A commitment by council to work on that could be the defining factor for me as I vote on motions 2-4 today, . 

The four motions to be debated between 10 AM and 1PM are:
  1. Council approves and accepts the Business Case Study and the 10 Year Business Plan [for general aviation activities at 14-Wing Greenwood] as prepared and submitted by MMM Group Limited.
  2. Council confirms that it will make a decision on funding within one (1) month following receipt of the detailed cost estimates for the necessary and reasonable capital infrastructure required for the operation of a Civilian Airport Facility at CFB Greenwood and the 10 Year Business Plan.
  3. Council confirms that, regardless of the amount requested, it will not commit to an amount of funding greater than the proceeds from the sale of the lands to Michelin less certain costs and expenses (as approved by Council). 
  4. Council approves a grant to Freedom Aviation Society for the necessary and reasonable capital infrastructure required for and related to the planned Civilian Air Facility as referenced in the General Aviation Business Case and Governance Study prepared by MMM Group Limited in an amount not to exceed $1,147,400 with the total amount of the grant to be confirmed through the tendering/construction process and in order to facilitate payment of the grant and confirm amounts to be paid, Freedom Aviation Society shall be required to submit invoices to the CAO and, following submission of the invoices, the CAO shall arrange for grant funds to be paid to Freedom Aviation Society and, following receipt of the grant funds, Freedom Aviation Society shall provide the CAO with proof of payment of said invoices.

[The total amount expected from the sale of the lands to Michelin is $1.88 million. The total of all of expenses related to the closure of Waterville and holdbacks for lease payments is $732,600. The balance is to be awarded to Freedom Aviation Society... $1,147,400]

Thursday 21 January 2016

Kings County Municipal Airport to Close in 70-days

Is it too late to make a course correction and avoid a potential crash landing of millions of dollars of taxpayers' cash when our municipal airport closes? Council's work to relocate the Waterville airport is headed for a solution that places only municipal dollars in the kitty, and only municipal dollars at risk. We need to immediately challenge our provincial and federal infrastructure partners about that, perhaps making the investment of our dollars conditional on their financial involvement.

Time is short. I was reminded of that last week when a "sore-of-heart" Kings County resident forwarded CAO Tom MacEwan's January 8, 2016 letter to Transport Canada. It read: “This will confirm that operations at the Waterville Municipal Airport shall cease on March 31, 2016 and following the closure date, the airport will no longer be available for air operations of any kind.”

The impact of decisions evolve. Realities change. Time marches forward. Since the decision to sell airport lands to Michelin and relocate the airport I've continued to look for a win-win-win situation for taxpayers, aviators, and Michelin, despite frustrating and sometimes surprising circumstances.

We began with a primary focus on new jobs and secondary focus of relocating the airport. An expansion will raise Michelin's commercial property evaluation and additional tax revenues beyond the one million dollars currently collected each year from the tire giant will be welcome. Council has been encouraged by Deputy Warden Hirtle to not think in terms of “if” the expansion happens, but “when”, and to think of that when as “soon”.

Why then, aren't we actively pursuing a financial role for provincial and federal governments. There will be greater growth in their income tax revenues than the county's property tax revenues once hundreds of new Michelin jobs are realized.

The remaining condition for the county's involvement in establishing the conditions for civil aviation activities at 14-Wing is a solid business case to justify the expenditure of millions of taxpayers' dollars. The job of exploring the business case was contracted to the MMM Group who estimate “a small but tangible impact on the economy of the Annapolis Valley” for a general aviation airport. Somewhere between year three and ten they report employment equivalent to ten full time jobs. With this fairly weak business case, the MMM Group first related the spending of 1.5 million dollars in terms of compensation to hangar owners. It's now referenced as a “relocation allowance”.

The business case as tabled, does not make a case for a sound investment of taxpayers dollars in the regional economy. But the Freedom Aviation Society, and its hard-working chairman Paul Easson, of Easson's Transport, pressed on. Continued hard work to attract businesses to the future 14-Wing location is bearing fruit. Perhaps because the case has been made that the facilities there, spectacular runways and 24-hour air traffic control, can't be rivalled by an independent civilian airport in a small county like ours.

Easson reports that a charter flight company, a flight school and an airfreight operation are likely. We are told that DND will be able to make room for these interests despite the current small footprint set currently aside for general aviation. It is also notable and laudable that Freedom Aviation seems to have secured confidence in the Greenwood location among nearly all those who currently use the municipal airport at Waterville

For me, two major concerns remain.

One. The county plans to spend every penny realized from the Michelin sale (almost $2 Million) to locate a general aviation airport at 14-Wing Greenwood. If heightened security concerns should arise, our investment would quickly come undone.

Two. Our provincial government initiated this sale to Michelin and the Department of National Defence is likely to be left with significant new infrastructure, including a large hangar, if, for security reasons, DND must boot all civilians off its base.

Why is only municipal taxpayer's money being used and placed at such risk? Given the great potential for tax revenues that the Michelin expansion will bring, at the very least the provincial and federal governments should be asked to guarantee this use of county taxpayers' funds.

Both the federal and provincial governments could be asked to place a third of these funds in trust with payment made to the county if our investment does become undone by heightened security concerns.

The bitter medicine of the closure of the much loved municipal airport at Waterville on March 31, 2016, will be sweetened if we hear in the weeks ahead that sod-turning on the Michelin expansion is as imminent as Deputy Warden Hirtle expects.


It appears closure can't be further delayed because the county must collect the money from the land sale to Michelin as soon as possible. The airport community has been virtually silent if dissatisfied with this date. Without Michelin's cash for the purchase, the infrastructure needed at Greenwood can't be built. That translates to a lack of a home-base for the 48 aviators the Freedom Aviation Society has lined up for its move to Greenwood. March 31, 2016 at time of writing is 70-days away.

Monday 18 January 2016

Life's most persistent and urgent question? What are you doing for others.

Question posed and answered by Martin Luther King Junior. Today is Martin Luther King Day.

Here in the Annapolis Valley we see many volunteers doing many things for others.

Martin Luther King's life celebrated small and large acts of kindness and courage.

His actions changed and world and others are now challenged to complete the changes needed.

Tuesday 5 January 2016

Council items tonight January 5 2016

Some of the items on tonight's agenda that might peek your interest in attendance at 6PM in council chambers following a Public Hearing...

  • General Aviation Business Case & Governance Study 14 Wing Greenwood
  • Waterville Business Park
  • Kentville Library
  • Roles, Responsibilities and Goals & Objectives of the CA
  • Recommendations from Budget and Finance Committee:

Click here for the complete January 5 2015 Agenda

The Budget and Finance Committee is bringing forward

  • Strategic Priorities
  • Kings Point-to Point, Trans County Transportation Society, Valley Search and Rescue
  • Capital Budget Project Sheet
  • Multi-Year Community Grant Commitments
  • Service Partners
  • Budget Process Timelines
  • Evaluation of Grant Applications
  • Multi-Year Community Grant Commitments - Defeated Motion

Kings County Mayor & Boundary Review Update

All eleven councillors have supported an historic motion to elect a Kings County Mayor. This will happen in the upcoming municipal elected set for October, 2016. This irreversible change leaves an outdated Warden system behind. My previous post outlines why I think this is a very good thing.

Council has also approved a motion aimed at reducing by three the number of councillors to be elected in 2016. This motion passed by a narrow margin.

While the election of a Mayor does not require approval from the Utility and Review Board (UARB), the boundary changes required to elect eight instead of eleven councillors requires an application to the UARB and approval by the UARB before coming into effect.

Council engaged professional services to help with the decisions made in December at a cost of $26,144. The resulting report by Stantec recommended a reduction from eleven to nine, not eight, districts. For me, the consultant's recommendation was sound and untainted by any notion of political interference. Notably, it was supported by a scientific survey and three public meetings. The report did provide boundary recommendations for eight districts in the event that councillors wanted further reductions than indicated by the survey and public meetings.

Nevertheless, council was not afforded an opportunity to vote on the consultant's recommendation because Deputy Warden Hirtle and Councillor Atwater were permitted to bring forward a motion to approve alternate boundaries for eight districts.

This alternate had been requested by Deputy Warden Hirtle and it was supported by a majority of six (Hirtle, Atwater, Brothers, Best, Ennis and Lloyd) when a vote was called.

Since then the Advertiser has published three articles about the controversial "in-house-alternate" eight district boundary map. It is likely that presentations will be made by a variety of individuals when the UARB holds its required public consultation. A date has yet to be set.

I am taking the time to do my own analysis of the boundaries and should have more details to post in the weeks immediately ahead. Click here for the Kings Governance and Electoral Boundary Review Final Report. Skip to page 59 for a description and map of the proposed eight district boundaries approved by council. These boundaries hold big changes for the community of Centreville (it joins Canning) and Meadowview (it joins Coldbrook).

Please do not hesitate to be in touch if you have any questions or if you want to discuss this issue in more detail. I can be reached at 902-670-2949.