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08 | 16 | 2014 VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 33
COLLECTION OF HIS SONGS EARNS HIM AN AWARD LIVING HERE PAGE 24
COMMENT PAGE 6
CAMERAS AT WMC ADD TO THE SURVEILLANCE STATE
Video cameras to be part of new security system OK'd for the WMC
Woolwich wants input on locations of community mailboxes STEVE KANNON
STEVE KANNON The township will spend $60,000, most of it on video surveillance, to equip the Woolwich Memorial Centre with a security system. The building was vandalized last New Year’s Eve when young offenders broke in undetected. Damage topped $100,000. While there were conduits for a security system as part of the $23-million building opened in 2009, a security system was never installed. Reversing course, councillors this week approved a plan that would see extensive monitoring put in place. Along with a range of motion sensors and glass-break detectors, the system includes video cameras and recording devices. That surveillance equipment makes up two-thirds of the $60,000 price tag, which came in $10,000 over the township’s budget for the project. Beyond recording any break-ins, the cameras could be helpful in providing visual evidence in the case of accidents or emergencies, as well as claims related to slips, trips and falls, staff maintains. The issues of surveillance prompted Coun. Mark Bauman to question whether the cameras might be an issue with unionized workers. “I don’t feel that it will affect the WMC | 5
Start your engines Amsey Metzger will host the 20th annual Waterloo County Steam Threshers’ Reunion at his Wallenstein farm on August 22-23. [SCOTT BARBER / THE OBSERVER]
SCOTT BARBER There’s just something about the sound of a two-cylinder tractor, Amsey Metzger says. Like the distinct tone of a record player, or the rev of a ’60s muscle car, the rumble of an antique tractor’s engine is music to his ears. There’ll be plenty on display at Metzger’s farm at 7590 Line 86 in
Wallenstein on August 22 and 23, during the 20th annual Waterloo County Steam Thresher’s Reunion. The event will also feature classic cars and trucks and demonstrations with antique steam threshing machinery. Tickets cost $5 per day, or $15 for families, with this year’s proceeds beSTEAM THRESHERS| 5
Concerned about the possibility of community mailboxes springing up at inappropriate locations, Woolwich is angling for more municipal say in the rollout of new installations as Canada Post does away with door-to-door delivery. The township plans to draft a resolution calling on the post office to seek out local input on locating the mailboxes, already a fixture in new subdivisions. Woolwich will then look to other municipalities to endorse the idea. Prompted by Coun. Allan Poffenroth, councillors meeting August 12 discussed ways for the township to protect itself from the prospect of community mailboxes being installed in unsuitable locations. There have already been issues related to parking and traffic as residents stop their cars to pick up mail, with Poffenroth noting the situation could get worse as new central mailboxes are installed in existing
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neighbourhoods. Canada Post announced last year it planned to phase out home delivery over a five-year period to the remaining third of Canadian households who still receive the service. Chief administrative officer David Brenneman noted Canada Post usually consults with the municipality about the locations for such mailboxes, providing a chance for input. With more on the way, the township will do what it can to ensure good sites are chosen, he added, noting the agency ultimately makes the decision. “We do our best to facilitate residents’ concerns.” “Do we have any say as to what is put on township boulevard property?” asked Coun. Mark Bauman, noting the mailboxes are usually on township-owned land. Fearing a one-sided battle, he suggested the issue be taken up with other municipalities, including MAIL | 5
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