October 17, 2023

Council supports notice of motion to ask the Mayor not to invoke strong mayor powers

A notice of motion brought forward by Councillor Fokkens received support to ask the Mayor not to use the strong mayor powers when they are set to take effect on Oct. 31 and instead delegate powers back to Council. The Mayor disclosed a conflict of interest and did not take part in the consideration or discussion, and did not vote on the motion. In a requested recorded vote, Councillors Green, Speck, Chiocchio, Richard, Setaram, and Fokkens voted in favour of the motion, while Councillors McLeod, Grimaldi, Moote, and Van Vliet voted against it.

Plymouth Park lighting comes in approximately $50K under budget

Located on Plymouth Road between Lincoln Street to the north and Ontario Road to the south, Plymouth Park is a popular park for baseball and soccer and is well-used by many leagues and clubs. Council awarded Nadelec Contracting Inc. at the tendered price of $231,500 plus HST for the supply and installation of the Plymouth Park Ball Diamond Sports Field Lighting Renewal project.

The remaining 50-year-old sports field lighting system on the baseball field are now at the end of its useful life and cannot support the users’ needs in the current condition and is beginning to fail. In 2023, The MBTW Group was retained to oversee the design and implementation of new sports field lighting for the park, including all associated electrical requirements. The proposed design will bring the lighting up to the current standard, support user group participation, and improve user experience. During the 2022 budget deliberations, funding was requested and approved for the remaining lighting upgrades to the slo-pitch baseball diamond. The funding request is supported by recommendations within the Parks, Recreation & Culture Master Plan by the continued development of sports parks.

Inspection and Preventative Maintenance Program tender awarded to Tektum Consulting Group

The Facilities Division of the City of Welland currently oversees the operations and maintenance of 60 facilities. In 2022 a Building Condition Assessment (BCA) was completed to provide a snapshot of the current condition of the facilities. Regular inspections, preventative maintenance and repairs must be performed to maintain, and improve the state of the facilities and extend the lifespan of the facilities.

The next step needed to implement the practice of comprehensive inspections and maintenance is to develop a preventative maintenance program, as part of the approved 2023 capital project, that is specific to each of the facilities including scheduled inspection, maintenance, and replacements.

On Tuesday night, Council awarded the work to Tektum in the amount of $56,445.25.

Agreement of Purchase and Land Sale for City-Owned Property Located at 882 Schisler Road

At its meeting on April 5, 2022, Council declared surplus to the City’s needs at 882 Schisler Road. The property is 1.67 acres in size. The property is designated Agriculture and Core Natural Heritage in the Official Plan and zoned A1 – Agricultural and ECA – Environmental Conservation Area. The property contains 28 lots of record 25’ x 100’ but would not be developable individually as the property is outside the urban area and no municipal services are available. The Welland Fire Department formerly used this building; however, with the completion of the new Fire Station #1 and #2, it is no longer required.

On September 19, 2023, the Committee of the Whole Meeting Council directed staff to proceed with the offer to purchase from 613284 Ontario Limited O/A Weed Man Niagara Falls Region for city-owned property located at 882 Schisler Road.