Wellington County council approved tenders totaling over $1.2 million for the purchase of four six tonne trucks, plus plow riggings and dump bodies.
At the Nov. 24 meeting, county council approved the roads committee recommendation to award Altruck International Truck Centres of Guelph, the tender for the trucks, at a price of $567,872, exclusive of 13 per cent HST.
Council also approved a recommendation to accept the tender from Viking-Cives Ltd of Mount Forest for supply and installation of four plow boxes and plow rigging for the total tendered amount of $646,345 exclusive of HST.
The Altruck International bid for the trucks was the lowest of four received, while the Viking Cives submission was the only bid meeting all the specifications.
Purchasing and risk management staff were authorized to issue the necessary purchase orders.
New speed zone
A 60km/h speed zone has been created on Wellington Road 124 near Erin village.
The existing speed limit on Wellington Road 124 approaching Erin from Brisbane changes from 80km/h to 40km/h in the vicinity of the village boundary.
A staff report from county engineer Gord Ough recommend a 60km/h speed zone between the existing 80km/h and the 40km/h zone “to assist the traveling public, and particularly the heavy trucks, to slow down more fully in advance of the 40km/h zone.”
Roads committee chair Gary Williamson noted at the Nov. 24 county council meeting the transitional zone was “actually missed when we did the previous reductions” creating the 40km/h zone.
Councillor Pierre Brianceau pointed out the move creates three speed limits on a very small stretch of road.
“It’s only a 1.7-kilometre stretch. Over the long term I think it would make sense to go 50 all the way,” he suggested.
The 60km/h change was approved by county council.
Bank robbery update
A youth who pled guilty in October to charges in relation to a bank robbery in Drayton last year may be sentenced as an adult.
The Wellington County Major Crime Unit led a multi-jurisdictional investigation into the robbery at the Royal Bank in Drayton on March 2, 2015, notes a report from the Wellington County Police Services Board presented at the Nov. 24 Wellington County Council meeting.
The investigation led to the arrest in December 2015 of an 18-year-old male, who was a youth at the time of the robbery.
The accused pled guilty in October of 2016 to the Drayton bank robbery, plus three bank robberies in Toronto, one in Tavistock and one in St. Clements.
The Crown is seeking an adult sentence. The sentencing is currently scheduled for Dec. 22.
Move the needle
The Wellington County Library system is among 15 nominees on the short-list for the 2016 Ontario Public Library Service Awards.
The county library made the list for its Move the Needle program. The pilot program is a partnership with Whitehots Inc.
Using the library’s existing budget and staffing complement, Whitehots brings the company’s knowledge of the book trade and main stream marketing techniques to increase the business of the library.
“The partnership between Wellington County and Whitehots Inc. shows how libraries and library vendors can work together effectively and at low cost to have positive impacts on library services” states an announcement from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport.
“Move the Needle allows patrons to directly reap the benefits of the library and the library vendors’ industry insights to find books they want to read.”
