100-thousand dollar club at the County of Hastings

There are nine employees on the 100-thousand-dollar salary list for the County of Hastings.

Finance Director Susan Horwood presented the 2008 wages to yesterday’s county council meeting.

Chief Administrative Officer Jim Pine is at the top, with a salary and taxable benefits of just over 173-thousand dollars.

Emergency Services Director Doug Socha (sock-ah) was paid 126,582 dollars, former Planning Director Jean Rixen earned 122,697, and Social Services Director Eric Fry and and Horwood both had wages of 119,679 dollars.

Four other Hastings county employees also made more than 100-thousand dollars last year.

Economy Bad But Business Good

Business in Hastings County is doing very well, despite the economic gloom and doom.

That’s the word from a recent business retention study undertaken by the county, covering more than 100-companies. Economic development manager, Andrew Redden, says the businesses did say they could do with a little help with networking and workshops.   Redden says the county will undertake some branding and marketing strategies this summer in a bid to attract more business.

Icy roads cancel school buses

There won’t be many students at a lot of schools in North and Central Hastings today.

About 50 buses didn’t make their runs this morning to schools in Tweed and Madoc, and another 50 were cancelled in the Bancroft area.

Icy roads, caused by last night’s rain, which froze when temperatures dipped below zero, were the reason drivers didn’t venture out.

Bon Echo Observatory On The Way

Plans are underway to build a major observatory 20-kilometres north east of Bon Echo provincial park, in the Denbigh area.

The area around Denbigh has some of the best Dark Night Skies in southern Canada, ideal for a high-definition telescope.   Project spokesman Frank Roy  told Hastings County council that the project could generate 10-million a year in tourist and other spin-off dollars. It would conduct scientific work, and include a visitors centre.   County council sent the issue to the planning committee. Roy expects the observatory to be built in the spring of 2012.

Green Energy Good For Hastings County

Officials say businesses in Hastings County will profit from the province’s new Green Energy Act.

The county carried out a study to see what businsses were looking for…and getting ideas about how to keep them in place. Many of the answers came up Green. Administrator Jim Pine says they’re interested in alternative energy sources, such as biomass, wind, or solar, as business possiblilities.

Flood advisory in Lower Trent Watershed for February 27th

A flood advisory for creeks and other small watercourses in the Lower Trent Watershed is still in effect, even though the risk is not that great.

Lower Trent Conservation Official Marilyn Bucholtz says not as much rain fell last night and this morning as expected.

There was concern heavy rain, combined with melting snow runoff, would cause higher flows and water levels, but there hasn’t been a big change so far today.

The advisory is for creeks and tributaries from Quinte West to Grafton, and north to Rice Lake, but doesn’t include the Trent River.

Companies Can’t Access Development Fund

Hastings County officials say provincial regulations make it impossible for many companies to take advantage of the Eastern Ontario Development Fund.

Administrator Jim Pine says businesses have to create ten new jobs before being eligible for money.    He says three jobs are as important to Maynouth or Bancroft as ten jobs somewhere else.  Pine says that Ontario’s premier is urging municipalities to create jobs, but this rule is a “bureaucratic impediment” to doing just that.

Picton area man fined for not making royalty payments on caught fish

A Picton-area man has been fined 880 dollars for missing royalty payments on fish caught on his commercial fishing licences.

Bryan McCormack, a Lake Ontario Commercial fisherman, pleaded guilty in Belleville court to 31 counts of failing to make the payments.

Natural Resoruces Conservation Officers found no royalty amounts were paid to the Crown on McCormack’s two licences from September, 2007 to December, 2008.

Hastings County Concerned About Disability Targets

Hastings County is concerned about the projected cost of meeting new provincial disability access requirements.

Administrator Jim Pine says the county certainly wants to be supportive but the costs are high.. Pine says some of the projects would cost three to four million dollars.   The new regulations come into effect, beginning in 2011. The Association of Municipalities has asked the province to look at extending the time-lines.

ONA President warns about nursing layoffs at QHC

The President of the Ontario Nurses Association says she’s waiting for the full impact of bed cuts at Quinte Healthcare on Registered Nursing Positions.

Linda Haslam-Stroud says she doesn’t have any numbers, but says the Q-H-C board decision to reduce beds at the four hospitals will ultimately result in R-N layoffs.

She believes Quinte Health Care is in the top four of all the hospitals in Ontarion in cutting nurses..

Haslam-Stroud says the O-N-A is disappointed with the response of Health Minister David Caplan and Premier McGuinty to its concerns about the loss of nursing jobs across the province.