Sale Price Drops on Old Bakelite Land

The sale price has dropped by a half-million dollars on the former Bakelite property on Belleville’s waterfront. The 89 acres in the east-end is now listed under ”power of sale” for 1.9-million dollars. Perry Betel of Harvey Kalles Real Estate says the land is now property of a numbered company in Toronto and the mortgagee is determined to sell the property quickly. Terry Murphy of Quinte Conservation says there’s been a number of potential developers interested in buying the land and they are willing to take necessary steps to ensure it meets Ministry of Environment standards. The previous owner, Jim Sinclair, served jail time and was ordered to pay more than 600-thousand dollars in fines after committing enviromental crimes on the site including allowing PCB’s to flow into the Bay of Quinte.

Holiday Weekend Events List

Lots to do around the Quinte region this weekend.
Tomorrow there’s a charity fishing classic to support the Gleaners Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, and Flights of Hope, Haiti.
It’s a catch and release derby, and admission is 25 dollars.  The charity fishing derby, organized by Harmony Homes, starts at 9:30 tomorrow morning, with registration starting at 7;30…at the George Street boat launch in Belleville.
In Picton tomorrow, there’ll be an “artisans market”, with local art and produce featured.  Also in the County tomorrow afternoon…check out the hilarious Pleasant Bay Camp’s annual Dragon Boat races.   They start at 3.  And, the Napanee Fair goes all weekend, at the Napanee fairgrounds.

Teen Drop-in Centre Opens in Napanee

It’s a first for Napanee.  Napanee OPP, along with the Town of Greater Napanee, is opening a Teen Drop In Center, starting Monday.
Teenagers will be welcome at the Strathcona Paper Center, Monday through Friday, 9 till 4, until the 20th of August.
There will be supervision, and young people will be able to play various sports and games, or rollerblade.  Napanee OPP have been informing young people about the drop in center.  The program will be evaluated to see if it’s worth doing again next year.

Alleged Killers Make Court Appearances

Another lineup of alleged killers were in Belleville Court yesterday.

The 18-year-old Marmora man charged in the death of a 5-week old baby will appear again next week. Nicholas Bailey was charged by Central Hastings OPP after the baby was discovered in a William Street Marmora home on June 10th.

Meanwhile, the four men charged in the death of a Mississauga man at Trudeau Park on the May 2-4 weekend will appear again September 7th. The four…including 19-year old Kadeem Francis of Belleville…are charged with the beating death early on Saturday morning May 22nd.

and, a Toronto man charged with shooting and killing a Warkworth man in Belleville in late June will be back before the courts on August 29th. Michael Brooks faces a second degree murder charge in the death of 26-year old Jesse Archer.

Locked out at Trenton Plant

Picket signs are up today in Trenton. Employees at Tyco Thermal Controls, an American owned company, were locked out by the employer yesterday. Jeff Robertson of CEP Local 5-3-7 says the company, at 250 West Street, was purchased about 7-years ago by the California based company. Formerly known as Pyrotenax…employees manufacture cables and accessories for the Wiring, Heating, and Temperature Measurement industries.

Gas Shortage in Belleville?

The combination of summer travelers and face-lifts at two Belleville gas stations this summer has created some issues at the pumps in the city’s north end. The pumps have run dry in the early afternoon at a couple of service stations this summer and it’s a trend that’s expected to continue for a few weeks. The renovation of the gas bar at the Canadian Tire on Bell Boulevard and the switchover from Sunoco to Petro Canada at Cannifton Road means more motorists are using the few stations that are open. The pumps at the Shell station on North Front were dry early yesterday afternoon.

8 Wing Change of Command

It’s parade season at 8 Wing Trenton. There’s another Change of Command parade tomorrow at the base.
Major Ken Mills will be taking over command of 2 Air Maintenance Squadron from Major Aaron Spott at 10 o clock tomorrow morning .

Trudeau Park Accused in Court

Another brief appearance before a judge for the 4 men charged with beating a Mississauga man to death in Belleville court today(yesterday).
Kadeem Francis of Belleville, Colin Rainford and brother Bernard Rainford, of Barrie, and Brandon Gray of Pefferlaw appeared via video. They will be back in court September 7th for a focus hearing examining details and evidence against them.

Ratepayers Disagree with Council

So far, it’s been a rather one sided discussion. The Centre Hastings Ratepayers Association is disputing dollar figures quoted by Centre Hastings staff and Council.
At issue is the amount of money spent on consulting and legal fees in order to provide specific answers to Ratepayer Association questions. Centre Hastings staff and Council has stated the amount as being almost 11 and a half thousand dollars. The Ratepayers disagree, saying the amount is only around 25 hundred.
However, Council is not commenting on the Ratepayers assertions, having been advised not to because the matter is before the privacy commissioner.

Beaches Posted in Campbellford and Wicklow

Another weekend with no swimming recommended at Lions Park Beach in Campbellford.

The Health Unit says the swimming hole is posted for a third straight week because of high levels of e-coli bacteria in the water.

Signs are also up at Wicklow Beach, west of Colborne, for the second weekend in a row for the same reason. None of the beaches tested by the Hastings-Prince Edward Health Unit have water quality issues this week.