|
Welcome to our latest issue of The Monthly Update.
Labour Day weekend is almost upon us - I hope you enjoyed a great summer.
While we did have some rainy days, we did OK in the weather department these last few months.
On behalf of council, I wish all our local students a successful return to the classroom. We hope you have a terrific school year.
August is often associated with the so-called 'dog days of summer' and yet this month has been anything but slow. As you will read in The Monthly Update, we had a lot of things happening.
For example, we have rolled out expanded Community Improvement Plan boundaries to include additional properties along Bethune Drive. This means property owners and tenants in the area will now be able to apply to the program for all grant categories.
We also unveiled a new historical plaque honouring Archy Sloan. Archy was a prominent and much respected local resident in Gravenhurst for many years. He held various high-profile posts. I want to commend everyone who helped make this plaque a possibility, including our Municipal Heritage Committee. You will find the plaque out front of the Gravenhurst Fire Department at 190 Harvie St.
Our newsletter highlights a number of special occasions we had in the community in August, including a celebration for the 10-year anniversary of Sawdust City Brewing Company. It was my privilege to bring greetings on behalf of council. Again, I want to thank everyone involved in Sawdust for making it a successful and valued part of our community. The brewery has resulted in good jobs and also helps attract visitors to Gravenhurst each year.
Two events I particularly enjoyed attending this month were the Riley Lake Property Owners annual general meeting and the Muldrew Lake annual general meeting. Thank you for the invitations - it was nice to chat with so many people.
It was also good fun to get out to Camp Shalom and spend time with the young campers. The camp certainly provides youth with lifelong memories.
There are two community engagement projects I want to flag.
The first involves our 2025 budget. Tell us what you think should be included in the budget.
The second project focuses on our proposed rates and fees for 2025. Again, please let us know what you think.
Both these projects can be found on our Engage Gravenhurst page.
Scroll down in our latest newsletter and you'll see an informational item about the road investments we are making this year. Watch for other updates - one on facilities and another on parks. Such investments make up a large part of our capital budget each year.
Aug. 18-20 it was my honour to attend the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa. District Councilor Erin Strength and CAO Scott Lucas joined me at the conference. We went to some great information sessions and met with Health Minister Sylvia Jones to discuss expanded health care needs in our community. We hope to have more to share about the meeting in the future.
As always, I encourage you to review our Council Highlights package in the newsletter. We dealt with a number of matters at the latest meeting that I think you will find interesting.
I look forward to updating you again next month.
Until then, please take care.
Heidi Lorenz,
Mayor.
| 
