Page 4 - THE PERTH COURIER - July 21, 2011
NEWS
Chamber co-manager bids fond farewell as she heads to Kingston Continued from front page “This is bittersweet, because I’ll miss the job and the community. I absolutely love my job and the fulfillment I get from it,” she said last week. She originally started out at the chamber just a few hours a week, happy to take on work again after having left a career with the OPP to care for her two young daughters. Bouvier’s hours soon increased when her youngest daughter was in school fulltime. She stayed on with the chamber, taking on more duties. In 2003, Bouvier wanted more hours, so she went up to 20 hours a week. It was during this time that she started organizing events at the chamber. Three years ago, Bouvier became a co-manager of the chamber with Carol Quattrochi.
But for Bouvier, the biggest way she’s contributed has been through membership recruitment and retainment. “I try to be a liaison between the chamber and the membership,” she said. As a whole in 2000, the chamber had 197 members. Since then, membership has almost doubled, having grown to the current 350 members. “I feel that the chamber has come a long way to being more in touch with the community,” Bouvier said. “The relationship with the membership has strengthened.” Quattrocchi said Bouvier has had a lot to do with the successful increase in chamber members. “Membership is her baby,” Quattrocchi said. “Madeline truly cares about people and
that sincerity helps when looking after membership. “We both take pride in helping people but she goes above and beyond, to make sure everything is right with our members.” Bouvier said during her time at the Perth and District organization, she has witnessed the overall expectations of chambers of commerce in rural communities begin to shift. She said in the past, chambers were all about being the voice of commerce in a community. Now, she said chambers are taking more of a tourism role in addition to other commercial duties. She said she is most proud of the cycling initiative. “One of the things the area really needed was something tangible to give people who are inquiring about cycling routes in the area,” she said.
So the Chamber of Commerce Cycling Committee was formed consisting of avid cyclists, chamber members, recreational cyclists and community members. The initiative was successful in putting together about 10 routes through Lanark Highlands, Perth, Tay Valley, Drummond North Elmsley and now even to Westport. Bouvier is quick to turn conversation away from herself, her humility shining through as she cites other people’s successes and accomplishments within the chamber. “We have such a strong set of directors, we all work well as a team – it’s not just me,” she says, repeatedly, also noting staff and volunteers, such as Kirsten Coughler, who help make the chamber stand out.
Town hires new CAO
Parking fees double in Perth Continued from front page John Stewart owns the Code’s Mill on the Park property. Connell said the property owner requested the increased rental fees to reflect current market conditions. “The original deal was a 10-year deal. Ten years ago, things were different,” Connell said. Similarly, market pressures are also a driver behind the Town’s recent fee hike, he said. “It’s pretty hard to add two per cent – or whatever the annual inflation rate is – to a parking fee. So parking fees are held at a certain rate, and all of a sudden comes another rate. It shouldn’t catch people off-guard, but apparently it does for a few,” he said. The cost of plowing a parking lot is another expense that has increased. As of last fall, the municipality now pays about 22 per cent more for snow-
plowing services. With every snowfall event, the Town now pays $140 per parking lot, up from $115. Adding to the expenses, the Town recently replaced roughly 70 street meters, said Connell. The new meters allow drivers to pay for two hours of parking at a time, instead of having to feed the meter every hour. Taking into account six months of increased fees, the total projected revenue for this year is $258,000, Connell said. Last year, he said, the Town had expected to make $240,000 from parking, but fell short by at least $40,000, he estimated. As for spending this money, there are many ways the Town could reinvest it in parking, Connell said. The municipality has been looking at fixing up the Wilson Street parking lot, and during budget discussions councillors said it was a project that could ben-
But Quattrocchi said that from the first day Bouvier was on the job, she knew that Bouvier would be a success in whatever she undertook at the organization. “She is just phenomenal,” Quattrocchi said. “Madeline is very passionate in the work she does – she came into the chamber and just ran with it.” Both Quattrocchi and Bouvier said their co-management has worked well as a partnership because they bring different strengths to the table. “She’s an overall asset to the chamber and will be thoroughly missed because of those close, personal relationships she held with our members,” Quattrocchi said. “She’s done more than she knows,” said Quattrocchi. “She not just leaving a job here; she’s leaving a legacy.”
efit from these new funds. Down the road, the money could also help create new parking spaces. “We’re always looking at the need for additional parking,” Connell said. “We haven’t reached that point yet, but we may in the near future. If it’s possible to build up bit of reserve to allow acquire new parking, that would be a good thing.” While the issue of parking spaces and rates can be a lightning rod for strong reactions, people in Perth have good reason to count their blessings, he said. “I think our system provides the resources that people need, and, for the most part, I think people are pretty happy with it,” he said, adding that even the Town’s new rates are competitive with neighbouring municipalities, and far better than any urban centre. “If there was a perfect parking system, everybody would have it.”
Continued from front page “We really want to see how the community ticks, to find out where should be living, where are the churches, and the high school, and all those things that really balance out your life,” deRosenroll said. Knowledge of the challenges facing small urban centres is one thing, says Fenik, but deRosenroll brings even more to the table. “He presents as a gentleman who works through consensus, who brings people together. That’s what we need,” Fenik said. DeRosenroll is designated as a Certified Municipal Officer through the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario, and has completed its municipal law, employment law, and human resources certificate programs. He holds a diploma in Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario, and a certificate in economic development from the University of Waterloo. DeRosenroll replaces Tim Simpson, who left in June after three years as the town’s CAO. He resigned to take on the same position for the United Counties Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, near his hometown of Cornwall, Ont. 480897
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