andrew.snook@metroland.com
ANDREW SNOOK andrew.snook@metroland.com
The town’s chief administrative officer, Wayne Brown, said the Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre and Centennial Park are the most likely areas a splash pad would be built. Residents’ interest in a splash pad has peaked over recent weeks, and several Facebook groups and pages have been created by local residents supporting the idea. Citizens eager to see a splash pad built in Smiths Falls made a presentation to town council several weeks ago. At the time, the most popular locations for the splash pad appeared to be Lower Reach Pad,
Victoria Park and the new arena; however, Brown said both Lower Reach Park and Victoria Park are not options the town is currently interested in. Brown said trying to build a splash pad on Lower Reach Park would present several complications. “It’s a former landfill,� he said. “There are only so many things you can do there.� Brown said obtaining a permit to build a splash pad at the site would be difficult, and that the access water going into the ground of the landfill could create problems. He added that the town is “not supposed to dig there,� so the project could encounter additional problems, if any additional water or sewage
pipes were necessary. Brown stated that Victoria Park would be an unlikely choice due to a lack of space. No concrete plan has been put into place to build the splash pad yet. Brown said the town is still discussing with contractors the cost of building change rooms, washrooms, and other possibly necessary facilities. The town estimates that the cost of the splash pad, not including installation and any other necessary amenities, such as washrooms or change rooms, would cost approximately $100,000. Brown said he hoped to have more concrete information available to town council within a week or so.
Theatre news in Smiths Falls and Perth If you’re superstitious, why not spend the evening of Friday, May 13, at Smiths Falls Station Theatre, enjoying 2Women Productions’ presentation of Dan Yashinsky, Talking You In – A Life Watch, accompanied by musician Brian Katz. Yashinsky is one of Canada’s most revered story-tellers, and here he tells the tale of his early beginnings, into which he weaves a folk tale and then recounts the story of the birth of his second son, lying unconscious in a neo-natal intensive care unit, and how Yashinsky told stories to him. The show is being presented again the following evening, on May 14, in Perth’s Studio Theatre. Tickets are $18 in advance, or $20 at the door. They can be purchased at Tickets Please in Perth by calling 613-485-6434, or in the case of the Station Theatre presentation, at Spotlight on the Rideau, by calling 613-284-4141.
From May 26 to 28, Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute will come to the stage with their first musical in a decade, High School Rhapsody – ‘80s Style! For those who loved 1980’s movies, such as The Breakfast Club and tunes by the likes of Cyndi Lauper and Michael Jackson, SFDCI is offering a chance for a flashback. Tickets are $15 for the evening shows, held at 7 p.m., and $10 for the matinee on May 28 at 2 p.m.
into the hearts and minds of a family dealing with grief, but does it with great sensitivity and with humour. The playwright switches so intuitively between these emotions; it is no great surprise that the play was awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Tickets are available from The Bookworm, The Book Nook and Tickets Please in Perth, or at the door. The show will take place from May 26 to 28, and on June 3 and 4, at 8 p.m., and on May 29 and June 5 at 2 p.m.
Eastern Ontario’s school boards are hoping Ron Cotnam will be a driving force in student transportation. The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) and the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) hired Cotnam as the general manager and chief administrative officer for the new Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario (STEO). “This was a very difficult decision,� said STEO governance committee chair Ron Eamer. “We were in the envious position of having the best transportation managers in the province vying for this position, but there can only be one general manager.� Cotnam is currently the transportation manager for the UCDSB. He will begin his new position on June 6. The decision came after the two school boards hired an independent recruitment consultant to perform a province-wide search to find the most suitable candidate for the position. -BOE 6TF 1MBOOJOH BOE 1SPKFDU .BOBHFNFOU The interviewContact Tracy for assistance with your ing process was severances and land use planning projects. managed by The Pollack Group, an independent recruitment consulting firm based out of Ottawa.
613-812-1466 zanderplan@storm.ca www.zanderplan.com
PERTH SHOWS In the field of young peoples’ theatre, the Perth Academy of Musical Theatre is presenting West Side Story on May 12, 13, 14 at 7:30 p.m., at the Myriad Centre for the Arts, in the Old Perth Shoe Factory, located at 1 Sherbrooke St. in Perth. Tickets are $10 for reserved seating; to book call 267-9610. Studio Theatre’s next big production, Rabbit Hole, takes us
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“Representatives of both boards felt that we needed an external agency to conduct this important hiring process to ensure we had a fair and unbiased process,� Eamer said. The STEO will be managing the transportation needs of both the UCDSB and the CSDBEO, which accounts for approximately 35,000 students on a daily basis. The governance committee of the board’s partnership will now begin the selection process for a suitable location for the STEO. “In the near future, we’re looking at a fully integrated system in a stand-alone facility,� said UCDSB chair Greg Pietersma. “We are confident that this will be a smooth transition and that the next stages of the process will be successful. Both our boards are looking forward to taking the existing departments and putting them together to form the best transportation consortium in the province – the one by which all others will be measured.�
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Smiths Falls This Week - MAY 5, 2011
CAO Brown: Arena and Centennial STEO hires board hires GM Park most likely places for splash pad
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