By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
Waste management was raised as an important challenge facing the town of Stanstead at the Oct. 10 Town Council meeting. Presided over by Mayor Jody Stone, the meeting was attended by three residents and began at 7 p.m.
After the adoption of the agenda and the minutes of the previous session, a brief question period was held. A woman asked about what was happening with the Del Monty Hotel and was told that no decision has yet been made.
It was moved to authorize an offer of payment for the property at 5 Paquette Street. The building there needs to be demolished, and, it was explained, the town has two options. One is to go to the supreme court and prove the building is a hazard to gain control of it that way, the other is to buy the property outright. The fastest, least expensive option is to buy the property for a maximum price of $5,000.
It was moved and adopted to raise the municipal tax for 9-1-1 emergency centers from 46 cents per phone line to 52 cents per phone line.
There is some remaining work to do before winter to repave some local roads, such as Maple Street and Stanstead Street, which will take place soon. The town’s drainage was clean and ready for the heavy rains they expected over the weekend that never came, Stone said. It was mentioned that they will need to be vigilant due to the augmenting precipitation rates brought on by climate change.
The budget for solid waste for 2024 was adopted. It was explained that, relative to other municipalities, the tonnage of solid waste produced by Stanstead is “very high”, while its compost tonnage is comparatively low. Other municipalities’ compost is usually 50 to 60 per cent of their total tonnage, while Stanstead’s is 30 per cent. If you tour Stanstead, you can see overflowing waste bins, which is a little worrying, council pointed out.
