Carbonear forced to defer motion to accept funding due to lack of quorum

By Mark Squibb/October 21, 2022

Members of Carbonear council were forced to defer a motion to accept $1.62 million in provincial government funding for Phase 2 of the Adelaide Street Water Sewer Storm Street Upgrades due to a lack of quorum.

After some discussion of where Phase 1 and Phase 2 ended and began (Phase 2 essentially picks up at Cross Roads, where Phase 2 ended, although some properties on Stentafords Lane were include in Phase 2, not Phase 1, of the project) councillor Chris O’ Grady and councillor Peter Snow declared a conflict of interest.

As councillors Ray Noel and Malcolm Seymour were not in attendance, and councillors O’Grady and Snow had declared conflict of interest, council lost the necessary quorum of four members to vote on the matter.

O’Grady and Slade guessed that Seymour might be in conflict as well.

Town CAO Cynthia Davis said that the matter would have to be deferred until a future meeting, when a quorum could be reached, but added that council could call a special meeting via Zoom for the express purpose of voting on the motion.

Slade said he was concerned about the delay. Davis pointed out this is just the motion to accept the funding for Phase 2, of which construction won’t begin until after the winter season, so a slight delay in accepting the funding won’t mean a delay in getting shovels in the ground.

There is some pressure, as, according to Director of Operations and Public Works Ian Farrell, the Town only has a 60 day window in which to accept the funding.

Meanwhile, council was able to get another major piece of work off the ground during the meeting.

Deputy Mayor Sam Slade brought forward a motion to award the tender for Powell Drive Phase II to Concord Paving Ltd in the amount of $646,927.90 (HST included), at the recommendation of Harbourside Transportation Consultants, who are overseeing the project.

The project consists of upgrading stormwater and street infrastructure, including street widening to accommodate a centre turning lane, sidewalk on one side, and improved stormwater collection. Phase I was completed in 2021. Phase II of the project will see more work done between Goff Avenue and the bridge at Powell’s Brook.

That motion passed unanimously.