Dunany Community Association
Association des résidents de Dunany
Fall / Winter Newsletter
Greetings to all DCA members,
On behalf of the DCA Board, and in keeping with tradition, I take this opportunity to bring you up to date with items that I feel are of interest to the Dunany community.
Annual General Meeting
The 2009 Annual General Meeting was held on July 26 at the Dunany Country Clubhouse. As has become the custom over the last several years, those in attendance were regaled with a full buffet breakfast greatly appreciated by all. Special thanks go out to Cicily Brewer, France Jobin, Monica Jurek for their untiring labours in making this event a success.
The AGM was attended by 89 people consisting of 54 members, 10 Board members, 2 potential members and 4 invited guests. There are presently 203 homes in Dunany, yielding 175 members, the difference primarily due to multiple ownership and some households that do not wish to become members. As such, attendance at the AGM was in the order of 37%, a figure certainly to be envied by other community associations.
Municipal Elections
Municipal elections were held in Wentworth and in Gore on November 1, 2009, and for the first time, those whose names appeared on the electoral list were eligible to vote by mail and, of course, in person. In order to ensure a maximum turnout, further instructions on voting procedures were sent to members of the Dunany community by the undersigned on September 30.
Allowing Wentworth electors this option paid dividends as there was a 56.7% turnout. The results of the election in Wentworth are as follows:
Mayor: Ed Kasprzyk
Seat No. 1: Marcel Raymond
Seat No. 2: Donald Smith
Seat No. 3: Bill Gauley
Seat No. 4: June Parker (by acclamation)
Seat No. 5: Ronald Price
Seat No. 6: Marcel Harvey (by acclamation)
Congratulations were sent on behalf of the Board to Mayor Kasprzyk and his newly-appointed Council. Subsequently, I met with Mayor Kasprzyk to discuss areas of concern to our community. He will be meeting with other association presidents and will be scheduling a session with representatives of all Wentworth community associations early in the New Year. I assured Ed of our continuing collaboration to aid the Council in their efforts to ensure that the interests of the community are met. I am greatly encouraged by the promise of improved communication and transparency between the newly-elected Mayor and Council and the DCA and other community associations.
June Parker
Of course, the Wentworth Municipal Council’s gain is the DCA’s loss, as June Parker, not unexpectedly, tendered her resignation from the Board following her election as Councilor for the Township of Wentworth, and this, to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
June has been an integral and dynamic part of the DCA Board for many years, and was Director in charge of Membership and Security. Her presence will be solely missed and hard to replace at our Board meetings and other Dunany functions, and I would like to take this opportunity as president of the DCA, and I am sure on behalf of the entire Dunany community, to thank June for her dedication and professionalism over the years, and to wish her every success in her new role as Councilor. I have no doubt that her presence on the Wentworth Council will be a great asset to our and other community associations.
Green Day
Over the last 20 years, our Green Day activities have included the cleanup of roads and lakes, and the planting of trees and bushes on lakeside properties. This year, on October 11, we took part in the stocking of the East River with speckled trout. This day focuses not only on the importance of improving the environmental quality of our lakes and lakeside properties but also signifies the significant contribution made to our environment by the surrounding Dunany watersheds.
The day, which was attended by some 30 participants, started at the Dunany Community Clubhouse parking area with a presentation by Rod Armstrong, who, with a large map of our lakes, explained the role that the watersheds play, stressing the importance that we have always accorded to ensure their protection.
The fish were released at 2 locations on the East River with many of the children in attendance taking part. Many thanks to Rod for organizing this Green Day. His familiarity with the Dunany watersheds and his expertise with regard to fish-stocking in general was greatly appreciated. Photos of the event have been posted on the Dunany Website.
Public Access to Lakes-Bylaw 102-1-2009
On August 27, 2009, I wrote a letter, a copy of which is attached, to Dunany residents explaining in detail a proposed Bylaw specifically aimed at regulating public access to Wentworth lakes.
Our disapproval of the Bylaw which allowed for 2 public accesses for each of our lakes was voiced at a public consultation meeting held on August 17 and in a letter addressed to the then Mayor and Council of Wentworth on September 2, 2009. The Bylaw was passed at a Council meeting held on September 8, and came into effect on October 15, 2009. Although due to our representations, the number of public accesses on each Dunany lake was reduced from 2 to 1, many issues have yet to be resolved, as seen in my letter to the new Wentworth Council and Mayor, dated January 4, 2010, a copy of which is attached.
We are looking forward to sitting down with the incoming Mayor and Council to address our concerns, and we have been lead to believe that these meetings will occur. We will of course keep you informed of any new developments.
St. Paul’s Church and Cemetery Restoration
St. Paul’s church has been serving the Dunany community since 1870, but is presently in a state of disrepair, requiring major renovations. The adjacent cemetery had run out of available space. Thanks to a donation of an additional 7000 square feet, the burial area has now been expanded, which has necessitated the removal of rocks, trees and their roots. A major funding campaign was recently undertaken with great success and renovations are presently underway.
In recognition of St.Paul’s as a significant part of our patrimony and the history of the Dunany community, the DCA Board unanimously agreed to donate $1000 towards the restoration of the building itself and the adjacent cemetery, joining contributions from the MRC, the Provincial Government, and the Township of Gore who matched the MRC contribution. Talks are presently underway with a view to broadening the vocation of this historical building and its surrounds, to accommodate various community activities.
Preventing Oil Spills around our Lakes
Last summer, we had an oil spill on one of our lakes. Although small, (probably less than 1 liter), it created a thin coating of oil of about 1000 square meters and a hell of a smell! The oil flowed into the lake when a resident disconnected the line from his furnace to the oil tank, probably unaware that the line was full of oil. The Quebec Department of the Environment that was called in stated that the oil would evaporate over a few days, which it did.
We take this opportunity to remind all those using oil to heat their homes that tanks age and can constitute a threat to our lakes. Corrosion of the tanks is the main source of spills at single family residences.
Most of the time, corrosion is caused from the inside out. Water due to condensation, sludge and sediments caused by fine impurities in the oil can gather at the bottom of the tank, slowly eating away at the steel. It is very difficult to determine the state of corrosion by simply observing the exterior of the tank.
If your tank and its holding brackets are old, (20-25 years), ultrasonic testing is probably the prudent and recommended procedure. However, an inspector from your insurance company would most likely demand that a new tank be installed. Should this be the case, consider replacement with a double-walled safety tank with secondary containment.
If your tank is underground, you should consider its removal as you will only be aware of a leak when it is too late. External tanks are less prone to condensation and are thus less exposed to corrosion. Just make sure that your supplier fills it with higher viscosity oil.
Dunany Website
Jacques Pigeon and Steve Brewer are in the process of creating a new Website with direct access to all documentation relative to the DCA and all information provided by other associations and government agencies. The site will be interactive, bilingual and should be up and running before the spring of 2010. Our Website address is presently
More than half our members have provided us with their email addresses. If you haven’t done so already, it would be greatly appreciated to receive an address where you can be readily contacted. Documents sent by post, such as these newsletters and the AGM minutes are quite costly and not the most expeditious way of keeping our members informed of new developments.
On behalf of the DCA Board, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours, all the very best of health and happiness for this, and many years to come.
Howie Clavier
President
Dunany Community Association