[4 |, The South Marysburgh Mirror Municipatlly yours Happy New Year! MILFORD 200 2008 marks a very significant turing point for the village of Milford as we celebrate its 200" Anniversary. Dowdell tumbled on this fact late in 2007, so we have b been scurrying somewhat to put together a program that will suitably acknowledge the event. While a core committee exists, we are certainly in need of folks to take on a stand- alone project - whether it be as a leader or a volunteer for an hour. Whether you have been here for the full 200 years through your genealogy, or you “immigrated” through our borders of South Marysburgh yesterday, all offers of time and talents would be most appreciated. Rev. Jean Wilson has kindly agreed to chair the Milford 200 Committee and is reachable at 613 - 476 - 1396. Bruce is at 476 - 8891 and my contact information follows at the end of this column. Town Hall Meeting ursday, January 31 Milford Town Hall - 7:00 p.m. (snow date: Tuesday, February 12) Back in November and December, 2007, the Economic De- velopment Office arranged for some work to be done with citizens around moving Milford and the South Marysburgh community toward an action agenda for economic develop- ° ment. Unlike many rural communities, we still have a base of functional services in place, pretty much year round. Things like a full post office, a library, a gas station, a gen- eral store, a restaurant, video rental services, garages, cheese factory, greenhouse, theatre, two churches, a school and a museum make us the envy of other parts of “country” and not just the County. Our assets, opportunities, and challenges were the discus- sion topics for two workshops held and a number of indi- vidual interviews conducted by a rural development con- sultant , Dr. David Douglas from Guelph. At the Town Hall meeting we will be taking a look at the findings and hope- fully, moving towards forming an “Action Group.”Dan Taylor, Economic Development Officer will be in attend- ance to fill us in on some of the possibilities for funding and person power to assist the group and their determined tasks. In preparation for the Town Hall meeting, you should have received by a 15 page document entitled, “South Marysburgh - Toward an Action Agenda for Economic Development”. If you have a no flyers policy or a Picton-based box, you can still pick up a copy at the Anne Farwell Library or Hicks General Store. A couple of other items will be on the agenda that night as well plan- ning for another Town Hall meeting in early March. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. Recreation Committee Wow! A slow start at the last meeting in December tumed into a “ rolling ball” with a very definite course by the end of the meeting. Now you’ll just have to attend the next meeting if you want to find out what that was all about... but it could be quite a year! The bank account is in good shape and the individuals pre- sent agreed to support tasks around Milford 200 events as a focus this year including up to a $1000.donation. A dona- tion was also made to the South Marysburgh School Play- ground Fund and the Chris Steenburgh Fund. A budget was allocated to the development of a new project under the di- rection of Mendy Berkson ( sorry, you have to be at the next meeting to leam about this one!). Tom Evans is look- ing into a dock for the millpond. The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 29 at Bredin Hall ( Mt Tabor theatre) at 7:00 p.m. Finally, a word on the Council scene. It’s been very busy and very frustrating. If you have internet, I encourage you to access the County website at www.pecounty.on.ca for an update on the major issues and access to information. You can also connect with this site for free through our great little local library! And if you have a laptop, you can access it through high speed as well just by going to the library - no charge. I must say it is the tremendous spirit and pride of this community I represent that continues to make the WALKER'S GARAGE Preventative Maintenance Air-conditioning Alignment General Repairs BRENT & GLENDON WALKER R.R. #2, Milford Phone 613 476 2837 councillor effort rewarding for me personally. Thank you for you contribution to that energy - and a particular thank you to Des Marcille who gives us this wonderful vehicle for communication within our township. Upcoming meetings: Council - January 14, 7:30 p.m. Recreation, Parks and Culture - January 15, 1:30 p.m. Corporate Services - January 16, 1:30 p.m. Public Works - January 31 - 1: 30 (expect ATV ac- cess to County Roads to be on this agenda) Planning Technical - Tuesday , February 5 1:30 p.m. Continued on page 8