$ = August 9, 2024 Stratford Times House of Blessing ready to send students Off to School smiling EMILY STEWART Times Correspondent Stratford House of Blessing’s Off to School Smiling fundraiser returns to make sure every student in the region is prepared for the school year. The organization is collecting new back- packs and school supplies such as binders, pens, pencils, rulers and other classroom essentials for students between kindergar- ten and Grade 12. "The idea was that none of the children felt less than everyone else. They all get to start the same as all the other kids with brand-new backpacks and supplies,” said Molly MacDonald, intake coordinator for Stratford House of Blessing. The need for donations has increased over the past eight years. MacDonald said House of Blessing helped about 200 kids when the program first started. In 2023, 416 students received backpacks full of items. "I personally have been able to work in the schools and I've noticed a big need since COVID has started,” said Ema- ly Martin, summer student for House of Blessing. “So, I'm just happy that I'm able to be here and help the need that I see con- stantly." All of the backpacks are filled with brand-new school supplies for each grade level. Any student registered with Off to School Smiling can pick their own back- pack to start off the school year. “J notice the kids walk out excited and proud to start school because they picked their very own backpack,” MacDonald said. “For me, that's a big part of what we want them to feel good about going back to school." In addition to physical items, House of Blessing is also accepting monetary do- nations. Eva Hayes, executive director of House of Blessing, said financial dona- tions help make sure all supplies are. in equal amounts for every registered stu- a @ “Donations do not always come out in equal measure,” Hayes said. “So, when we are low in one area, we have the funds then to go out and purchase the items that we need to complete all the backpacks for the students that are registered to come and pick them." Parents that qualify for Off to School Smiling must be registered with House of Blessing, reside in the food-bank area, have one or more children in any grade from junior kindergarten to Grade 12, and have full or shared custody of the children. Donations will be accepted any time be- tween 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, or at an alternative time arranged by calling 519-273-3433. More information can be found by visit- ing www.shob.org/off-to-school-smiling. New fire engine expected to cost $2.2 million, while repairs to pickup expected to be just Sny: of $30, 000 CONTINUED FROM FRONT Coun. Brad Beatty asked Fire Chief Neil Anderson how something like that could have happened: with employees .driving these vehicles every day, not to put blame ‘on anyone but to move forward in the fu- ture and not have this happen again. Anderson said the City of Stratford does not employ any emergency vehicle tech- nicians and anytime a vehicle has to be brought to a mechanic, it has to be out- sourced to a trucking agency in the area or a shop in Brampton that they go to. On this particular occasion, a driver was doing a daily inspection and found an empty hole where a bolt was missing. Af- ter further inspection, the rust t jacking was discovered. “I cannot answer further how that could happen without having our own profes- sional mechanics in house,” Anderson said, though he also indicated the depart- ment now undercoats all vehicles and has since 2017. It was a practice he put in place when he Joined the department. As noted in the management report, Pumper 1, a quintuple combination pump- er apparatus, was removed from service due to rust jacking in 2015. That was the last time the local fire department had the ability to respond to emergencies with two aerial vehicles. Maximize your return. Conservative Advice for Intelligent Decisions 519-273-1633 Donna L. Hinz Franklin E. Hinz The committee approved the procure- ment of a Pierce manufactured quintuple combination pumper, returning to the 2015 service level of having an aerial vehicle and a backup for when the primary vehicle is in service. There were a number of reasons Ander- son a Pierce wouldn’t be delivered until late 2027 and would be expensive. The cost is expected to be $2.2 million, with $715,000 coming from the develop- ment-charges reserve (which has a total of $1.5 million within) and $1,485,000 com- mg from the fire capital reserve fund. model. The service garage is in Woodstock rather than Brampton, which is consider- ably closer. Pierce is known as a reliable manufacturer. Additionally, Pierce will provide a 5.5 per-cent rebate if procured through Canoe Procurement Group, which Anderson also recommended. Buying second hand, given the current market, was not advisable; nor was buying custom, which lly, repairs were approved for another vehicle in the department’s fleet. Unit 2, the call sign for the Stratford Fire Department’s 2019 Dodge Ram pickup truck, was involved in a collision in June that resulted in repairs estimated to cost $28,025 and will take four to six weeks to complete. Anderson stressed that the driver of Unit 2 was not injured nor were they found at fault. The vehicle was purchased in 2019 and has a 10-year lifecycle, meaning it is only expected to run until 2029. A new vehicle is estimated to cost between $90,000 and $95,000 and would have a financial impact on reserves, as a new vehicle isn’t expected until 2029. Additionally, it would take about a year for a new vehicle to be delivered and, as noted in the management report, there are time sensitive pressures facing the depart- ment that would result in impacts to ser- vice delivery if not replaced soon. After a question from Coun. Mark Hunt- er, Anderson confirmed that after repairs, the vehicle is expected to reach if not ex- ceed its 2029 lifecycle expectation. Both decisions were done at committee level and will be brought before Stratford city council for final approval. STRATFORD TIMES STAFF _UTRCA targets phragmites within city has sprayed herbicide to control phragmites i in several re bicide has recently been spray Residents may have noticed signs indicating that her- Festival City, but the City of of Stratford is assuring that locations within the city to protect ee ecosystems and other stormwater ponds locations. yed in certain parts of the 3 best practises are CA nie follow the best management practices Stratford, Ontario NSA 38s According to a Facebook post on the city’s page, the _ approved by the Ontario Invasive Plant Council and the vi Upper Thames River Conservation Authority(UTRCA) Ontario Ministry of Natural and Forestry. The herbicide is approved for use by Health Canada and was carefully applied by licensed applicators from the UTR