Notes from the Blandford-Blenheim Township Council meeting, which was held on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
Camp 85 Review
Drew Davidson, Township of Blandford-Blenheim’s Director of Protective Services, gave Council a review of this summer’s Camp 85.
The camp, similar to the County of Brant’s Camp Phoenix, is an annual day camp for teenage girls aged 14 to 18 looking to gain skills associated with firefighting such as climbing a ladder, using a fire extinguisher, or working as a team to complete a task.
Davidson said the name of the camp comes from the call numbers for each township in Oxford County.
“In Oxford County, each township has their call numbers and anything in Blandford-Blenheim starts with an eight,” he said. “So Princeton is Station 81, Drumbo is 82, Plattsville is 83 and Bright is 84. Put everything together and you now have Camp 85.”
This year, 23 girls enrolled in the program and over 50 people made up of firefighters and members of the public came out to help, including six campers from previous years.
Davidson said that around 20 participants seemed to be an ideal number and is something they will be keeping in mind in the future. As well, he said that they are looking into providing the same camp for boys looking to learn more about fire services.
“One thing that we are looking into next year is the possibility of a boys camp,” he said. “ …We’re trying to see how that would look, and then alternate one year to another, so boys then girls.”
He said that while they are still trying to iron out the details, they know that next year’s Camp 85 will run from July 8 to July 12, 2025.
The vote to receive the report as information was then carried unanimously.
Remembrance Day Ceremonies
Several Blandford-Blenheim communities will be hosting Remembrance Day Ceremonies on and around the day, including:
- Chesterfield, November 10, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at the Chesterfield Cemetery.
- Princeton, November 11, 2024 at 10:15 a.m. at the Cenotaph in the park.
- Plattsville, November 11, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at the Gates at Plattsville Memorial Park.
- Drumbo, details to come at a later date
Building Services Vehicle Purchase
During the Wednesday, October 2, 2024 meeting, council directed staff to proceed with putting out an RFP (Request for Proposal) with the intent to purchase a new vehicle for the Building Department.
The report from earlier this month noted that a truck would suit the needs of not only the department, but others later on its life cycle.
Staff then sent the RFP to seven dealerships and received three quotes back, all of which met the requirements of the RFP.
During last Wednesday’s meeting, Jim Borton, Blandford-Blenheim’s Director of Public Works, said that of the three quotes, Finch Auto Group had the lowest quote, a cost of $49,226.00 for a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4wd Crew Cab.
Borton noted that with the vehicle’s list price being $58,000, they were able to secure almost a $9,000 discount.
He also added that because the vehicle was in stock, Wednesday’s approval guaranteed the Township would receive the vehicle within four to six days compared to the six to eight month wait for a new order.
The vote to accept the quote of $49,226.00 + HST + Licensing, using funds from Building Services Reserve, was then passed unanimously.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
