Latest news with #MartinEarl
CBC
14-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Locals band together to rebuild clubhouse that burned down on Ward's Island
After an iconic landmark was destroyed, Toronto Island residents are coming together to rebuild 3 minutes ago Duration 2:58 Volunteers are digging holes and putting up wooden beams at the site where the Ward's Island Association Clubhouse once stood. The historic structure was built by members in 1937 and, nearly 90 years later, residents are bringing it back to life. "We are building a temporary staging area/pavilion," said Alison Gzowski, president of the Ward's Island Association. "Until we build a clubhouse, which will take a while, we wanted to have a place where we could continue to have community events," she said. In March last year, a massive fire destroyed the clubhouse and Island Café. A temporary replacement for the cafe opened next door to the site in the summer months. And now, a place that can serve as a meeting spot aims to capture what the clubhouse once was: an important gathering place for life's milestone moments, such as weddings, funerals, birthdays and community events. Martin Earl, a lifelong island resident, came up with the idea and is overseeing the project, working alongside his two sons. He's a retired carpenter, but this work is fuelled by decades of memories. "I remember doing the hokey pokey in there when I was little, and it was a beautiful wood building," Earl said. "I wanted to make sure this was going to be fun and all, and so far, if you look at any pictures that anybody's taking, everybody smiling," he said. Those smiles range in age from young kids to residents in their 80s like Andrew Peace. "I'm slower than the young guys, but I could still put in a full day," Peace said, adding it's fun to work with his neighbours. "It's always been a do-it-yourself thing on the island for a lot of projects," Peace said. "Almost every one of the clubhouses were built just with volunteer labour." The association, which is funding the materials, said the goal is to have the pavilion built in roughly 12 weeks.
The Courier
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Courier
Should Stirling's waste recycling booking system be binned?
When a new booking system for household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) in the Stirling Council area went live in May 2024, it was hoped waiting times would decrease for locals. It was also thought the council could save money in the process, to the tune of £80,000. A year on, users of the tips at Lower Polmaise, Callander and Balfron are still required to book a timeslot online before turning up. But the system isn't popular with everybody, and some councillors are calling for it to be scrapped. During a recent meeting of Stirling Council, Conservative members pushed for the policy to be changed, dubbing the booking system an 'inconvenience'. Trossachs and Teith councillor Martin Earl said: 'We believe that there should be no booking required for ordinary, domestic use of an HWRC.' He argued that while the amount of commercial waste illegally dumped at the centres had decreased since May 2024, it was not equal to the dip seen in domestic waste disposal at the facilities. Stirling's Conservative councillors proposed changing the booking system to only affect commercial vehicles. In response, Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee convener Jen Preston said: 'On a personal level, I would rather spend about a minute booking online, because it's not a very lengthy process, than have to queue in my car for 10 minutes.' Ms Preston, who is also Labour councillor for Stirling West and deputy council leader, told fellow members she had received a letter of complaint from a constituent when the booking system was first brought in. However, this was later followed by a message in support of the scheme after the same constituent found it to be an improvement. Ms Preston argued the booking system was primarily introduced to increase efficiency and lower the cost of HWRCs. She said abandoning the project before data is available to assess its effectiveness would be disrespectful to the council officers who implemented it. It was confirmed that the booking system would remain in place for now. A report containing a full year's worth of data will be presented to Stirling Council's Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee in September. A Stirling Council spokesperson said: 'Stirling's recycling rate is among the higher-performing local authorities in Scotland. 'The household waste and recycling centre (HWRC) booking system has resulted in a 2% increase in recycling performance and a reduction of 1,500 tonnes of residual waste. 'We remain committed to advancing waste management strategies and collaborating with stakeholders to promote a circular economy.'
