Friendly. Professional. Helpful. Awesome. Went the extra mile. Oh, and did I say friendly? These are just some of the ways that visitors to the Village describe You, the men, women and young people working in the shops, restaurants and other businesses. Whether you are the owner, a long time employee or part time staff, YOU are the face of the Village – and what a great face we have!
Business owners have been commenting on how busy it has been this summer – “like it was in the ’70’s and ’80’s”. I understand this also comes with many challenges and some of you are running out of steam. Please hang in there. You are part of the fabric that makes this Village so special, a place that people return to year after year. Thank you for all you do to make this a viable, successful place to live, work and play. You are Ambassadors for Your Village. Our Village.
Dr Zulfar Moledina opened his doors today and began seeing patients. I toured the refurbished office with him and took in the new design, new equipment and spent time talking to some our residents.
For now, the office is open Mondays and Wednesdays. He wanted to open in August so that the kids could get their check ups before heading back to school. His office door still opens off the spring – the “opening soon” sign in the Main St window was to announce his arrival and some folks have wondered if you access the office from there.
WELCOME DR MOLEDINA – It was a pleasure to meet you and your staff today.
With the dry, hot weather expected to continue for the next several weeks, a Level 1 Burn Ban has been put into place in Westport.
Level 1 means:
No Burn Permits may be activated and Open Air Burning or use of Burn Barrels at any time is prohibited.
Campfires and cooking fires are restricted in use. They must be .6m x.6m x .6m (2’ x2’ x 2’) and built according to the by-law, with proper clearances and can only be used between the hours of 8pm. To 11pm. They must be fully extinguished after use, allowing a fire to smoulder out is not acceptable.
Let’s work together to ensure there are no open air burnings or anyone using a burn barrel. People with a campfire or cooking fire needs to pay special attention to the size of the fire and ensure that it is fully extinguished by 11:00 p.m.
On February 3, 2015, the Council of Westport held a Budget Town Hall meeting to hear your concerns. The following concerns were introduced by members of the public:
By-law enforcement
Litter barrel pickup during the summer season
Garbage bags instead of garbage tags
Speeding on Main St and Rideau St
Recycling, including costs and eligible items for recycling
Plans for the paving of Bedford Street
Now, 18 months later, I can report that Council has acted on your concerns.
We have hired a by-law enforcement officer
Routine litter barrel pickup has been increased during the summer months
We have gone to garbage tags for large garbage bags. There is still a large inventory of small garbage bags
A new 4-way stop was put in place at the corner of Bedford and Main St
The recycling program for the Village of Westport is driven by the Township of Rideau Lakes, as we use its services. We will continue to encourage the Township to widen the eligible items for recycling
We have been unsuccessful in our grant applications to pave Bedford St. The cost is approx $1.5 million and we will continue to keep this issue on our radar and apply for grants as they become available
Please continue to keep Council informed on your concerns and suggestions. This is our Village, your Village.
Attached is a photo of a new bike, stolen today when the owner went home for lunch and left it beside his house. The Owner of the bike lives on Concession near Spring St. If you see this bike abandoned, please contact Greg or Dale Lyons. If you see it being ridden by someone you don’t know, think about calling the police before you approach.
Robin, The Mayor 
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