County Council Highlights for Oct. 2, 2024

Deputy Warden Encourages Residents to Visit their Libraries

Essex County Library branches are community hubs that provide multiple avenues for discovery and learning to residents, Deputy Warden Joe Bachetti said in his opening remarks to council Wednesday.

“As chair of the Essex County Library Board, nothing makes me prouder than walking into a branch bustling with activity,” he said. “I know my fellow board members are equally proud of library staff for consistently coming up with new and creative ways to provide residents with programs and tools for lifelong learning.”

The Essex County Library’s 14 branches provides residents with access to more than 367,000 items. More than 16,000 children, teens and adults participated in 371 programs at library branches across the county during July and August alone.

Construction is to begin soon on a new community centre and library building in Cottam. And the recently renovated Cada Library Branch in Tecumseh is hosting an art open house later this month in partnership with the town.

The Essex County Library’s new mission statement says it is “a space of discovery for all at the heart of our communities.” Its vision is to be “a trusted community partner, enriching the lives of residents by providing responsive services and creating connections to information, entertainment, and knowledge.”

Bachetti encouraged residents to drop by their local library branch and get a library card.

Council Receives Report on Identifying Road Safety Issues

A comprehensive review of the County of Essex road network’s 1,084 intersections and 1,085 interconnecting segments to identify safety issues is underway. The review by a specialized consultant will produce a ranked list of locations based on their potential for safety improvements, says a report to council.

The ranked project list is expected to be completed by the end of 2024 and the implementation of safety modifications could begin as early as the spring of 2025.

This new Road Safety Management Program will allow the county to efficiently identify safety issues and prioritize the implementation of solutions, says the report. Once solutions are put in place, they will be monitored to assess whether the modifications are reducing collisions. It is recommended that a review of all intersections and interconnecting road segments be done every five years to provide refreshed data about collisions and traffic volumes.

The Infrastructure and Planning Services department receives numerous requests for safety reviews at locations through Essex County, with 16 completed so far this year, says the report.

New Software to Manage Bridge and Culvert Assets to be Purchased

Essex County Council has approved an agreement to purchase InspectX software and enter a five-year service contract (with an option to renew for five more years) with Bridge Intelligence LLC DBA Asset Intel for $521,675. The software is needed to track and analyze inspection data for bridges and culverts on county roads. It was previously tracked with software that is no longer available, says a report to council.

Council Approves Conferences for 2025

Essex County Council has approved seven conferences in 2025 that members can attend on behalf of the county while complying with its travel, meetings and conferences policy. The policy allows each council member to spend up to $5,000 on travel expenses, meals, accommodations and conference fees to attend one approved conference a year.

Council Calls for Report on Civic Centre Access

Council voted to have staff prepare a report about public access to the Civic Centre on Council meeting nights.