The most Canadian job around

by Brandon Mayer

A car accident last week at the intersection of Van Buren Street and Bridge Street/Raina Way led to what can be adequately described as a second “smash up” online. No one was hurt in the car accident, which resulted from one driver failing to yield the right of way. As often happens when it comes to the subject of driving in North Grenville, a social media post soon surfaced and a hot debate ensued.

Many social media users pointed out a problem of speeding in Kemptville. The entirety of Kemptville (within town limits) has a special posted speed limit of just 40 km/h. Not only is this lower than the default speed limit for towns and cities in Ontario, but many areas in Kemptville are also enforced as “community safety zones” with increased fines for speeders. Many locals feel that despite the strict stance on speed limits, there is not enough enforcement in Kemptville, with speeding still a major problem on streets such as Van Buren Street.

The original social media post called for a 4-way stop to be installed at the intersection where last week’s accident occurred. This too led to further debate, since some locals are keen to point out that an increase in safety would be good, while others make it clear that having intersections with too much control can slow and congest traffic.

Decisions regarding what type of control to put on an intersection are not made lightly, and there are many factors that must first be taken into consideration. Many people are likely unaware that one such factor is whether putting “too much” control on an intersection that doesn’t need it will potentially cause disrespect for rules of the road in general. This means that although it may seem logically safer to always implement as much control as financially feasible at all intersections, this is not the case.

When drivers come across an “over-controlled” intersection, such as a 4-way stop that barely ever has any cross traffic, they tend to lose respect for the value of all stop signs. Those who have driven on back roads may have observed certain 4-way stop intersections with excellent visibility where it is almost an unspoken “rule” that rolling through the intersection is acceptable. This is a great demonstration of what happens when 4-way stop intersections are overused.

What then, is the solution to speeding and minor car accidents in town? The most logical answer seems to be – “pay attention!” Human error will always be the main cause of car accidents, and logically only three other factors can ever be at play – weather conditions, driver incapacitation, and vehicle failure. When drivers take the time to pay attention, respect the rules of the road, and drive defensively, the road becomes a safer place for everyone. Let’s do better, North Grenville!

Small communities are filled with unsung heroes who make them tick, and Merrickville is no exception. Bill Presley is one such individual. He is responsible for flooding and maintaining two outdoor ice rinks – one in Merrickville, and one in Easton’s Corners. One would be hard pressed to think of a more Canadian job.

Bill retired at the age of 60, and after only a few short years, he started getting bored and was seeking something to pass the time. He was hired to work at the Merrickville landfill two days per week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It wasn’t long before he was asked if he could also be in charge of managing the two local ice rinks. Bill offered to do the job for free, but was told he needed to be paid for liability reasons. He accepts minimal compensation considering the heavy work he puts in.

What is the process involved in maintaining an outdoor ice rink? There is more to it than most people would realize. A fire hose is used to flood the ice in a quick sweeping motion, with several coats often being applied in succession, with some time to freeze in between. When defects in the ice are found, they are filled with slush and covered with a pilon until it can re-freeze. The ice rinks’ posted opening times are 8 am to 10 pm. There are different time slots allotted for family skating and hockey times.

With this being Bill’s second year of being in charge of the ice at the two rinks, he is finding that this year’s weather has made the job harder than last year. Last year, weather conditions generally allowed Bill to simply focus on flooding the ice when it would be cold enough, and clearing snow from it any time it snowed. This year, Bill explained that the job has been “hour by hour” as opposed to “day by day”. “It’s like making a cake,” Bill joked. “You gotta watch it”.

One of the duties of caring for the ice is to frequently drive by and check on it. With this responsibility comes a difficult task – instilling respect for the ice. When the ice is soft or not usable, people must stay off of it to avoid damaging the ice surface, which can create challenges for maintaining a smooth ice surface as temperatures fall back down. Similarly, helping to enforce hockey times is part of the job as well. Bill tries to be fair when it comes to ice use –for example, if only a few people are on the ice with some wanting to skate and others wanting to play hockey, he will turn the hockey nets so that a game can be played sideto-side without pucks flying at those who just wish to skate.

Ultimately, much of the work involved in maintaining the ice is “extra” that Bill does for free out of kindness. His wife, Lauri often helps as well. “She gives me a hand, many times and works for love,” added Bill. “Extra” duties include the monitoring of the ice, opening and closing each day, and the driving back and forth between the two rinks. This year especially, Bill describes maintaining the ice as a “24 hour job”, wherein he is often only getting a few hours of sleep at a time before having to go back out again. It is without a doubt that neighborhood kids (and adults) certainly appreciate it, even if they don’t always get the chance to say “thank you”. Great work, Bill!