PCSP: Growing a Healthy and Vibrant Community for the FUTURE

Parks and young people seem to have taken over the spotlight in Portugal Cove St. Philip’s at this particular time. In reviewing some of the advances made by the town in 2012 and looking ahead into 2013, Mayor Bill Fagan referred to - “big changes in our demographics”. Unusual for a town in this Province, the changes for Portugal Cove St. Philip’s reflect in the kindergarten enrollment figures: at the end of February 2013. At that point in time there were 110 registered to start in September. And that was only by the end of the second month of the year! It’s a strong figure which, for one thing, bears out the wisdom of the council’s park developments. “At least $4 million is being invested in Rainbow Gully Park which is set to open this spring,” Fagan reported. “We have a soccer pitch with artificial turf - which meets the standards for rugby too - there is also a softball field, skateboard park, walking trails, a clubhouse, a multi-purpose open space (“the commons”), and a playground. It’s going to be a state-of-the-art facility,” Mayor Fagan said. The Voisey’s Brook park will see an investment of $2.5 million this year. This park will have a clubhouse, dog park, soccer and softball fields and a playground, with completion expected in 2014. In addition, the town has acquired the rights to 100 acres of crown land adjacent to the Park. This is a major acquisition for the town - but it is very welcome as “things are happening” in Portugal Cove St. Philip’s, as the Mayor has shown with the kindergarten figures. This former crown acreage will embrace green spaces, trails and natural wetlands and serve as a conservation area. The town had identified parks as one of its prime needs and it is now becoming very well served in that area. In addition to the two mentioned above there is a small park by the Portugal Cove ferry terminal (which honours Emma Churchill Dawson) and another at Neary’s Pond which has been a popular swimming site for quite some time. It was in Portugal Cove in the late 1800s that Emma Churchill Dawson held the first indoor Salvation Army service in Newfoundland. “Wester Point” will be a community historic park as this area is the burial site of the community’s earliest settlers. Graves uncovered there are to be repatriated following archaeological forensics. The resting place overlooks the ocean and the park will be a combination recreation/historic locale. Mayor Fagan is still very optimistic that the town will soon be provided with a middle school. “Beachy Cove Elementary is swelling,’ he notes, “and a middle school would take grades five to nine. We are hopeful it will be built near town hall where, for one thing, the school community will be able to take advantage of adjacent park spaces and playgrounds.” The growth of the community and the demands in recreation is evident in the expansion of the department with a new Programs and Special Events Coordinator already started and part-time park employees scheduled to start in the summer. There are in the order of 31 voluntary groups serving Portugal Cove St. Philip’s, most in athletics, the Mayor pointed out - “for example some 450 kids are participating in soccer - but, of course, our volunteer efforts go well beyond sports - we have a walking trails group, a heritage committee, there are four churches with programs of their own, we have a branch of the Women’s Institutes, just to name a few - I must say, community involvement is what makes our town so vibrant!” In a population of 7,366, Portugal Cove St. Philip’s has some 600 volunteers. Mayor Fagan also noted that the town’s fire fighting services are volunteer-based (“and one of the Province’s best!”), and that a full-time Fire Chief position is now in place. As well, the town has received a new pumper truck. Portugal Cove St. Philip’s has a back-up arrangement with the St. John’s Fire Department. The town has some 2,950 homes and housing development continues at to grow at a fast pace. Among the many different projects being undertaken is extension of the water/sewer service to the area proposed for the new middle school and the lifestyle centre project. There will be road upgrading this year, notably at Harding’s Hill. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is working with council to assure speed limits are observed in the town. The recycling program has been “going well”, the Mayor says, since it was launched in the fall of 2012. There is also a committee working to assure the town lives up to the slogan, “Our Town, Clean Town”. With a much-welcomed proposal on the table to extend The East Coast Trail from Bauline to Portugal Cove harbour, negotiations with the trail association have moved ahead and funding discussions have been held - such an extension of the trail would be “quite a boost to the town,” says Fagan.

A MAJOR GOAL for Portugal Cove St. Philip’s is economic development.

“While we clearly need a better plan with the Province in this direction,” says Mayor Fagan, “there are things we can do. In that respect, we have in place Jeff Lawlor as the Director of Economic Development, Marketing and Communications.

“One of the initiatives is publication of a bimonthly newsletter, “The Tickle” which is an eight pages newsletter. It has already proven to be a boost for our communications efforts. We have an economic development plan in place and a goal is to increase the business-based revenue to the town from the current approximately 6% of total revenue to 20%.

“We are promoting the town as a place to grow and to introduce business - we are reaching out to potential entrepreneurs. Consider, we already have two major horticultural enterprises here, construction is very important to us and we have such services as a pharmacy and medical clinic.”

Lawlor pointed out that council’s Economic Development office does many of the functions which would be handled by a chamber of commerce if there were one in the town. “Although the Department is still quite new we plan on launching a number of great initiatives this year focused on recognizing and promoting our local businesses. We will do this by bringing in speakers of interest on different occasions to provide professional development opportunities, developing an awards program, increasing advertising and sponsorship opportunities and helping to combat red tape - and so forth.

“Generally speaking,” Lawlor said, “you can expect eighty per cent of your business growth to come from the local community. That’s a common economic development philosophy, so supporting your local business community in the ways we have and intend to do is a proven growth action.” He noted that tourism and economic development go hand-inhand and that the town already has a good mix, restaurants and other services, and suggested that as a particularly scenic and historic part of the Province, more development can be anticipated from this direction.