Introducing Dorchester’s new Station 8 Farmers Market, on Thursday evenings
Tantramar will soon be home to another farmers market.
This Thursday evening from 5pm to 8pm, the Station 8 Farmers Market will kick off its inaugural event at the Dorchester Veterans Community Centre.
“It’s been in the works for a long time,” says Brooke Mazurkewich, operations manager at the Moving Forward Cooperative in Dorchester. “We’re very excited to launch it just in time for the Sandpiper Festival this weekend.”
Mazurkewich says there’s over 20 vendors signed up to participate. “We’ve got eggs, we’ve got produce. We’re hoping to get some meat farmers lined up, so there will be a lot of fresh food,” says Mazurkewich. There’s also local artisans, including people from the Dorchester area who are just starting out. “This is kind of a way for them to dip their toes in,” says Mazurkewich.
The market will happen Thursday evenings, and will eventually be held in the new Station 8 food hub, once a major reconstruction of Station Road is completed, in about four weeks’ time. Until then, the market will take place at the Dorchester Veterans Community Centre on Main Street.
Mazurkewich says the market is timed to not compete with the Sackville market on Saturdays, and to catch people on their way home from work. “It seemed to be the time that works well for a lot of people,” she says.… Continue
Council approves two major Dorchester projects, and commits to new fire hall by 2026
Last week Tantramar council approved over a million dollars in spending in Dorchester, with a tender awarded for the reconstruction of Station Road and an approval to buy a new pumper truck for the Dorchester Fire Department. But both purchases hit snags with budget limitations before they were approved.
The reconstruction of Station Road will see 115 metres of roadway rebuilt with curbs and storm sewers. The lowest bidder on the project was Bowsers’ Construction, but even their bid of roughly $312,000 (HST included) was about $50,000 too high for the allocated budget. Town engineer Jon Eppell told council he came close to recommending reducing the length of the reconstruction by one fifth, but Treasurer Michael Beal came up with a fix, thanks to some unspent funds in the municipality’s snow removal budget.
Last year, Tantramar decided to buy additional equipment in order to take on snow clearing in Dorchester. Previously, the village had relied on private contractors to do the work. Because staff weren’t sure if the equipment would arrive in time for the snow season, the town kept its budget allocation for contracted snow removal in this year’s budget. But the equipment did arrive in time, and so that money was not spent, which turns out to be good news for Station Road.
“Within the 2024 budget for the Dorchester sub-unit, we have $90,000 that is unallocated,” Beal told council last week.… Continue
Tantramar hires consultant to work on new Dorchester fire hall
At their regular monthly meeting last week, Tantramar council approved spending $67,000 on a consultant to take the next steps on building a new fire hall in Dorchester. The decision moves Tantramar forward on a long process started by the village of Dorchester years ago to replace the current 77-year old building.
In January 2021, the former village spent $100,000 on two lots on Cape Road for the new fire hall. This latest decision will see Catalyst Consulting Engineers take on coordination of a geotechnical investigation, a net zero analysis, putting together an RFP to find a design consultant, and other negotiations with “third party stakeholders.”
Tantramar CAO Jennifer Borne is the former CAO of the village of Dorchester, and spoke with CHMA last week about the project. She said the replacement of the current fire hall has been talked about for years:
“We certainly got our use out of it,” says Borne. “But certainly [it is] time for a new facility, well-deserving of all of Tantramar, of Dorchester specifically, and certainly the members of Dorchester Fire as well as really all members of Tantramar Fire Service.”
Dorchester Fire Chief Greg Partridge says the current facility was built in 1947 and has been expanded on twice since. Even so, says Partridge, “we’ve outgrown that years ago, and have been wanting a new hall, and needing a new hall for quite some time.”… Continue
EV charger proposal for Dorchester back at council this week, after delay
A project that was delayed by council at their meeting on October 10 will be back up for consideration at a special meeting on November 1. Councillors voted to add the item to this week’s special budget meeting agenda in order to make sure it can be completed before the end of this year’s fiscal year on December 31.
At Tantramar council’s October 10 meeting, town staff brought forward a proposed project to install two Level 2 EV chargers beside the Dorchester Veterans Community Centre (DVCC), something which climate change coordinator Brittany Cormier said would be a “cost efficient, timely and effective way of increasing Tantramar’s electrical vehicle charging infrastructure.”
The project would be partially funded through NB Power’s Plug In NB program, and cost the municipality about $9500 on top of the rebates available. Cormier told council that staff saw the DVCC as a “valuable location” for the chargers based on access to a power connection, ownership by the town, and “high visibility for both accessibility and security.” Cormier also cited “the proximity to amenities, restaurants, shopping, museums, the public library and gorgeous green spaces right on the valley, seeing the river and the train passing by.” The DVCC is on Main Street, near access to the Station Road Marsh Loop Trail and about a 5-minute walk from the village centre.… Continue
Dorchester man arrested and charged with assault with a weapon
A 46-year-old man from Dorchester has been charged with assault with a weapon and a number of other charges. Cory Kevin Lucci was arrested by Sackville RCMP on October 19 in Dorchester, and has appeared in court twice since, but remains in police custody. Lucci is due back in court on November 2, to set a date for a bail hearing.
In addition to assault with a weapon, Lucci is charged with uttering threats, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of fentanyl, oxycodone and cannabis for the purposes of trafficking, and impaired driving.
In a news release, the Sackville RCMP say they executed a search warrant at a residence after they arrested Lucci. Police says they seized a firearm, knives, ammunition, a prohibited weapon, and quantities of what is believed to be cannabis, fentanyl, oxycodone, and contraband cigarettes.
Police says the investigation continues.… Continue
Dorchester’s Freya Milliken gets some recognition with Music New Brunswick nomination
Dorchester-born musician Freya Milliken has been nominated for a Music New Brunswick award in the Song of the Year category, for her song, “Wholeheartedly”.
CHMA called her up to find out how the recognition feels, and get an update on her career:
Milliken grew up in Dorchester, and has fond memories of finding her passion for music with help from teachers like Karen Olscamp, Heather Milner and Tanya Dunlop at Dorchester Consolidated and Tantramar Regional High.
After high school Milliken set off for Wolfville, Nova Scotia to study music at Acadia University. She graduated in May, and is choosing to keep calling Wolfville home, with her band nearby and a job she loves.
Milliken wrote “Wholeheartedly” a couple of years ago. “At the time, I was thinking about intimacy and how relationships in our society are often portrayed as being quite shallow,” says Milliken. She wanted a song to carry the idea of “wanting a real connection, as opposed to just something that just touches the surface.” And so a song was born.
Milliken says the Music New Brunswick nomination is “a pretty big step” in her career. “It’s my first award nomination ever, so that feels pretty good,” says Milliken. And regardless of whether or not she takes home the award on October 19, she’s hoping the nomination itself could lead to more exposure and connections that might see her expand her reach as a musician.… Continue
Dorchester’s Peep and Keep aims to create ‘old time sense of community’
The village of Dorchester is coming alive this weekend with its second festival of the summer, the Sandpiper Festival, running from Friday to Sunday with events at the Dorchester Veterans Community Centre (DVCC), the library, the Greater Dorchester Moving Forward Co-op, Palmers Pond, and of course, the Village Square. (Tonight’s concert in the square has been moved to the DVCC due to weather. The full schedule is available as a pdf here.)
It’s no coincidence that this weekend also marks the grand opening of Dorchester’s latest new business, the Peep and Keep Ecotique. Sandpipers—and their nearby migratory habitat on the mudflats off Dorchester Cape—feature prominently in the concept of the new shop, co-owned by longtime residents Kara Becker and Debbie Wiggins-Colwell.
The shop is dedicated in equal parts to environmental sustainability and cultural heritage, hence the “Peep and Keep” moniker. Becker says the pair wanted to “create that old time sense of community in Dorchester,” and also “celebrate our place in the Fundy biosphere.”
The shop provides information and support for the Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Reserve and Interpretive Centre, says Becker. As part of the Sandpiper Festival, this Saturday afternoon at 2pm, staff from the Nature Conservancy of Canada will make a presentation on sandpipers and shore birds at the Peep and Keep. That will be followed by a “mix and mingle” on the upper floors of the Bell Inn. “Folks can just get together and chat about everything that’s going on in the community,” says Becker.… Continue
Council to consider hiring Veolia to take on Dorchester water as well as Sackville
Town engineer Jon Eppell is recommending that Tantramar expand its contract with Veolia Water Technologies to include the operation of the Dorchester water treatment plant. Tantramar council will consider the proposal at its regular meeting tonight at 7pm in Sackville town hall.
At council’s committee of the whole meeting in July Eppell said a request for a change in position from the current staff person operating the Dorchester plant prompted the town to explore the outsourcing of the service.
“We went to Veolia who we’re all very familiar with in Sackville,” said Eppell. The global water treatment company has been operating the Sackville plant since 2007, and it also operates the Moncton water treatment system.
The Dorchester contract would cost the town an additional $2000 per week, or $104,000 per year, with additional costs for overtime and emergency services. There will also be about $12,000 in technological upgrades for Veolia to take over the Dorchester system. Tantramar currently pays about $245,000 annually for the Sackville Veolia contract.
The Veolia contract amount is not currently budgeted, but a staff report says the funds will come from “salary savings within the Dorchester portion of the Utility Budget,” for 2023, and then will be budgeted accordingly in 2024. Overall, this will be an increase in utility expenses, as the staff person currently operating the plant will be reassigned to other utility duties.… Continue
Four-day Shiretown Fest begins today in Dorchester
Dorchester’s Shiretown Festival begins today at 6 p.m. with opening ceremonies at the Village Square Gazebo.
The main organizer of the festival is Debbie Shea, owner of the Village Square Take-Out restaurant in Dorchester.
In an interview with CHMA, she said the community event will have a strong emphasis on activities for kids.
Some of the activities include a watermelon-eating contest, a kid’s dance at the gazebo, a baseball game, a book sale at the library, a community yard sale, a cake auction, a car show, and more.
“We just do it for the community and for the enjoyment,” Shea said.
Listen to the interview with CHMA:
A schedule of events can be found on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Visitors to Dorchester may want to confirm details of events with organizers or by asking local residents around the village.
A movie night scheduled in the brochure for Thursday at the Moving Forward Co-op is, in fact, happening outside Dorchester Consolidated School on Friday evening.
The movie is Toy Story and it will be screened after the baseball game on Friday evening at 9 p.m., according to the Co-op.
Shea advised people to check out the Moving Forward Co-op’s Facebook page for details about events hosted by that group. … Continue
Meeting Wednesday seeks to pass on the torch for the Dorchester Rural Cemetery
UPDATE: May 19, 2023:
A meeting to set the future course for the Dorchester Rural Cemetery was well attended on Wednesday evening, and ended with a slate of nine members forming a new board to oversee the cemetery.
Organizer Marlene Hickman says longtime solo caretaker Peter Spence will join the group as Past President, to ensure a smooth transition to the community board.
The future of the cemetery looks bright, says Hickman. The new board has already set their first meeting date.
The nearly 200-year-old Dorchester Rural Cemetery overlooks Back Brook, just off the 106, across from Palmers Pond, in the Village of Dorchester. It’s a lovely setting, and well-kept, thanks to lone volunteer caretaker Peter Spence.
For decades Spence has been the one-person board that looks after the community cemetery, and now a group of volunteers are looking to form a new board to take over the task.
“At at some point, somebody is going to have to be the new me,” says Spence. And that’s the topic of a meeting tonight at the Dorchester Veterans Community Centre at 7pm.
Diane Nicholson is one of the driving forces behind that meeting. Nicholson is a history buff, but says there’s a lack of documentation about the Dorchester Rural Cemetery. She knows it was once called Greenwood Cemetery, and is not affiliated with a church, though it was considered a Protestant cemetery.… Continue