CALABOGIE & AREA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION INC.
ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOMPLISHMENTS, 2009-10
1.0 ASSOCIATION STATUS
CABA continues to maintain a healthy membership ending the year with 96 members. General meetings were held Sept. 14, 2009, at the Calabogie Community Centre, Dec. 7, 2009 at The Duck Restaurant and April 12, 2010 at Calabogie Peaks Resort and the June 28, 2010 annual meeting was at The Duck Restaurant.
Some of the topics covered at meetings included:
Results of CABA’s summer student “Tourism Ambassador” survey based on questions put to visitors to our tourist centre in Calabogie (845 individuals). Student was paid through Canada Youth Grant.
CABA’s 2nd annual Festival of the Senses with 28 sites the first week- end in October, 2009.
Broad band now fully operational in designated areas. Chair of Township Economic Development Committee, Bruce Parker attended CABA meeting to provide information and full details.
Seven WiFi spots in our area.
CABA participated in Township’s Broadband Expo Oct. 14-15, 2009 .
Grand opening of Manitou Mt. Trail by Township and CABA sponsorship of signage. Township maps created by Ec Dev Committee for Manitou Mt. and Madawaska Nordic trails now distributed.
CABA’s annual Achievement Awards presentation.
New CABA logo implemented.
Updates of pertinent info by Township Reeve at all four CABA meetings: extra 3% accommodation tax to be implemented following HST implementation and our area, called Algonquin East-Ottawa Valley, will be managed by OVTA (Regional Tourist Organization) as organized by Ministry of Tourism; stimulating outside investment with gov’t funding; completion of purchase of Calabogie Public School; status of road repairs; completed purchase of emergency vehicles; future litter clean up on trails & current problem with litter at Wabun Lake; plan to extend our health clinic hours, revamping and modernizing township web site.
Calabogie Rink Development Committee report by township committee chair, Darren Matthews to serve 223 young people in our area. Three phase plan for 2010, 2011 & 2014.
Coop advertising with Township in OVTA and Maple Lanes publications
Report from GMT Health Committee re family health team proposal
Report from GMT Seniors’ Housing Committee
Proposal from GMT Librarian re welcoming new residents
HST impact, rules and regulations for small business operators
Proposal from April Cappel on Renfrew County’s 150 year anniversary celebrations at Pembroke Airport location June 9-12, 2011.
Burnstown business updates
Info on local conferences and workshops
CABA’s annual on-line auction of more than 20 items
CABA letter of support to Township requesting that County continue to maintain Cherry Point Park
CABA Canada Day 2010 Pie Eating Contest proposal
Minutes of the previous general meeting and the agenda for the next meeting were
distributed by email or paper copy before each meeting. Minutes are posted on the CABA website. Annual fees remained at $30.00 for the year beginning July 1, 2009. A motion was passed to increase the annual fees to $40.00 for the year 2010-2011.
2.0 FUND RAISING
CABA's sale, on July 1st, 2009, (Cath Reynolds and Carolyn Jakes) at the Canada Day
Celebration in Calabogie, with "I partied on the lake in Calabogie" T-shirts, buttons and caps raised $242.00 in income plus another $336.00 was raised on the sale of embroidered caps during the fiscal year. Expenses were $275.73 for the embroidery of our CABA web site address on the remaining red caps. As of June 30, 2010, 20 embroidered caps were still in stock. Clear profit after expenses for the whole Canada Day sales project from 2005 to 2009 is $1082.53 to date.
In addition, CABA raised $998.50, an increase of $396.50 over last year, at its second annual online bidding auction to raise funds for the annual Festival of the Senses.. CABA businesses provided the items. CABA member Catherine Fortin of Doublebogie Chalet organized and conducted the auction and Carolyn Jakes assisted with emailing and distribution of items.
CABA’s current strategy is to conduct one annual fund raising activity in the year,
once the Canada Day products are sold out, leaving one internal CABA fund raiser, the online CABA auction. CABA will continue to partner with the township on grant proposals to support community and economic development (eg. CABA sent supporting documentation for the grant for the current township project for upgrading the township web site which is now in final stages of upgrading.)
CABA fund raising events will be project specific in the future.
3.0 GRANTS
3.1 The Manitou Mountain Trail was officially opened by the township and CABA provided $405.00 for trail signage. (There is an additional $1636.00 set aside for trail signage as they are developed. These funds were raised in the past for this purpose.)
4.0 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
4.1 Two CABA members served on the Greater Madawaska Township Economic
Development Committee: Debora Giffin and Dan Nahon. Issues addressed included: broadband service, development of hiking trails and grant subsidies, For the third time, several local businesses partnered with the Township and purchased co-op ad space in tourism pieces.
CABA continued to liaise with the Economic Development Committee. The $2,041 minus $405 already spent and previously raised by CABA for trail development is being held over to the 2010-11 year and will be used for trail signage in partnership with the township's economic development committee.
4.2 Communication continued with other community groups to focus resources/effort to
achieve common goals. For example, CABA updated the township's "Welcome to Calabogie" events board for the promotion of local events. In Dec. 2009, a local resident (Theresa Brydges) took over the job of posting events on the board using the event info provided to her by CABA. CABA sends the events info to the newspaper, the Madawaska Highlander, as well, for publication. CABA also posts the events on the events calendar accessed through either the township or CABA web site.
4.3 CABA president, Debora Giffin, continued to serve on the Renfrew County
Chambers of Commerce Council. The goal is to share ideas and experiences and to
select projects to benefit both the rural and urban economic sectors of Renfrew
County. Issues and projects included the “Buy Local“ initiative. CABA is the only member that operates without paid staff support.
4.4 Carolyn Jakes reviews minutes received from the Ottawa Valley Economic Development Committee for items of local interest and any appropriate action.
5.0 GENERAL PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
5.2 CABA members Debora Giffin and Carolyn Jakes wrote "CABA Corner" articles for several editions of the Madawaska Highlander newspaper which were distributed to all residences and businesses in the Greater Madawaska Township and the Burnstown and Denbigh areas at no cost to CABA. New and existing businesses and CABA activities are highlighted. (Distribution of the Highlander is twenty-eight hundred copies.)
5.3 In June 2010, a four-page directory insert was again included in the Madawaska
Highlander at a cost of $650 with CABA businesses listed under categories similar
to the directory available on the CABA web site. One thousand extra copies of the
directory are available for distribution through businesses in the township
as of June, 2010. They are also available at the Tourist Centre and Township Office.
5.4 The CABA web-site, www.calabogie.org, was updated under paid contract, by web master David Lester and includes minutes of meetings, CABA's Strategic Plan, the annual report and a business directory. The web master forwarded enquires which tourists send to the CABA web site to the appropriate CABA member for action.
5.5 Members are encouraged to access a link into the Google network for posting specials and promos, by using the monthly events calendar link on our calabogie.org website. Passwords are provided to members to access, change, post and refresh their monthly in-house events. All changes are tracked. CABA members contact David Lester (info@calabogie.org) directly for detailed information. This calendar of events can be accessed through the CABA and township web sites as well.
5.6 CABA was represented at the Remembrance Day ceremony in
Calabogie and presented a wreath. CABA purchased a tree for the Calabogie
Seniors' Bogie Lights Christmas tree display at Heritage Point and participated in the Chili Eating Contest at the Winter Carnival.
5.7 The 2009 CABA award winners were Excellence in Ambiance (commercial property) - Neat Coffee Shop, Excellence in Ambiance (home-based business) – The Fans of Calabogie, Excellence in Store Front Presentation – White Pines Resort, Excellence in Customer Service – Staff of Calabogie Motorsport Park, Excellence in Community Service – Peter Emon
5.8 CABA continued for a fifth year in the County's Adopt-a-Road Program
covering the stretch of 1.2 km of Highway 511 from Highway 508 to the bridge in
the village of Calabogie. CABA has two highway signs provided free and installed
by the County. The CABA team of Laura and Doug Bevington collected the accumulation of litter in the summer of 2009.
5.9 CABA again applied to Services Canada and received funding for a summer
student for 2009 (Calabogie resident, Leesa Fleury), who worked five days a
week at the Calabogie Information Centre at Heritage Point. CABA President managed this project and (successfully) applied in March 2010 for a student grant for the summer of 2010.
5.10 The issue of teambuilding continued to be addressed resulting in a
better and more effective distribution of activities to CABA members, thereby
spreading committee workload. This initiative will continue.
5.11 CABA members have continued to participate in township committees and
attendance at township committee/council meetings to contribute to the community
as a whole and to keep up to date with current issues. In addition to CABA members noted previously in this report, Ross Richards is the CABA representative on the Township's Strategic Plan Implementation Committee. Debora Giffin, and Al Harris (Harris Construction) serve on the township's Committee of Adjustments. Gary Reed serves on the Barnet Park Committee.
Gilles Aucoin serves on the Emergency Planning Committee and is Captain of Communications and Suppression for the Fire Dept. Paul Murphy was the CABA representative on the Township's Sound Advisory Committee.
In the Burnstown area, Heather Miller-Wolff is president of the Burnstown Merchants'
Association and Moira Hutchison is the chair of the McNabb-Braeside Business
Association and the Burnstown rep on CABA executive.
5.14 During the Winter Carnival in Calabogie, CABA Executive and members participated in the Chili Cooking Contest. The goals of community participation by CABA and positive press coverage were met.
5.15 CABA organized the second annual Festival of the Senses in October 2009 and 28 sites offered special events. The event was again a success and should be repeated in October 2010. Catherine Reynolds, Carolyn Jakes, Debora Giffin, Moira Hutchison and Skip Hale were the organizing committee in 2009.
5.16 CABA president, Debora Giffin, managed the 15 geocaches in key sites including Centennial Lake, Belanger Lake, Limestone Lake, Kennelly Mountain and along the K & P Trail. These sites were introduced October 3, 2009 as part of the Festival of the Senses and have continued to be visited ever since, including the winter months, by visitors who log their finds on the www.geocaching.com web site. Members Ann Stubinsky and Karen Warren volunteered to visit the caches if problems arise. Over 500 parties have logged visits to the caches.
As a follow up to this initiative, Debora organized a Festival of the Senses event in partnership with a staff member from the County’s Forestry Department (Jeff Muzzi) who led a group up the northern end of the K and P Trail. CABA Treasurer, David Abraham introduced the geo-cache component on this excursion.
5.17 The annual Burnstown Affair of the Arts was moved to June from May and renamed. It had a new focus as it partnered with the township of McNab Braeside for a township- wide celebration.
5.18 CABA President created a database of key distribution points for the Tourist Map outside the general area. Telephone contact was made by summer student, Leesa Fleury and the Municipal office staff then sent the packages of maps.
Business owners generously provided their facilities and refreshments – free of charge – to host CABA Meetings. Over the past year these include: Reeve Emon for the use of the Calabogie Community Hall, Paul Murphy for hosting at Calabogie Peaks Resort, Catherine Fortin of Doublebogey Lodge and Kristina Chapman of The Duck for CABA meetings and Cath Reynolds for executive meetings.
6.0 Outstanding Issues for 2010-11
6.1 During the 2010-11 fiscal year, it is the responsibility of the Executive and
the Board of Directors of CABA to ensure that the actions identified in CABA’s
Strategic Plan are prioritized and implemented to the extent possible while both
fostering respect for the ecosystem’s integrity and producing economic gains.
Items requiring follow-up include:
6.2 Lucy Lester volunteered to create and implement a Members' Trades and Services Directory Plan.
6.3 Chris Fleming offered to organize a meeting to discuss ways to get tourists to return
to the area.
6.4 Develop a member identification package.
6.5 Chris Fleming, Elizabeth Jost-Couture and Catherine Fortin are working on a project to advertise businesses using a business card board posted in key businesses as per 2010 presentation to CABA by Pakenham retailers.
6.6 A second collection of feedback for Municipal Council in formal report from business members.
6.7 Request water quality report for 2008-09 and 2009-10 for Madawaska River (Griffith to Burnstown) from Renfrew County Health unit, as in the past, to monitor any changes.