CAR CATCHERS

The old system barely did the job of keeping the one vehicle from going over the embankment in this fatal accident.
A close-up of the older method of guardrail construction.
A long shot showing rail design.Note the snowplough marker on the end post.Instead of the wrap-around ending,the ends of most new sections are curved down and buried in the road shoulder.
The just installed,gleaming new guardrail along the 103 Highway in East River.
A close-up shot showing the new style of construction.

Sometimes,barely noticeable improvements are made to everyday things that we take for granted or seldom think about.Guardrails are such an item.Every day for years we drive by them and hope we never need their use.Other than possibly making you realize that you are passing by a steep bank with a long drop from the road shoulder,you just keep motoring along.However when you see a serious accident like the one above or the resulting damage from a similar mishap it is only then that you are grateful for this relatively simple safety feature along the edges of our roads and highways.
The new guardrail installations now have posts every 6 feet apart as opposed to the 12 foot spacing of the older sections.Between the posts and rails are offset blocks.These 6"x 8"x14"(typical) blocks used to bring the center line of the guardrail-to-post unit away from the post.By offsetting this line,an impact against the rail at that point is buffered more effectively.This also results in less damage from snowploughs and aids in keeping vehicles on the road and preventing "airborne" vehicle accidents.While it's nice to know they are there,let's hope you never need the services of a guardrail's ultimate use.Drive safe.

TRANSFORMATION and RENOVATION

Apr.29'th Duke St.--------------After much inside work,things are drastically changing on the outside at Chester Harbour Yoga and Massage Therapy.The deck will now be elevated on posts to allow for a basement entrance.The boom truck made the job easier on both the workmen and the deck structure.

Gold River Bridge Replacement Begins (POST # 200)

A containment boom is being placed to keep debris and other possible contaminants out of the river and ocean.
Boom is securely in place.
Gold River Bridge on the morning of Oct.14'th,2007.A nice before shot.

After much delay,one of the bigger feats of engineering and construction is about to start in our area.The present bridge is about fifty years old and is really starting to show its age.We will attempt to bring you updates and progress photos as this interesting project moves ahead.Gold River is an important salmon habitat and years ago,gold mining was an important activity in areas farther upriver.For those who may not know,the headwaters of Gold River are in the New Ross area.

MAYFEST IS NEXT

Another harbinger of Spring is the annual Mayfest event organized by The Chester Area Family Resource Centre.For more details click on the CAFRC sponsor ad as it appears at the side of your screen.Come on down for this eclectic sale event and the rest of the activities.Drive carefully and mind the "yardsalers" and bargain hunters.

CROSSWALK PAINTING

A work crew gives the Duke St. and Highway #3 crosswalk a fresh coat of paint for the summer season.A quiet Sunday morning with a light traffic flow made the job easier.

CHESTER AT SALTSCAPES EAST COAST EXPO

The Chester booth is chock full of items made in Chester.From theatre,candles,home decor,food,pottery,signs,photography and more.Its all there.
Two potential customers show an interest in goods from the Chester group.
A patron of the show stops to peruse items at the Chester display booth.
Chester's banner is displayed prominently over the booth.

Get in your car and get to the Saltscapes Expo at Exhibition Park this weekend in Halifax.A group of artisans,craftsmen and businesses from Chester have a great booth there and you can also check out food ,wares and services from other providers from throughout the Maritimes.There is musical entertainment,cooking demonstrations and lots of free samples.Everything from scallops to cranberries and chicken to wine and cheese.The show runs Sat. 'til 6:00 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.You will not be disappointed by this event.
Many of the businesses in this venture are advertisers on chesterns.ca and a few more are about to come aboard the site.Consider chesterns.ca your virtual expo of all things Chester.We are open 24/7/365,not just weekends.While we can't serve you steaming scallops or an ounce of wine to sample,we can provide a heaping helping of information and items of interest whether you are living here or just coming for a visit.So come to Chester,shop local and shop often.

SYD IS IN

The first sailboat is on her mooring at the approaches to Chester's Front Harbour just off The Peninsula on a grey Spring day.Meisner Island is in the background.Some will remember it as Wilson's Island.

chesterns.ca UPDATE

R.I.P. hp Photosmart M425 Sept. 11'th 2007 to Apr.21'st 2008

chesterns.ca lost a workhorse of the site when the little camera that does it all,packed it in.The fine folks at Hewlett-Packard are going to honor the warranty and ship us a replacement.In the meantime we hastily ran out and purchased a similar model to keep the site active.Luckily it has been a slow news and event week here in the Village but chesterns.ca is prepared for when things happen in the coming days.A little Spring break is a good thing now and then whether by choice,lack of happenings or technological failure. chesterns.ca staff

MORE ST. STEPHEN'S PARISH CENTRE PROGRESS

The newly poured floor of the main hall.
Looking back towards the main entrance.
The slinger truck delivers the material for "tuning up"the interior elevation of the floor before the pour.Four guys with wheel barrows will empty the truck in under an hour.
A great stop action shot.
Manual labour is still required in the end to get perfection and the finer aspects of the job complete.Below,a plate tamper is used to compact the base material to prevent settling of the concrete floor.

NOEL INDUCED REPAIRS

Concrete is being poured into the hopper.
Craned into position.
Voila! The trip of a lever and the concrete is placed.
The hopper is returned for another load while a worker trowels smooth the previous pour.

Repairs are being carried out on this wharf between The Rope Loft and the Public Launching Ramp on Water St.You can go to our archives if you want to see how it looked after Hurricane Noel had its way with the structure.While it is a big job,machinery is greatly aiding the man power aspect of the work.

INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE

Apr.17'th Nauss Pt. Rd.----------------A work crew finishes a repair to the sewer main that runs along the Nauss Pt. Rd. to the sewage treatment plant.In recent years this has become more of a routine than a freak incident.It is most likely caused by a combination of age and increased use due to development.The system is almost 40 years old and there has been no major maintenance on many sections of it.The federal Government has just announced legislation for changes as to how wastewater and sewage is to be disposed of,especially concerning discharging into waterways,rivers and the ocean.This may be timely for Chester as the age of their infrastructure in conjunction with the new rules could necessitate a major renovation to the waste treatment system now in use.

THE GREAT HALL-A PEAK INSIDE

A panoramic shot looking west toward the Church yard.
Looking east from the entrance.
Looking back to the west again,showing the cathedral ceiling.To the left you can see the flame in a heater.This is to draw the frost out so the floor can be poured.
Another view east.The fibre glass insulation reflects an eerie light.
Traditional cedar shingles are being applied to the sidewalls.It looks fantastic.
Shingling and trim completed around a pair of the windows.

Apr.11'th King and Regent Streets-----------------Work continues on St.Stephen's Parish Centre.The building is really starting to fit into the neighbourhood now that the cedar shingles are being installed.For fire protection purposes,a fibre cement clapboard is being used where the new hall borders the Church building.Aesthetically, it almost looks like a real wood product.A special thank-you to one of the building committee members for the privilege to photograph the interior of the project.

FIRST IN

This Chester built boat enjoys the bragging rights of being the first to appear on its mooring for the season.Little Fish Island can be seen in the background.

COUNCIL AGAINST URANIUM MINING

While an ominous sky hung over the building,Council made a positive decision concerning an ominous threat to our health and environment.
Dr. David Maxwell is interviewed by a member of the media.
L to R: Rudy Haase,reporter Adam Jacobs,and Al Chaddock discuss some of the points of this morning's decision by Chester Municipal Council.

Apr.10'th,King St.------------------After hearing a presentation on the dangers and impact of uranium mining in the local area,Council made a unanimous decision "to pass on the request of the residents to the Province asking for a permanent closure to uranium mining."Speaking for concerned citizens throughout the Municipality were Dr. David Maxwell,Environmentalist Rudy Haase and former Councilor Bea Larder.Dr.Maxwell gave an excellent presentation on the impacts to health with the science to back it up.When he has it available we intend to post it on chesterns.ca for your information.For Rudy and Bea it was deja vu all over again as it was almost like 25 years ago when the threat of uranium being mined, first reared its ugly head in the region.Speaking strongly against mining after the presentation were Councilors Smith,Scott and Cornelius.Councilors Hector and Shatford waffled a bit but ended up supporting the motion.There is still much to be done to stop the process but today's decision sends a strong message to our Provincial Government.It will be interesting to see if democracy will prevail or if we are in for a tougher battle at the Provincial level.
One of the groups represented by the presenters was Citizens Against Uranium Mining,formed by Rudy and a group of concerned citizens 25 years ago.With this latest threat lurking,the group re-formed.They are in the process of putting up a website.We will keep you informed and let you know when it is up and running.

SPRING:It's a boat time!

Waiting to be stepped
Nice lines.
Bow lines.
On the hard.Single Malt just needs the little splash of water, as most good scotches do.

Ready.

Tues.Apr.8'th
With a high temperature near 15 degrees C this afternoon and some of the boats finally in the water,it was almost feeling more like Summer at South Shore Marine today.The stampede from the yard to the water will be a steady and careful process as vessels are readied for their skippers.

YOUR WEEKENDER ( WARNING -our most extreme post yet)

A fixture from days gone by says good-bye.
In an effort to bring you the hole story,what more can we say ?

Believe it or not, there was still one of these old necessities hanging around a property in the village.We won't tell you where it was as it could be a sensitive issue for some.It was very well constructed out of douglas fir plywood and pine boards.It had red asphalt roll roofing.The choice of material and the roofing are reasons it lasted so long.It was also in a well protected and hidden area.It was not the kind that is built over a hole and then moved when "things piled up".The wooden box incorporating the seat had a hatch in the rear so it could be cleaned out.With good ventilation and the use of lime,it was actually quite functional and friendly on the environment.An early example of composting.It was probably built around the 50's or 60's.
Depending on your age and career history many of you will recognize it by one of the following terms.Outhouse,one holer,two holer(posh),latrine,KYBO,sh*thouse,potty,john,thunder hole,loo,powder room,stool,crapper,head,jerry,johnny on the spot,water closet,backhouse,can,potty,comfort station,potty chair,toilet,lavatory,commode,privy,bath,the bath,bathroom,restroom,toidy,WC,washroom,urinal,water closet,the throne.'nuff said.

NEW RULE OF THE ROAD

Click to to see the fine print.

While the working stiffs have no doubt gotten the message on their favorite radio station on the commutes to and from work this week,we thought we would post this notice for the weekend warriors as they are off to shop,open up the cottage or shine up the boat.According to reports on CBC radio the police appear to be strictly enforcing the new law.We have not heard any reports of a friendly warning to the guilty motorist that gets pulled over.So take heed all you fans and surfers of chesterns.ca.Go get BLUETOOTH technology or simply pull over to take or make a call.For your convenience we will shamelessly promote one of our sponsors,Nerds On Site as they can get you what you need to be "street legal"if you have a BLUETOOTH compatible mobile phone.Drive safe and phone safer if you must.

DANGER IN THE STREETS

Warning:It's back.The incredible Queen St. Sinkhole near Regent St.
A close-up shot tells the hole story.It is about 2 feet deep at least.
Cyclists and small cars beware at the Pigloop Rd. and Duke St. intersection.
Pedestrians,especially small children and senior citizens are particularly at risk around this damaged wooden storm grate.Maybe it's time for an iron replacement.

Apr.4'th,Chester------------------------Even if one considers the effects of the weather this time of year, there is no good reason or excuse for some of the problems on the streets of the Village these days.The sink hole appears about every 3 to 5 years.The more it rains,the worse it gets.The "cheapo" repair method is to keep dumping cold patch or asphalt into it.The proper fix would be to replace the rusted out culvert that runs under the street below this hazard.The wooden grate on Duke St. has not been the same since the storm named Noel came through last year.Watch and see how long it takes to fix these nasty hazards.

SUNRISE Fri.Apr.4'th,2oo8

The view to the east from Haddon Hill.

THE ANGLICAN ACCOMPLISHMENT:AN UPDATE

Roof tight.
The Tyvek has ben installed and the great hall is ready for siding.

Apr.3'rd Queen and Regent Streets--------------------------Work on St.Stephen's Parish Centre continues.As work progresses we will see if the builder or a Church Committee member will let us have a peek inside at some point in the near future.It is at a point now where the suspense can kill you if you are curious.If you can recall an article we posted awhile back,even in the early stages of framing, you can see that the space will have a wonderful feel and atmosphere to it.Kudos to the architect and the Building Committee.

ROOTS AND WINGS

Gillian Reid,Sales Manager for Roots and Wings magazine poses with the first issue outside the local daycare.
Coverkids!
A sampling of the contents.Click on photo to read.Then go get an issue to find out more.

There is a new publication making its debut on Nova Scotia's south shore.And it has a Chester connection.Gillian Reid of Chester and Allison Rew of Pleasantville,near Bridgewater have put together and are promoting a magazine for local area parents.It is circulated throughout Lunenburg and Queens counties free of charge via local news publications.It has been making the rounds for a few weeks now.chesterns.ca has been wanting to bring you the story for awhile but Gillian appears to be the "Wings" of the magazine as she has been very hard to catch up with for an interview.We managed to corner her as she dropped off her son Felix at the CAFRC daycare.For more information you can go to their website,www.discoverrootsandwings.com.

CONGRATULATIONS ABBEY BENT

An R.C.M.P. "canine member" in the field.

The annual"Name The Puppy" contest is promoted by the RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre(PDSTC).This years contest was a great success.In its eighth year,it enables Canadian kids and their schools to participate in a Canada wide policing program that saves lives and protects our communities.There were 7,126 entries this year.An increase of 40 % over last year.As in past years,the the participants had to present original and unique names.The 2008 submissions had to begin with the letter A.Out of the ten successful individual entrants,chesterns.ca would like to congratulate Abbey Bent of Chester N.S. Her winning name for a puppy was "Azlin".For her prize,Abbey will receive a 5 by 7 inch laminated photograph of her "officially" named puppy,an official RCMP ball cap,a plush dog named "Justice" and a certificate.Well done,Abbey !

QUEEN ST. SPILL #2

The sheen of oil as it spreads out over the asphalt on Queen St.
Chester Volunteer Fire Department responds to the site.If you look closely the actual spot is on the side of the pavement just under the door.Remember to click to enlarge.

Apr.1'st. #79 Queen St.----------------------Just after the event down the street happened,one of the men from GE's All Trucking noticed a different type of oil flowing by the site of their accidental spill.Upon further investigation we discovered that it was coming from much farther up the street.He did remember seeing an oil delivery truck at the top of the hill.The gauge on the tank at #79 Queen St. showed a full tank with no sign of a leak.At the side of the street things looked very different.A quantity of furnace oil was spilled at the very crest of the hill.A tiny bit flowed eastward and a bit flowed south.The major amount flowed north down Queen.There was well over a few litres but probably under 25 litres.That is the magic number after which the Department of The Environment gets involved.911 was called as a precaution and they called out the C.V.F.D.The rain dispersed the oil over a wide area preventing containment or a feasible clean-up.It caused more of a danger by creating slippery roads for vehicles and pedestrians.Dilution with rain and eventual evaporation should take care of the problem.It is hoped that the oil company responsible was notified and that similar occurrences will be prevented.

QUEEN ST. SPILL #1

Drivers and staff of GE'S All Trucking work to repair a truck and clean up a hydraulic fluid spill as the result of a broken line.
Queen St. is blocked as the clean up operation winds up.

Apr.1'st,Queen and Regent St.--------------A small hydraulic fluid leak was quickly cleaned up by the staff of the contractor who trucks our household refuse.Spill kits and sand were used to clean up the spill.The truck was repaired on site.There appeared to be no major effect on the local environment thanks to a timely response and the work of the staff.