2021-03-31

LOCAL BRIEFS

n Driver ticketed after crash in Blockhouse

A motorist faces a $180 fine and was temporarily suspended from driving following a vehicle wreck recently in Blockhouse. The driver, whose age, gender and community of residence were not immediately available, was ticketed for breaching special conditions on a permit. The driver also received a seven-day suspension "for low level alcohol impairment," Cpl. Mark Skinner, a spokesman for the province's RCMP told LighthouseNOW in an email. Paramedics, Mounties and volunteer fire departments in Blockhouse and Oakhill district were sent March 18 around 7 a.m. to Highway 325, where responders were told of an accident involving one vehicle. Emergency crews were informed by their dispatchers that a vehicle struck a utility pole and went down an embankment. There were temporary traffic disruptions in the area for about an hour-and-a-half as responders worked the scene and police investigated.

n Michigan-based firm acquires East Chester company

GN Thermoforming Equipment, a major East Chester employer, is under new ownership. Brown Machine Group, of Michigan, recently announced the acquisition, and said the Lunenburg County company will continue operations under its current brand. Financial terms were not disclosed, nor were changes, if any, to workforce numbers. Brown Machine Group has a history, since 1952, of designing and building lines of continuous and cut-sheet thermoforming equipment, along with other capacities. Its thermoforming systems operate in more than 65 countries. Meanwhile, GN Thermoforming Equipment employs about 100 workers, and makes roll-fed thermoformers for the production of plastic packaging. It has a history of over 40 years in the Chester area. Most GN workers are based at the East Chester plant, but some are employed at the company's technical centre in the Czech Republic.

n Chester Basin company earns municipal animal control deal

Oceanmark K-9 Resort will be paid $30,000 per year to provide animal control and impound facilities for the Municipality of Chester. Civic politicians sanctioned a five-year agreement in recent weeks, which sees the Lacey Mines Road grooming, boarding and training company providing the service up to and including January 31, 2026. Evaluations of the request-for-proposal determined Oceanmark K-9 Resort provided the best value of the two bids received. The monthly rate is the same as the previous five-year contract.