Deer Sign Story

HRM deputy mayor Reg Rankin (pictured right) dropped by our neighbourhood recently to mark the installation of deer crossing signs at both entrances to Wedgewood Park.

Counsellor Rankin, who represents Wedgewood Park, played a key role in the installation – after the province’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) declined a request for signage, explains Wedgewood Avenue resident Scott Neilson (pictured left). 

“Working from home, I see small herds of deer crossing the road pretty much every day. On several occasions, I’ve seen speeding cars come very close to hitting them. With deer crossing signs on both Parkland and Dunbrack South, I figured it would be a no-brainer to have one installed on my street,” says Scott.

Defeat?

However Scott, who co-chairs the Wedgewood Park Residents’ Association – an informal body created two years ago to represent our neighbourhood’s interests – says he was “somewhat surprised” to see the DNR reject his request.

“The DNR’s policy is to authorize a sign only if a collision is reported – a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted,” Scott says.  

The refusal prompted association co-chair Lea Anne McLeod (pictured centre) to take the matter up with Counsellor Rankin – who offered to fund signage from his own office’s budget.

“We still had a few hurdles to jump, however,” says Lea Anne.

“Because we’re an informal association, we don’t have a bank account for Reg to transfer the money into. So I asked for some help from Friends of Clayton Park, who kindly agreed to assist.

“Then all that was left to do was liaise with Nova Scotia Power about using their power poles to display the signage – and to order the actual signs through a local supplier,” she says.

Momentum

The installation is the latest in a series of successes for Wedgewood Park. Prompted by the association, Counsellor Rankin has:

·        increased the police presence on the corner of Wedgewood Avenue and Kearney Lake Road to discourage speeding drivers

·        installed a crash barrier at the same intersection, in part to protect the outdoor play area of an adjoining daycare

·        arranged for police to successfully deal with noise pollution from a vehicle with a modified exhaust.

Says Scott: “With close to 200 people following our neighbourhood’s Facebook page, Wedgewood Park people do seem to have a significant amount of interest in working together at a grass roots level to protect our community’s interests.”

Other associations
If you’re interested in local issues, you might want to check out the Facebook pages for Families of Cresthaven and also Friends of Clayton Park.