Town News
Downtown Streets Closing Saturday for The Great Amherst Street Party
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- Category: Public Notices
Downtown Amherst will host The Great Amherst Street Party this Saturday - part of annual Esther Fest activities.
From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, October 26, Victoria Street E. will be closed to traffic between Havelock and Lawrence Streets, and Church Street will be closed at King Street. These areas will be transformed into pedestrian zones for the event - featuring vendors, music, and loads of activities - which will also occupy Victoria Square.
Barricades will be in place and motorists are advised to plan an alternate route during this time.
Scarecrow Stroll in Full Swing
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More than 45 businesses and residents are pariticpating in this year's Scarecrow Stroll - taking place from October 18-30. This Amherst tradition is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and the collection of stuffed characters spread throughout downtown and surrounding streets is sure to bring a smile to all who pass by - if not provide an outright scare. Soon, voting will open and everyone will have a chance to support their favourite creations.
Find more about the Scarecrow Stroll - a part of Esther Fest - in a recent story by CTV News Atlantic, available on thier website.
Results of 2024 Amherst Municipal Election
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- Category: Media Releases
Amherst’s municipal election saw 15 candidates vying for a seat at the table. With the success of two previous alternative voting elections (2020 and 2023), Amherst once again provided exclusive telephone or internet voting with no paper ballot option.
Intelivote Systems Inc of Dartmouth NS was our provider and advance voting opened on October 10th and ran through to the close of polls at 7pm on October 19th.
After 10 days of polling, the results are in for Amherst’s 2024 municipal election:
| MAYOR | ||
| David Kogon | 1491 votes | |
| Rob Small | 2359 votes | Elected |
| COUNCILLORS | ||
| George Baker | 1413 votes | |
| Charlie Chambers | 2500 votes | Elected |
| Hal Davidson | 2229 votes | Elected |
| Lisa Emery | 1424 votes | |
| Dale Fawthrop | 1419 votes | |
| Nic Furlong | 1443 votes | Elected |
| Leon Landry | 1377 votes | |
| Sharon LeBlanc | 1293 votes | |
| Vaughn Martin | 890 votes | |
| Terry (Mouser) McManaman | 1498 votes | Elected |
| Dwayne Ripley | 2408 votes | Elected |
| Norm Robitza | 236 votes | |
| Kathy Wells | 1637 votes | Elected |
Another Hundred Years of the Amherst Train Station
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- Category: Articles
Access CTV Atlantic's recent story on our train station here: N.S. town’s historic train station sold privately, building preserved
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Jeff Bembridge is an Amherst entrepreneur who is also a passionate rehabilitator of historic properties.
“I like buying old buildings because they have a soul and I like to fix them up, because I think people need memories,” explained Bembridge. “When I buy a building, one of the first things I do is I go in the basement by myself and I talk to the building; I explain ‘We’re going to help each other here – I’m going to revive you – we’re going to succeed together.’”
One of Bembridge’s most recent acquisitions was the Amherst Train Station, which was the result of a years-long process.
When the intercolonial railway came to Amherst in the 1870s a station was built to serve the community on this critical new transportation corridor. By the end of the 19th century, Amherst had transformed into a major industrial hub and a new train station was required to meet the demands of transporting goods and passengers, as well as to better represent the role of “Busy Amherst” in the provincial and national economies.
“Our current, grand sandstone train station was constructed in 1909, and was one of the largest to be built in the province,” said Amherst Mayor David Kogon. “In the 100 years after the station’s construction, the way that rail service was used in Nova Scotia changed a great deal – particularly passenger service – and there came a point that VIA Rail chose to divest itself of the Amherst Train Station.”
After years of negotiations, a deal was finalized in 2019 that saw the Town take ownership of the structure, while VIA remained as a tenant with access to a passenger waiting area.
Free Ice Time Equals Positive Spin-Offs for Amherst
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The 27th Annual Atlantic Challenge Cup kicks-off today in Moncton, with gameplay through to Sunday night. This popular tournament brings together the top players from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador in the male U-14 and U-15, and female U-14 and U-16 categories. More than 400 players, staff, and officials take part in this event every year.
Amherst’s location means that a number of Newfoundland and Labrador participants travel through our area after landing in Halifax and driving to Moncton. We reached out to the U-14 and U-16 female teams and extended a warm Amherst welcome.
Because these players live in every corner of Newfoundland and Labrador, they rarely (if ever) have an opportunity to practice together. They were provided with free ice time at the Amherst Stadium this past Wednesday and Thursday nights, to practice all under the same roof before the start of the tournament.
New Initiative Paying Rent for Amherst Food Bank
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The Amherst Food Bank serves more than 350 clients a month from their King Street location. The facility from which they operate plays a critical role in the service they provide, and the monthly rent comes in at $1,800.
A local initiative aims to pay the food bank's rent every month through $10 community donations, and so far it's been a big success. For more information please see a recent story by CTV News Atlantic.
Jeff Marshall and Charlotte Ross in the Amherst Food Bank (CTV Atlantic)
