As I serve my second term as Mayor and my third term on Council, I continue to consider it a great privilege to work for the citizens of New Glasgow. We have much to be proud of as a community as we work together on opportunities and challenges.
The Town of New Glasgow has had a long-standing commitment to infrastructure and quality water. It was a vision by those who came before us to invest in a water source that continues to supply us with a reliable and safe supply of drinking water. Through an Asset Management plan, the Town will continue to upgrade and determine service levels that support our citizens.
We are committed to the long-term sustainability of our community. The Town has prioritized a Climate Action Plan that addresses meaningful work that must take place as we witness imminent weather patterns that affect our infrastructure and quality of life. We have engaged our citizens and other levels of government as we move forward with this top priority.
Providing residents with infrastructure and programs that allow for healthy lifestyle choices is important to citizens of all ages. Caring about the physical and mental wellbeing of all is necessary for communities to thrive.
Our Town is growing! We welcome all who have chosen to make New Glasgow their home. We strive to be an inclusive community where those who have lived here all their life and those who only recently called New Glasgow home, feel a sense of belonging and value.
Your ideas, comments, and concerns are always welcome. We continue our commitment to the essential services provided by our Town Staff. Working together in an open and respectful manner is the way we move forward.
Nancy Dicks
Mayor
Town of New Glasgow
The Centre of Municipal Operations
The New Glasgow Town Hall is in the heart of the downtown and is the centre of municipal operations and location of all Town Council meetings. Situated at 111 Provost Street, this municipally designated heritage site houses offices for the Mayor, CAO, Corporate Services (Finance) and Marketing & Communications. Council Chambers is located on the second floor as well as the Committee Room, which is used for numerous committee meetings. The Town Hall is also host to civic receptions and special events throughout the year, providing a backdrop that is imbued with history. The main office is where much of the front-end business of the municipality takes place; residents can inquire in-person about municipal services, by-laws, policies, taxes or transact their water or tax bills.
Construction of Town Hall
This building, erected in 1884, was the first of the new national series built in Nova Scotia and was constructed when Adam Carr Bell was the town’s first mayor. It was commissioned by Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, as one of a series of Post Offices and Custom Houses to be built across Canada. The post office project established 78 buildings across the nation, each becoming the physical cornerstone of their communities.
The “Fuller style”
Thomas Fuller, Canada’s chief architect, designed this building. The “Fuller style”, which came to be synonymous with adjectives like grand, impressive and dominating, is very much on display in the New Glasgow building. Builder Donald Grant was at the peak of his career when he built the former New Glasgow Post Office and is known to have constructed numerous churches across Nova Scotia.
Other Details
The Town Hall is constructed of red and beige sandstone and ironstone. It is a mixture of the Second Empire and Romanesque architectural styles. Until about 1960, this building operated as the Town’s Post Office and Customs Office and for a short time, the courthouse. The Town of New Glasgow bought the building after the old Town Hall was severely damaged by fire in 1957. The New Glasgow Town Hall remains the most statuesque building in the Downtown core.
