Council update - April 9 meeting
by Brandon Mayer
A lengthy council meeting on April 9 covered plenty of Township business. The afternoon opened with several public meetings, beginning with the presentation of a third party consultation report regarding a number of municipal drains. Residents were invited to come forward to ask questions. Following the uneventful question period, the meeting moved onto a consideration of rezoning for two spaces in Hallville, and one in South Mountain.
One of the spaces in Hallville is the new Brian Telford Community Park. Currently zoned as residential, the proposed change was a formality to rezone the lot as “open space”. The other Hallville space is that which houses the former Hallville Recreation Centre and outdoor rink, slated to be sold for residential development.
The third property considered was the vacant land beside the existing Mountain Township Agricultural Hall in South Mountain, with a proposal for up to 6 residential units to be added on the property. Only one comment from a member of the public was made, specifically a concern about how noise from the events at the Hall, the South Mountain Fair, and other directly adjacent events might not be welcome to residents of the property should the project go ahead. The concerns were acknowledged by members of council, including Deputy Mayor Theresa Bergeron, who lives a few properties down the road from the site in question.
After the public meeting portion of the afternoon came to an end, council heard a report from Bill Smirle on behalf of South Nation Conservation – the first report from Smirle since November. Next came a report from the Art of the Waterfront committee. Council heard a breakdown of the event planning, including the fact that this year, there will only be “one action-packed day while maintaining the same high-quality entertainment and opportunities”. The event offers a low cost opportunity for artists to sell and promote their work.
Next up in the meeting was a consultant’s report on the Township’s recreation and culture plan, for which resident feedback was sought earlier this year. The report highlights that the township has a high amount of arena ice surface per capita, but makes it clear that there is no proposal to close either arena to save money, since both arenas are valuable to the community. With age, the arenas will eventually require replacement, so the report urges the Township to build a reserve fund. A recent survey done by the consulting firm found that in the long term, 55% of residents believe the Township should plan for arena replacement in the long term. In terms of such replacement, 27% surveyed believed in a direct replacement of the single ice pad in both villages, while 33% favoured a twin ice pad facility in one village only. Other respondents were undecided or provided other ideas. Another consideration in the report is the community’s desire for a new multi-use recreation complex.
The recreation plan report then moved on to a discussion of the Township’s community halls. Generally, these spaces are in good condition and valuable for the community, with the exception of the Chesterville Community Hall which is in great need of repairs that would cost significant taxpayer money. This facility is the only one in the report to be considered for decommissioning – this was presented as a consideration for council only, not as a direct recommendation in the report. The report states that the space currently occupied by this hall is prime space, and another recreational facility should be strategically considered for the space, should the hall be decommissioned.
While not discussed during the presentation, the consultant’s report points out that many municipalities are recognizing the value of having a local dog park, and recommends that the Township consider options in this regard. The issue was perhaps not discussed due to the existing considerations for such a park in Chesterville. Some good news for residents came as the report recommended keeping both community pools, and also recommends that a policy of adding splash pads to existing park spaces be considered when opportunities arise.
It was noted in the report that existing Township owned land south of the ball diamonds in Winchester could be considered for development as a soccer pitch in Winchester. The presentation called this a “low priority” item, perhaps not taking into account the poor condition of the Chesterville soccer pitch – this will be examined more closely in the May 8 issue of the Times. The remainder of the report focused heavily on maintaining existing recreational amenities to preserve their life and value, and also encouraged council to consider the level of subsidy put into these facilities versus the amount paid by user fees and other revenue sources.
Following a break, council then moved quickly through some key agenda items. A purchase of a new fire vehicle from a local business was approved. Meaghan Meerburg, the Township’s Director of Recreation and Culture, asked that a decision on ice rental rate increases be deferred so that more time would be available to consult with user groups. Director Meerburg also highlighted progress that has been made on the new Brian Telford Community Park in Hallville – residents will see noticeable progress in the coming months.
The next item considered was a pay raise for council members, based on a comparison between North Dundas and other municipalities in SD&G in terms of council remuneration. Mayor Tony Fraser commented that increases to council wages will help encourage people to run for office locally in future elections. Council voted unanimously in favour of their pay raise.
Much routine business came next, including a request from Lactalis for an exemption to half load restrictions for the section of Liscumb Road that its drivers use to access the factory. Deputy Mayor Theresa Bergeron commented that Lactalis’ water use has costs the taxpayer “millions of dollars”, and that they should therefore have to pay, at minimum, the recommended $50,000 annual charge to be granted a half load exemption. The motion, including the $50,000 fee, was approved.
The last items of business included considerations for the landfill and the dates of leaf and yard waste collection, maintenance and development work for municipal wells, and reports regarding various committees of council. A closed session took place after the regular meeting, bringing the total length of the meeting up to 3 hours and 43 minutes. The next regularly scheduled meeting will take place on May 7.