June 4 council meeting
by Brandon Mayer
An unusually short council meeting took place on June 4. All members were present for the meeting, which began with a presentation from Director of Planning, Calvin Pol, regarding a Plan of Subdivision report for the new development in Hallville.
Councillor John Lennox asked a question regarding internet and cellphone service for the new development. This lead to some comments from both Councillor Lennox and Director Pol about the increasing obsolescence of landlines and the importance of including modern services when planning new subdivisions.
Council next quickly passed a motion to move forward on the pouring of some concrete at the new Dundas Manor site. Director of Recreation and Culture, Meaghan Meerburg, then presented on a report regarding the sound system at the Joel Steele Community Centre. The sound system was noted to be functioning poorly during the North Dundas Business Expo. A motion before council asked members to consider a budget of up to $20,000 to repair the sound system. Mayor Tony Fraser questioned why North Dundas does not seem to be purchasing the same type of speaker systems typically found in municipal arenas. The Mayor also commented on how some user groups have commented that they can function adequately with the existing system.
Councillor Matthew Uhrig noted that every year, a few user groups complain about the quality of the existing sound systems in both arenas. He expressed that it’s about time for an investigation into why these complaints are being made, and what could be done to rectify the issue. Councillor Gary Annable expressed agreement, and Councillor Lennox and Deputy Mayor Theresa Bergeron both expressed agreement regarding more thorough research into what is needed for the system, questioning the efficacy of spending $20,000 blindly. Mayor Fraser summarized the thoughts of all members in his closing statement on the matter, with council favouring a deferral. Director Meerburg then spoke up, noting that the lift equipment required to work on the sound system cannot be used once the ice surface is installed, causing her to question whether it was council’s will to have no sound system at all for the upcoming season. When the Mayor asserted that the existing sound system would be fine if no decision could be made in time regarding upgrades, Director Meerburg revealed that the existing speakers had been disconnected. The Mayor once again put forward a deferral motion pending more information on the condition of the existing sound system, which passed anonymously.
The next item on the agenda asked council to consider a budget increase request from the Ontario Clean Water Agency, which manages the Township’s municipal water and sewer systems in Winchester and Chesterville. The main reason for the $7,000 increase request for the operation and maintenance contract was an increased cost in the chemicals used by the OCWA. Council moved to approve the motion, with money coming out of reserve funds, and replaced next year by user fees or surplus funds in next year’s water and sewer budget.
Next, other planned upgrades to the Township’s water and sewer system, with lots of help from government grants, were presented to Council. The detailed report included a ranked order improvements list in terms of priority. One of the projects proposed is a larger water transmission line to feed Winchester’s water tower. The current transmission line is not rated to handle the flow capacity required for the new well to be operational.
Council members took turns reporting as representatives of the committees of council on which they sit, with generally routine comments on the day-to-day operations of their respective committees. Mayor Fraser also took the time to discuss the Mayor’s Cornhole Challenge on June 14.
The Council meeting concluded after just 52 minutes. No other meetings have taken place since. The next scheduled meeting is on June 23, with a single item on the agenda, listed as: “Transfer Payment Agreement for funding from the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program under the Housing Enabling Core Servicing Stream for Improvement to Wincrest Avenue. No other meetings are on the June agenda.