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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 44 Issue 16
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.10% 3 Year GIC - 2.80% 5 Year GIC - 3.50% Daily Savings 1.50%
Friday, April 22, 2011
Infrastructure spending means 6.3% property tax increase by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - Local taxes will rise 6.3 per cent this year as council approved a budget on April 12 that will see about $3.4-million in infrastructure spending and capital projects. That means a single family home in the township with an average assessment of $270,145 will pay an extra $55 in local taxes this year. “I’m pretty happy with the budget,” Mayor Bruce Whale said in an interview. He noted there were some new councillors unfamiliar with the budget process, and with the economy not yet completely rebounded after a major recession, “We understand there is not a lot of money coming for infrastructure projects.” But, he said, it is the hope of council to “get some roads and bridges back into shape.” That might not be easy. He said there are bridges in Mapleton that are 70 to 100 years old, and there are four that have been identified as needing major work soon. There are another 17 bridges that will need work within one to five years. “We wanted to start building a reserve and work with a five to ten year plan,” Whale said, adding the township’s operating costs are “pretty well flat. Most of the [budget] increase is given into roads and bridges.” Council did reject a couple of projects. Whale said the municipality will not proceed with a solar energy project it had been discussing. And Finance Director Mike Givens said replacement of the hall floor at the PMD arena was also dropped.
The largest project the township is undertaking is the sewage lagoon expansion for Drayton and Moorefield. The township is buying about 25 acres for a fourth cell for that sewage treatment centre. The total cost is $1.27-million, but Whale noted that is partly covered by the Canada Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF), where each level of government pays one third of the cost. That will not include the land purchase itself, but only the work. Further, sewage costs are borne only by those who use them, and not by the entire township. There are a number of road projects. The largest is Sideroad 15, a road leading to the Conestogo dam. The estimated cost is $415,000. Whale said it is heavily travelled and it also passes the sewage lagoon. It is not in good condition and parts of it were turned back to gravel last year. The plan is to work on it after getting the lagoon project done, and repave as much of its as possible by this fall, and if there is any paving left over, to complete it next year. Concession 6 will cost $250,000 for repaving. Whale said that road was among a number of Concession roads that were breaking up and on which “cold patching was not holding.” Last year it was turned back to gravel and the township wants to repave as much of it as possible this year. Sideroad 21 near Alma will see about $150,000 in work. Whale said the driveways on homes there were never properly installed and there are water problems from poor drainage. The work is to improve the
ditches, improve the driveways and replace the culverts under them. There is another $55,000 to be spent on Caroline Street in Moorefield, completing curb work and other road improvements left undone from the previous year. The township also has $306,000 budgeted for buying industrial land near the arena in Drayton. A parcel of 25 acres was bought by the township several years ago and the last of those plots is expected to be sold soon; the township wants more to meet demand. Whale said Mapleton had an option on about 25 more acres when it made its first purchase. The only decisions council will need to make now is to service those lands or sell to a developer and let that company do the work. Another $30,000 will be spent on industrial land servicing for streetlights and gas. Whale said the township is looking at a debenture to purchase the sewage lagoon lands and pay for those over 10 to 15 years. That decision will be made at the next council meeting. Other spending plans for council include: - $6,000 for a rear discharge mower for the Drayton cemetery; - $10,000, for laptops for council; - $10,000 for website upgrades; - $14,000 for township signs; - $15,000 for a parks and recreation master plan; - $20,000 for digital radios for the public works department; - $24,000 for a pick-up for Continued on page 3
New sponsor - Kinsmen member Gary VanAnkum, right, recently presented a cheque to Derek Moore, director of the Drayton Music Festival, signalling the announcement that the Drayton Kinsmen club has become the official sponsor of the festival, which runs this year on April 25. More information on page 8.
Abattoir gets approval to expand by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. Council here has passed a bylaw to allow an abattoir business to expand. Council heard at a public meeting on April 12 that Leroy Martin wanted to expand his abattoir and also add some offices for the business on Concession 6 in old Peel township. The property has about 100 acres of land and is occupied by a residence and the business operation. Martin was seeking an amendment to the bylaw to allow an expansion of the business. The current bylaw
limits all buildings used for the business to an area of 10,000 square feet. Martin wants to have a 1,920 square foot cooler addition and another 688 square feet of office space. The property is currently designated as prime agricultural land in the official plan. County planner Linda Redmond said the property already has site specific zoning control on it, and the change would simply make Martin’s business more efficient. She called the proposal a minor addition. Councillor Jim Curry noted
that Martin already has 1,920 square feet, and the two proposed additions would see him have 10,608. He wondered why the proposal was for just over 12,000 square feet. “Are we allowing more?” he asked. “Is there a reason for the extra space?” Mayor Bruce Whale noted that if Martin decides to close in or connect buildings it does not take up much work to use up the extra allotment. There was no one to speak against the proposal at the public meeting, and council later unanimously approved three readings of the bylaw.
Perth-Wellington candidates tackle energy production on farmland by Mike Robinson ARTHUR - Though clearly a provincial matter, each of the Perth-Wellington federal candidates shared their beliefs on the impact energy production could have on agricultural lands. Because of the community divisions being created through solar and wind projects, candidates were asked at a meeting in Arthur on April 14 for their opinions regarding energy projects on farms. Liberal candidate Bob McTavish agreed it was a provincial jurisdiction. He said there are other means of harvesting energy from farmland, pointing to the production of corn-based ethanol. “As we continue into the future, I think we will have
the ability to grow green and transfer that into energy,” McTavish said. “I could be enticed into saying something about solar, but I value my life,” he quipped to the crowd gathered that night. Christian Heritage Party candidate Irma DeVries said she believes “the setbacks for wind turbines should be a little farther away from family farms. But if you have a big area that’s far away from your neighbours - go for it.” She did not, however, support corn-based ethanol production. “That’s food,” she said. “It will increase the price of corn in a way that is detrimental to our farmers.” DeVries pointed out that she is a green power producer. The development on their farm
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produces enough energy for over 40 residences. That production began in 1999, long before it was fashionable to be green, DeVries said. “I think that we as farmers, are involved, because we are an inventive lot.” Green Party candidate John Cowling first commented that he realized wind power is controversial. While not a particularly big fan of wind turbines, Cowling stressed, “We do need to make energy generation much, much more sustainable. Ultimately, we have to be 100% sustainable.” He said coal, oil and gas are not going to last forever. Cowling added that if one believed that additional emissions into the atmosphere is a bad thing, “then we have to
stop eventually.” He suspected energy generation will end up a mixture of things. “There have to be rules of course, which dictate where large wind turbines can be located.” As for the location on agricultural lands, Cowling said - as he had when he ran provincially in 2003 - “There is another thing farmers can be paid for; the wind that passes over their land. I still believe that.” Conservative candidate Gary Schellenberger agreed the Green Energy Act is provincial legislation. But he noted that some time ago he served on municipal council and there was a regulation known as the MDS (minimum distance separa-
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tion), which is the minimum distance a building could be from a residential building or lot. His understanding was that remained a municipal responsibility. Schellenberger added he has talked to numerous delegations concerned with the power generators out there. “I’m told the municipalities don’t have any say. It’s been taken away from them.” He said that all people are looking for is a guarantee that nothing will happen to them or their animals but, “they can’t get it. “I think there should be a moratorium. I think things have to be worked out, and I think the municipalities need to be involved.” NDP candidate Ellen
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Papenburg said “indeed it is a provincial issue.” She said there are wind turbines on farms and on buildings. “Evidently cows are producing less milk [if they’re near turbines]; it is not somebody’s imagination,” she said. She believed this is something which should be investigated to find out what is going on, and she too advocated larger setbacks. Papenburg agreed the NDP is certainly looking for alternate energy, which in turn creates jobs. She said there are a number of ways of producing energy - “from the earth, the sun and wind and even animal manure.” For more coverage of the Perth-Wellington candidates’ debate in Arthur see page 3.
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