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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 47 Issue 35
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.08% 3 Year GIC - 2.27% 5 Year GIC - 2.70% Daily Interest 1.45%
638-3328
Friday, August 29, 2014
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Suspects still at large after police chase through Mapleton
Truck careens through park, takes down cenotaph flagpole by Chris Daponte DRAYTON - Four days after an Aug. 22 police chase through Mapleton Township that caused minor damage to public and private property, two suspects were still at large. OPP media relations Constable Marylou Schwindt confirmed on Aug. 26 that the investigation and “attempts to identify the driver” were ongoing. The usually tranquil Drayton Memorial Park was abuzz with action shortly after noon on Aug. 22, as a vehicle ripped through the park and tore down the cenotaph flagpole. The vehicle, which had led police on a chase start-
ing in Moorefield, ran directly through the park’s well known archway at the corner of Wellington and Wood streets, narrowly missing the stone pillars on each side. Described by police as a small sized beige pickup, the vehicle then ran into the flagpole to the left of the cenotaph, ripping it to the ground, and coming within feet of the cenotaph itself. From there the truck travelled behind the Studio Factor building on Wood Street, running into a shed and causing some other minor damage before eventually heading back out the way it came. “As the truck entered the Continued on page 5
Minor damage - Two suspects remained at large four days after an Aug. 22 car chase through Mapleton Township. The truck involved drove through Drayton Memorial Park, taking down the cenotaph flag pole. photos by Caroline Sealey
Tree planting grants available to non-farm rural landowners MAPLETON - Owners of non-farm rural properties in Mapleton Township can take advantage of a new grant program to help them plant trees on their land. The new program, an initiative of Trees for Mapleton, is open to rural landowners with more than one hectare (2.5 acres) of property. It is targeted at projects that reduce wind erosion, protect groundwater recharge areas, create buffer strips along streams, connect natural areas and create wildlife habitat. The grant money is
financed from a donation from NextEra Energy. Landowners could receive grants of up to $25 for each tree or shrub, including planting costs. A planting plan is required for properties over one hectare. Applicants may be required to sign an agreement to maintain the trees for 15 years. Projects will be approved by the Trees for Mapleton Committee. For more information, contact Mark Funk, GRCA forestry specialist at mfunk@ grandriver.ca or by phone at 1-866-900-4722, ext. 2259.
Trees for Mapleton is a community initiative aimed at increasing the amount of tree cover in the township. It is supported by local landowners, the Wellington Green Legacy Program, the Grand River Conservation Authority, Mapleton Township and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The new program for nonfarm landowners is an addition to the range of programs available in Wellington County. Farmers remain eligible to apply for tree-planting grants through the Rural Water Quality Program.
A long time coming - Owner Dianne Braun from Everton showed off her 1956 Thunderbird convertible at the Alma Optimists’ annual car show at the Alma Community Centre on Aug. 23. “Bird of Prey” or “Baby Birds” were the nicknames for the 1956 Thunderbird convertible. Braun said she wanted one for 45 years. A doctor from California was the original owner. His son took ownership of the car and it sat in a garage for 10 years until it was sold to Braun. More coverage on page 4. photo by Caroline Sealey
GRCA study indicates spillway may not be needed for Conestogo Dam by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – A multiyear study by GRCA staff of updated technical guidelines for dam regulation in Ontario could mean an emergency spillway may not be needed for the Conestogo Dam after all. The GRCA has been studying the idea of constructing a spillway for years, going back to a 1997 dam safety study that identified deficiencies to the dam’s spillway capacity. Originally, a cost estimate of over $20 million was placed
on the project, which was to involve constructing a channel around the dam to re-direct water into the river. When new regulations were introduced in 2011, GRCA officials originally hoped they would mean a spillway could be built at reduced cost. However, a report presented for information by GRCA director of engineering Dwight Boyd at the Aug. 22 GRCA general meeting explains the new regulations mean the spillway may not
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have to be built at all. In 2009 the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) granted GRCA permission to upgrade the stilling basin at Conestogo Dam. The permission included a condition that an emergency spillway be constructed by Dec. 31, 2015. Correspondence was received from MNR on Oct. 11, 2013 extending the deadline to construct an emergency spillway to Dec. 31, 2018. This extension was granted to provide additional time to assess
the need for the spillway. In Ontario, dams are regulated under the Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act, which is administered by MNR. On Aug. 24, 2011 the province released new technical guidelines for approval of projects under the Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act. “The new technical guidelines have implications to the need for an emergency spillway at Conestogo Dam,” states Boyd in his Aug. 22 report. “Staff have been working
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with MNR staff over the past three years to evaluate the impact of the new guidelines on the emergency spillway project. “Preliminary indications suggest an emergency spillway may not be required; supporting technical information is being finalized based on feedback and additional technical questions from MNR staff.” Boyd said additional technical information will be finalized over the fall and a meeting will be held with MNR staff
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later this year to conclude the assessment or to identify any remaining questions or concerns. “The extension granted by MNR is intended to provide additional time to assess the need for an emergency spillway. The five-year budget forecast will be amended when additional information becomes available. “For now, no allowance has been included in the forecast for construction of an emergency spillway,” Boyd explained.
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