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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 46 Issue 45
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.04% 3 Year GIC - 2.38% 5 Year GIC - 2.95% Daily Interest 1.55%
Friday, November 8, 2013
Council grants preliminary acceptance to phase 2 of Glenaviland subdivision
Banner season - A banner celebrating the Drayton Defenders Atom team’s All-Ontario Championship season in 2012-13 was unveiled during Minor Hockey Day at the PMD Arena on Nov. 2. Each team in the organization was in game action on Saturday during the day-long event. Harriston-based Leslie Motors hosted a Drive One for Your Community event, with $20 from each test drive donated by the Ford Motor Company to Drayton Minor Hockey. That event raised $4,360. photo by Patrick Raftis
by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – Council has granted preliminary acceptance to phase two, stage one of the Glenaviland subdivision in Drayton’s north end. The acceptance, granted at a special council meeting on Nov. 1, recognizes the developer has dealt with a list of conditions set out in a subdivision agreement with the municipality. A report from R.J. Burnside and Associates Ltd., presented at the special meeting, notes the engineers received a request for preliminary acceptance from the developer’s engineering consultant, Stantec Consulting Ltd. “We note that the servicing
works up to base course asphalt required under the subdivision agreement for preliminary acceptance have been for the most part completed,� states the report signed by Carly Dixon of Burnside. In the report, Dixon notes an inspection was carried out with representatives from Stantec, Glenaviland Development Corporation and Burnside on Oct. 25. “While there are minor deficiencies to be completed and rectified in due course, we are confident that the securities retained by the township will be sufficient to ensure the completion of all works as defined in the subdivision agreement,� the
report states. Plans for phase two of the Glenaviland project include a nine hole golf course, along with a residential subdivision on a 122-acre parcel of land on Concession 10, in former Maryborough township. The land is behind the existing phase one of Glenaviland subdivision at the north entrance to Drayton, on the west side of Wellington Road 8. Stage one of the project will consist of development along a single street in phase two. Further development, including residential and the proposed golf course, is on hold, subject to adequate sewage capacity becoming available.
Sexual abuse topic of seminar to be offered in Drayton on Nov. 16 DRAYTON - The book Peace Shall Destroy Many by Rudy Wiebe was written 50 years ago and expressed concerns about sexual abuse within families. In a recent article, editor Dick Benner cites, “Statistically, one in four girls and one in six boys will experience some sort of sexual abuse/ exploitation by the age of 18.� He goes on to state, “It is time we, as a faith community, remove the cloak of secrecy from sexual abuse and deal with it openly, working harder at setting up a safe environment for our children.�
The local Community Awareness Training Seminar (CATS) team recently announced its fall seminar entitled Open Our Hearts/ Breaking the Silence will be held on Nov. 16. The focus is to help church and community leaders become aware of the issues of sexual abuse. “We also encourage everyone with a passion to help others through challenging times to attend,� organizers state. “We all have the responsibility to report known occurrences of sexual abuse to the appropriate authorities, and be
aware of how to assist the perpetrated in finding help,� said Jim Curry, chair of the CATS team. “Research has shown the importance of finding help quickly, and supporting individuals during this very stressful time. This seminar will assist in recognizing the signs of individuals under stress, and how to connect with the resources that are available.� Susan Winter Fledderus will lead the seminar. A clinical therapist with Shalem Mental Health Network, she has more than 15 years of experience in Continued on page 3
Mould cleanup continues Muold remediation - Work continues to remove mould and prevent future water damage at the Mapleton administration office. A trench was dug around the building’s foundation to seal leaks and enhance drainage. The total cost of the mould cleanup, water proofing and drainage efforts is expected to be around $250,000. photos by Patrick Raftis
Budgeting error impacts Mapleton’s bridge and culvert reserves by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - Due to a budgeting error, council here reluctantly agreed to use funds set aside for bridges and culverts to cover the cost of new lights and light poles in a downtown Drayton parking lot. In a report at the Oct. 22 meeting, public works director Larry Lynch explained that during the fall of 2012 public works staff initiated a significant reconstruction of the Drayton public parking lot, located on Main Street across from the Drayton fire station. Work on the project was hampered by wet weather and the lighting work, which was budgeted for in 2012, was not completed until this year. “In August of 2013, three months after the lighting work was completed, we received
an invoice of $30,960.14 from Murray’s Electric. This invoice is correct, however, I neglected to include sufficient funds in the 2013 capital budget to cover the cost,� Lynch explained. He noted reconstruction projects have “significant unknowns� and are often difficult to estimate. “It goes both ways though. For example, the ditching and piping carried out in 2012 on Sideroad 21 was estimated to cost $150,000 by our engineers; our staff completed this work at an ultimate cost of $65,657,� he explained. The original budget for the parking lot, which came from the roads budget, was $100,000 in 2012 and another $35,000 added for paving in 2013 - for a total of $135,000.
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The final cost of all work, excluding lighting, was $135,177, a difference of $177. Rather than exhausting all funds in the township’s street light reserves, Lynch recommended the lighting invoice be paid by transferring funds from the 2013 bridge and culvert capital account. Lynch pointed out the approved budget for this year’s bridge rehabilitation program is $426,000, all funded from bridge capital reserves, and the current contract for bridge work is 90 per cent complete with a balance in that account of $160,824. “There will be a surplus in this account at the end of the year that would go back to the reserve for future bridge work. It would be simplest to use these approved 2013 funds to pay this invoice rather than
draining down other reserves,� he suggested. Councillor Neil Driscoll stated he was “totally against� taking the funds out of the bridge account. “We can’t replace bridges as it is,� said Driscoll, who said to Lynch, “You find it somewhere in your budget.� Lynch responded, “I don’t know where else to take it [from]. There really isn’t a lot of fluff anywhere.� Mayor Bruce Whale said he was “somewhat hesitant� to see the bridge and culvert funds used for the parking lot project. “This was a beautification; an urban upgrade,� Whale pointed out. CAO Patty Sinnamon said the money would have to come from a reserve fund. Taking it out of the operating budget was
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not an option, she explained, because tax rates for 2013 have already been set. “I don’t think you have an option but to take it out of a reserve - which reserve is semantics, if you will,� she stated. Lynch urged council to “keep in mind that the money that we have in our account this year for bridge work was $450,000 based on (engineering) estimates. Through modifications, we did everything we planned to do, and saved $160,000.� Whale responded, “For me, and I’m sure for councillor Driscoll too, it’s the perception. It’s been the objective of this council to build up a bit of a reserve in bridges and culverts and we don’t want to see it pulled out for lights.�
Councillor Mike Downey pointed out, “it shouldn’t come from the lighting budget either, because that’s area rated.� Councillor Jim Curry suggested the funds come out of the working capital reserve. However finance director Yufang Du pointed out about $300,000 from working capital was spent on work on the sewage lagoon system this year. “I don’t know if we have enough in that account,� said Du. Sinnamon suggested referring the matter to the township’s management team. However, when the mayor called for a vote on a resolution to accept Lynch’s recommendation to take the money from bridge and culvert reserves, the motion passed with only Driscoll opposed.
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