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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 45 Issue 49
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.00% 3 Year GIC - 2.40% 5 Year GIC - 2.56% Daily Interest 1.65%
Friday, December 7, 2012
Township applies for funding for water tower in Drayton
Living windows - Jessica Meulensteen and her daughter, Adriana, portrayed Mary and the baby Jesus in a living window display during the Palmerston merchants’ open house. Checking out the scene is Connie Robinson, of the Palmerston Downtown Revitalization Committee. photo by Patrick Raftis
‘Living windows’ enhance atmosphere at evening open house in Palmerston PALMERSTON – “Living Windows” set up in several locations helped to set the spirit of the season during the Palmerston Merchants Christmas Open House on Nov. 28. Sponsored by the Palmerston Downtown Revitalization Committee, the promotion featured displays in the windows of three downtown businesses: - Angie Christensen at Teenie Tiny Tots, hosted Jessica and baby Adriana Meulensteen of Palmerston and Kendra and baby Liam Greig of Gorrie, taking turns tableauing the baby Jesus and His mother Mary in the store window. - Ed and Sandra Pinkse, and Dawn Heretel at Cakes, Cookies and More, hosted carollers Ruth Wilson, Anne Grobbo, Sam Jackson, and Shirley Wright at the former Out To Lunch location; and - Mary Weber and the Blessings To You Christmas Village, hosted Mary Faye Burns reading by the fire and Kae Huberts with son Josh Pearn, playing guitar, and Kae’s music students Sammy Balen and Hayden McIntosh, all of Palmerston, providing musical entertainment.
by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – Council here directed staff to apply for funding for a water tower in Drayton, under a newlyannounced provincial infrastructure program. On Nov. 15, the Ontario government announced a $51million grant program, the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative (MIII) a capital program for roads, bridges, water and wastewater projects. The funding is targeted at projects deemed high priority in municipal asset management plans that would not be completed without provincial financial support. Municipalities have until Jan. 9, to submit an “expression of interest” in the funding program, with a full application process to follow. “The funding is quite different from previous funding programs in that the share of provincial funding that may be requested is flexible up to a maximum of 90 per cent of total project costs or $2 million,
whichever is lower,” explained CAO Patty Sinnamon in a report to council. “Only one expression of interest may be submitted per municipality. The program is also unique in that municipalities may also submit joint applications with other municipalities for a joint project.” Council agreed with a staff recommendation that an application be submitted for a new water tower in Drayton. Sinnamon pointed out that during a previous presentation the township’s engineering firm indicated current water pressure in the Glenaviland subdivision and the industrial park is a concern with respect to fire fighting. “With an additional 116 residential units to be built in the subdivision and 25 acres more of industrial land to be serviced, we believe this would have the highest health and safety priority for council to address within the immediate future,” she stated in her report. Sinnamon said the munici-
pality is currently gathering the engineering information needed to determine the potential cost of the project in order to prepare the MIII application. That information is expected to be available for council at the Dec. 11 meeting. The requirement for projects to be part of a completed municipal asset management plan, means a plan must be completed in order to be considered for funding. Sinnamon told council that an expression of interest for funding to complete the asset management plan was submitted in October. No word has been received on that funding. An asset management fund has to be either completed at the time of submission, or a declaration filed indicating that it will be completed by Dec. 31, 2013. Sinnamon estimated the plan will cost between $20,000 and $30,000 to complete. “If funding is not received for the asset management plan, this will need to come from general taxation,” she noted.
Generator funding approved for Alma Community Centre by Patrick Raftis ALMA – The Township of Mapleton has received a $10,000 grant to install a natural gas generator at the Alma Community Centre through the federal Joint Emergency Prepardness Program (JEPP). At the Nov. 27 meeting, council approved the purchase and installation of the generator from Genco Generators of West Montrose, for the quoted price of $22,542, plus HST. The only other quote received for the project, from a Woodstock company, came in at $40,650, plus HST.
Larry Lynch, director of public works, noted the federal government is phasing out the JEPP program, with 2012 being the final opportunity to access funds through it. The township has previously accessed JEPP funding to purchase portable digital radio equipment for the Mapleton Fire Department. The Alma Community Centre is one of Mapleton’s designated Emergency Evacuation Centres and “in the event of a situation where there is a loss of hydro, the generator is an absolute necessity,” stated Lynch in a report to council.
Volunteers sought for skateboard park committee
Window carollers - Carolling in a storefront window during the Palmerston merchants’ open house on Nov. 28 were, from left; Ruth Wilson, Anne Grobbo, Sam Jackson and Shirley Wright. photo by Patrick Raftis
MAPLETON - Over the years Drayton resident Jo-Anne Brown has contemplated the need for and requests from local youth for a skateboard park in the area. In the past few years, Brown has seenwhat she feels are unsafe and makeshift ramps in use. Unfortunately, she says, these well-intentioned and cre-
ative solutions are often set up in poor locations or constructed from scrap materials. In response Brown is attempting to form a committee to see to it that area youth have a proper and safe skateboard park in the community. The committee would need to establish a budget to present to council and gather resources
and input from the community, and as well as determine a proper location for a skateboard park. The committee’s work would also involve creating fundraising initiatives to cover the costs. Anyone interested in improving the lives of local youth in this manner are asked to contact Brown at bikerbrown1@live.ca.
Mapleton renews water system operation contract with OCWA for one year by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - The township will renew its contract with the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) for operation of the Drayton and Moorefield water and wastewater systems
for one year. Council agreed with a staff recommendaiton for a one-year deal, rather than a longer term, to allow the municipality to explore other options, including shared service agreements
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with other municipalities. “In this regard, I have had some discussions with neighbouring municipalities in Wellington County, including a meeting of mayors, CAOs and directors of public works
to explore options past 2013 as other municipal service agreements expire at that time. We will continue these meetings early in 2013 and report back to you on our findings,” stated Mapleton CAO Patty
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Sinnamon in a written report to council at its Nov. 27 meeting. The new contract, which runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2013, calls for OCWA to be paid $198,885, an increase of 4.8 per cent over 2012. A letter
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