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Council Report, 19 January 2011 By Sandra Soloman Once the “housekeeping issues” (Minutes, Correspondence, Zoning by-law Amendments, etc.) had been dealt with, there were two very interesting delegations to Council. Both of these impact the entire Township one way or the other. The Big Lake Project. Prior to the last election there was much concern about the secrecy surrounding this project. In December Council received approval for one of the grants applicable to this project and had to decide whether or not to accept the money ($200,000). Mayor Dennis Lever contacted the gravel companies for input regarding their commitment and they requested the opportunity to make a presentation to Council. The properties in question are owned by St. Mary’s CBM, Lafarge, University of Guelph and Dufferin. Representatives from all of these companies were present. Background: Gravel extraction on these properties started about 25 years ago and the high quality gravel is extracted above the water table and below the water table to a depth of 6 – 12 metres. At present, the companies have a co-ordinated monitoring program for the area. The current rehabilitation approvals would result in 8 lakes. The idea of a Big Lake provides a unique opportunity (one never done before in Canada) to combine seven of the eight lakes into one lake. A similar project has been done in Australia. However, this is not something that is going to happen quickly. The forecast time frame for the current gravel extraction is 15 – 20 years. The gravel companies have been meeting on an ad hoc basis for several years to discuss the project but there is a lot more to do. Before in-depth work is done an agreement needs to be drawn up clearly stating the responsibilities of the various stakeholders. All the Councillors thought that the project was exciting and had some merit but they were concerned about what it would cost the taxpayers. None of them felt comfortable expecting the taxpayers to put any money into it. (Note: taxpayers have already put in $40,000 related to the grant applications of $400,000) . Councillor Susan Fielding said that there needs to be a more organized approach to the project. She reminded the gravel companies that site rehabilitation is the responsibility of the gravel companies, not the Township or its residents. The Big Lake is a rehabilitation project. She asked where the requested $400,000 grant money was supposed to go. She was adamant that the taxpayers would not be paying any money towards the project, especially not for feasibility studies. Her support (or not) for the project would be based on “the money”. Councillor Wayne Stokley asked if they had a ballpark figure for the cost of the project based on what the current rehabilitation of each individual site would be? There was no clear answer from the presenters. They said it would all depend on what type of project the residents of Puslinch were looking for. There are lots of different types of rehabilitation (naturalized, sporting, etc.). They would also have to amend their current Site Plans and get approval for the changes from MNR. This would, in all likelihood, have a financial impact. There was also the value of the land to consider if the Township residents were going to have access to the property. When the agreement was set up, it would have to be a partnership between the gravel pit companies, the land owners and the residents of the Township. They also felt, given the long time frame, that it might be too early to accept the grant money and do studies. Stan Denhoed provided some input into the intention for the grant money. It was not to do a feasibility study. That had already been done and the Big Lake was feasible. The grant money was intended to hire a planner, have public consultation and move forward to an Environmental Impact Study (EIS). A partial EIS had already been done for GRCA but there were information gaps and these needed to be addressed. Susan felt that the gravel companies needed to make some financial commitment to the study. Stan said that they had been “reaching high” when they asked for a total of $400,000 and that the work could be done for a lot less. Fifty percent? Possibly., but he couldn’t really say. The representative from the University of Guelph said that they were not prepared to make a financial commitment at this stage. This was a long-term project and they were not going to react quickly. Dennis summed up what had been said. He said that cost was a key issue. They needed to get a process in place and come up with a rough cost and a rough time frame. Public input was essential. This was a large body of water and there could be environmental concerns that would have to be addressed. He would also like to see a more detailed design. It would not be expensive to hold public consultations and Council would go ahead with that. Optimists Recreational Centre Arena (ORCA) The second delegation of interest was from the residents of Maple Leaf Lane regarding the Optimists Recreational Centre (or MURF in some people’s minds). Rick Schnurr represented the residents and gave an excellent presentation on their concerns. Back in December, 2009, before construction, the then Mayor and Council had a special meeting with the residents outlining what the building would look like, showing the mechanical equipment and landscaping plans and stressing that there would be no alcohol on the premises. The meeting was well attended and the residents were appreciative of being involved in the process and being kept informed. They were assured that the Township had no intention of letting it disrupt their lives. In January, 2010 an application was made for a minor variance to reduce the setback for the building. Because the residents had been given assurances at the previous meeting that they would not be impacted, they did not object to the variance. After this all communication with the residents abruptly ended. There were design changes with the cooling unit being moved from the north side of the building to the south side, directly across from the houses. At a special meeting on March 23rd, Council recognized that the cooling system and HVAC ducts would be unsightly and need to be screened with a solid fence and landscaping. (Over this period, some of the Councillors wanted to meet with the residents to provide them with an update but they were outvoted). During construction, the residents of Maple Leaf Lane also had to deal with construction vehicles using the West Gate, which normally is locked except for the Fall Fair and the Santa Claus Parade. The gate is now permanently open and there is a sign directing traffic to the Ball Park to use Maple Leaf Lane. In November, 2010, when the cooling system was turned on for the first time, the residents had to suffer through 4 days of intense and continuous noise. Eventually, on the 4th evening, they contacted Dennis and Susan, both of whom immediately went to inspect the problem. The system was turned off and the residents were instructed to deal with the Chief Building Official, Dave Thompson, who is in charge of the project. In December, 2010, the residents sent a letter to Dave outlining their concerns. They received a response addressing some of these concerns. The following were the remainder of their concerns: Visual: Rick presented a picture taken from his front steps showing the unsightly cooling system and HVAC ducts. He stated that this was never in the site plans they were shown at the December, 2009 meeting. Ideally they would like all the mechanicals moved back to the north side of the building. However, they recognize that this would be difficult and very expensive. Alternatively, they would like the HVAC ducts moved and the cooling unit dropped down into the ground so it is not so high. They would also like solid fencing and landscaping done to hide the remaining mechanicals. Rick suggested that the HVAC ducts might be moved to the space above the Zamboni storage room which is currently open. It is not their intention to disrupt the use of the rink and hope this can be done in a timely fashion. Noise: Rick thanked Dave Thompson for all the work he is doing to try and address this problem. The noise is better but there is a long way to go. Currently the MOE is working on some new (more stringent) noise guidelines and they would like the facility to meet the new guidelines as well as the Township’s own by-laws governing noise. Alcohol: This has always been a concern. The facility virtually sits in the residents’ front gardens. There are lots of young children in the area and allowing the consumption of alcohol is not appropriate. Back in December, 2009, the residents had been assured that alcohol would not be allowed on the premises. Access to the Facility: In the past, with the West Gate being locked, there had been no access to the property from Maple Leaf Lane. At the December, 2009 meeting, the residents had been assured that there would be no access to the facility from Maple Leaf Lane and that Brock Road would be the only access point. Landscaping: At present, the residents feel as if they are living in an industrialized area. The new library will also change the look across the road. During construction of the ORCA a large tree was removed. The residents have not seen the approved landscaping plan, however, they would like a visual buffer with mature trees and would like to meet with the landscape designer to provide input. The Township had declined this request because the landscaping plan had been approved and they were not going to reopen the issue. Fenced area along south side of ORCA: They have heard that the chain-link fenced area between the road and the facility will be used for storage. The residents requested input into this but were informed that the site plan had been approved. New library: The residents would like to see the site plans for the library. They would like to know where the mechanicals are going and if they will be visible to Maple Leaf Lane. At present all they know is that they will be “on the roof”. They would like more details Rick had looked into the requirements for the Building Canada Fund and wondered if some of this funding could be used to deal with their requests. Rick then took questions from Council. Wayne: He didn’t have any information on the feasibility of moving the mechanicals nor what it might cost. The Township had not yet even assumed responsibility for the building. They would need to see what, if anything, could be done. Susan: Apologized for the lack of communication. She said that Dave Thompson had been working hard to sort out the noise issue but it was a work in progress. Moving the mechanicals would be very expensive and she felt that the landscaping would be a better alternative. She said they needed to work with the residents to resolve the issues. She agreed that the gate should be locked and traffic to come from Brock Road. Regarding the library, she suggested that Rick speak to the County representatives (Dennis Lever and Don McKay) as it was a County project, not a Township one. She agreed about not allowing alcohol but said there may be the odd special event when they would have to allow it and she would agree with that. Gerry Schmidt: Thanked Rick for the detailed presentation. He felt that the requests were reasonable but that it would depend on the feasibility and costs. Open to working with the residents to resolve the issues. Dennis said that some of their requests may be possible, some not. He agreed that the problem with the mechanicals and the noise needed to be resolved. He would try to get the library plans for them when he was at County Council next week. Rick closed off by thanking Dave Thompson for all his work and Dennis and Susan for their prompt actions. New Business There were a few items under New Business: Wayne mentioned that he and Susan had attended the Puslinch Lake Conservation Association meeting last week. The members were working towards satisfying criteria for the MOE. They planned to make a presentation to Council soon giving them the background on what they had been doing and where they needed to go in the future. Wayne also wanted to discuss the flow of e-mail communications between residents, Township staff and Councillors and how the issues raised by the residents were being addressed. They all agreed that notification needed to be made when an issue was being dealt with so the remaining players knew they didn’t have to deal with it. Susan raised a couple of issues: 1. The need to do something about the inability of the gallery to hear what was happening during Council meetings, especially when a presentation was being made. She had brought a request from a resident with her and several people had approached her after the Big Lake presentation that evening on the same subject. Council agreed, as it was budget time, to look into the possibility of getting some sort of audio system. 2. Susan remarked that there had been a fatality at Puslinch Lake over the weekend and the residents were concerned about the inability to control the behaviour of some of the users on the lake – it is a public place. The OPP have responded and will do some patrolling. 3. Susan had been invited by some residents to meet with the vice-president of Challenger trucking last week to discuss the Highway 6 Bypass issue. The meeting had gone well and the VP had contacted the Ontario Trucking Association and the Canadian Trucking Alliance. These organizations have expressed strong support both to the MTO and MPP Ted Arnott and will be writing to the Minister of Transportation in the near future. 4. Susan had been approached by Ted Arnott who suggested that Council may want to meet with Tim Hudak. He has offered to set up the meeting and it may occur when they are at the ROMA meetings in Toronto next month. 5. While one of the topics for their meeting with the Minister of Transportation next month is economics, she felt that they should meet as a Council to decide on the topics to be presented. This should be an inclusive, not unilateral, decision by all of Council. Dennis responded by saying that he had planned to have several special meetings to discuss the topics and that he and he alone would be delivering the presentations to both the Minster of Transportation and the Minister of Natural Resources. He also mentioned that he had planned at some time in the future to visit with the trucking companies on Maclean Road. (Now that the two trucking associations are on board and will do their own lobbying, this is probably no longer necessary). (This last exchange worries me a little bit. Over the last couple of years of his term, the previous Mayor seemed to make a lot of unilateral decisions and it was a major factor in changing the leadership of Council. I hope we are not going down that road again!). It was a long but very interesting meeting. |