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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-01-28, Page 3r Huron East to pitch proposal for new EMS base Dave Flaherty Huron Expositor Huron East council is planning to submit a pro- posal to integrate the new EMS base with the munici- pality's town hall in Seaforth. Council approved the motion at the Jan. 20 meet- ing to submit a site plan and schematic plan for the proposal. However, council also expressed concerns that the request for proposal (RFP) prepared by Huron County for the project precludes the municipality from submitting a proposal. CAO Brad Knight said Huron East wants to make it clear they are interested, but the RFP is geared more towards the private sector. In simpler words, Knight said the RFP limits the municipality in its ability to conduct a competitive bid- ding process for the project. At a county council meeting earlier this month, Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan and Deputy Mayor Joe Steffler criticized the RFP for being too vague and possibly to confusing for contractors interested in bidding. According to Knight, Huron East had contacted the county in October with an idea similar to that passed last week but never received a reply. The idea wasn't didn't have the full support of council, passing six votes to five. In favour were Council- lors David Blaney, Dianne Diehl, Nathan Marshall and Kevin Wilbee, as well as the mayor and deputy mayor. Resident asks council to address stray cat situation Dave Flaherty Huron Expositor Huron East officials are facing the conundrum of how to deal with roaming stray cats. At the Jan. 20 meeting, council received a letter from a local resident who claimed her cats had been attacked by stray that was roaming around the neighbourhood. During the second of the attacks, one of her pets suf- fered an abscess in her right hind where she was bitten, resulting in a $360 veterinarian bill. The resident indicated she had contacted the coun- ty's animal control officer but was told Huron East didn't have a by-law that addressed roaming cats. In her letter, she formally requested council to inves- tigate creating such a by-law. "To have my cats attacked while sitting in the screened window of my home or while I was with them in my yard is an unsatisfactory situation," she wrote. Coun. Brenda Dalton asked if such a by-law existed whether they would have to call in every stray cat. "I think you hit the nail right on the head," said Mayor Bernie MacLellan. "If we pass a by-law we should be able to enforce it." The stray cat situation in Seaforth has not yet reached the point of being an "epi- demic', MacLellan said. Other councillors agreed that such a by-law would be difficult to enforce. Brussels Coun. David Blaney said it isn't very tough to keep track of dogs, but cats are more elusive. There was some sugges- tion of having the animal control officer set traps for stray cats as they would for other "pests', for example, a raccoon. The mayor said they could possibly make the costs the responsibility of the person who calls it in, but the question was raised how to differentiate those situations from calls for raccoons and other pests. Council agreed to file the letter and keep it for further discussion. Councillors Ray Char- trand, Brenda Dalton, Bob Fisher, Larry McGrath and Alvin McLellan were opposed. Brussels Ward Coun. John Lowe was absent from the meeting. Knight told The Huron Expositor that the munici- pality would be looking into the possibility of pitch- ing a facility that would share space for a number of departments, including the OPP and fire chief. Knight estimated the cost for the project could be in the range of $800,000 to $900,000. get it seaforthhuronexpositor.com Get all of your news, sports and more. Serving Seaforth and surrounding area OFFICE HOURS The Office Hours for The Seaforth Huron Expositor are as follows Mondays - 9am - 5pm Tuesdays - CLOSED Wednesdays - 9am - 5pm Thursdays - 9am - 5pm Fridays - 9am - 5pm Seaforth ,Non Expositor 8 Main Street, Seaforth ON PH: 519-527-0240 www. seaforthhuronexpo sitor .com Wednesday, January 28, 2015 • Huron Expositor 3 Dave Flaherty Huron Expositor Huron East council have passed a motion to submit a proposal to integrate the new EMS base with the municipality's town hall facilities in Seaforth. HURON C a [] N'1' Y REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS PRE -CONSULTATION ON PROPOSED HURON COUNTY OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 4 The County of Huron has initiated Official Plan Amendment No. 4 to the County of Huron Official Plan under Sections 17 and 21 of the Planning Act. The purpose is to amend certain policies in the Official Plan to ensure consistency with the 2014 Provincial Policy Statement. The amendment is being circulated for your preliminary review and comments prior to the formal circulation and public meeting under the Planning Act. The Amendment is available for review at the Huron County Planning and Development Department office or on-line at www.huroncounty.ca/officialplan Please submit comments by February 20th, 2015 by mail or e-mail to: Huron County Planning and Development Department, 57 Napier Street, Goderich, ON, N7A 1W2, E-mail: planning©huroncounty.ca