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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-01-28, Page 88 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, January 28, 2015 get it4,:din !no seaforthhuronexpositor.com Get all of your news, sports and more. Serving Seaforth and surrounding area Dave Flaherty Huron Expositor More than 20 planning students from the University of Waterloo visited Seaforth, Brussels and Vanastra last week to speak with Huron East officials. The group of students is preparing a survey to help local communities to become more age -friendly. MUNICIPALITY OF HURON EAST CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR REPLACEMENT OF STRUCTURE M58 PUBLIC COMMENT INVITED THE PROJECT: The Municipality of Huron East is planning to replace Structure M58 on Beechwood Line, located approximately 6 km northeast of Seaforth, spanning the Woods Municipal Drain, a tributary of the Maitland River (as shown on the accompanying key plan). Recent engineering inspections of the structure have identified advanced deterioration with primary bridge components. Repair of the structure is not considered practical at this time due to the narrow width and the extent of structural deterioration evident during the inspection process. The Municipality is considering two options to replace the structure. The first involves replacing the crossing with a concrete box culvert in the same location as the existing structure. The second alternative involves replacing Structure M58 and Structure M60 with one larger culvert in a slightly modified location. Structure M60 is also in need of replacement and is located in very close proximity to structure M58 making it a viable option to consider in conjunction with this project. THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCREENING PROCESS: The planning for this project is following the planning process established for Schedule B activities under the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) document. Schedule B projects are approved subject to a screening process. The purpose of the screening process is to identify any potential environmental impacts associated with the proposal and to plan for appropriate mitigation of any impacts. The process includes consultation with the public, stakeholders and review agencies. This notice is being issued to advise of the start of study investigations. There will be additional opportunities for public input and involvement as the study progresses. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT: Public input and comments are invited for incorporation into the planning and design of this project and will be received until February 206, 2015, at the address listed below. Any comments collected in conjunction with the study, will be maintained on file for use during the project and may be included in project documentation. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record. Ar.: For further information on this project, or to review the Municipal Class EA process, please contact the project engineers: B.M. Ross and Associates: 62 North Street, Goderich, Ontario, N7A 2T4. Telephone (519) 524-2641. Fax (519) 524-4403. Kelly Vader, Environmental Planner (e-mail: kvader@bmross.net). Barry Mills, Public Works Manager Municipality of Huron East This Notice issued January 21, 2015 University of Waterloo students working on age - friendly communhty survey Dave Flaherty Huron Expositor The efforts to make communities in Huron East more age -friendly continue. More than 20 planning students from the University of Waterloo visited Sea - forth, Vanastra and Brussels last week The group of students will be develop- ing a survey that will be sent out to resi- dents in Huron East. Seaforth Coun. Bob Fisher said the province developed an Age -Friendly Community Guide in 2013 but noted it is geared more towards urban communities. So last year, a group of students held focus groups to see what local residents thought could be done to make Huron East more age -friendly. They also hit the streets and spoke to residents within the communities. "We want to hear from everyone," Fisher said. Fisher said there are many residents in Huron County don't have many issues. "They can rely on neighbours," Fisher said. "We want know how do you get help for those who don't have those connections." In developing the survey, the students will be looking into issues such as health care, active transportation and accessibil- ity amongst others. The Ontario Seniors Secretariat has initiated grants for such projects, but Fisher said because Huron East was ahead of the curve it's likely too late to put forth a proposal. He believes it is something that all of Huron County should look at it. "It is a bigger issue, people who live here travel to do things in the rest of the county" Fisher, along with Huron East CAO Brad Knight and economic development officer Jan Hawley, sat down with the stu- dents at Seaforth town hall last week to help provide some information for the development of the survey. According to Fisher, Huron East is "blessed to have three built up centres", referring to Seaforth, Brussels and Vanastra. "Seaforth has a very thriving down- town and one of the best Victorian streetscapes in the county," he said. Because both area secondary schools are located in Clinton, the question was raised whether people are moving there from Seaforth. "It's not so much about people moving from Seaforth, but where people from the cities decide to move," Fisher said. Rachel Martin, a University of Water- loo student who is co-oping with the Huron County planning department, believes there is an issue with the amount of available information to the public about events going on in the community. One student asked if seniors in Huron East were tech-savy and could find such information easily online. Hawley said local seniors are likely more "tech-savy than they we give them credit for", but Martin noted that you couldn't assume that everyone has relia- ble online access. As far as employment opportunities for seniors go, Martin noted that many jobs that would be appropriate for seniors are being taken up by younger people. Fisher said Seaforth has a changing economy, having lost most of its manu- facturing jobs. "When I moved here in 1978, there were 70 businesses and only about 10 were in the service industry. We now have about 60 to 65 businesses and more than 20 are service based," he said. The students then went on guided tours of Vanastra and Brussels. Fisher said the plan is for the students to use the information they have gath- ered so far and had the survey ready to send out to the community in the next few months.