HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-04-06, Page 1INSIDE
THIS WEEK:
SAi, IES - Pg. 6
Hundreds of locals included
on public disclosure list
SPORTS - Pg. 8
Local hockey team takes
WOAA crown in series
FIR - Pg. 10
Sparling bids farewell
with special ceremony
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1H0
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Volume 33 No. 14
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Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, April 6, 2017
Spring into song
Following the tradition of the winter choral concerts
organized by the Brussels Ministerial, the first
annual Spring Songfest was held at the Brussels
United Church on Sunday, April 2 featuring the musical
talents of local church choirs. The event saw choirs take to
the stage in between communal hymns and scripture readings
by local volunteers and clergy. Above, members of the
Brussels United Church Choir kicked off the first of
the performances with two tunes. The evening ended with a
mass choir. (Denny Scott photo)
RED app. to address accommodation needs
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
North Huron and the Blyth BIA
have jointly filed an application to
fund an accommodation feasibility
study for the Village of Blyth.
The application, which has been
filed through the provincial
government's Rural Economic
Development (RED) Program, will
assess the need for further
accommodation by way of hotel
rooms in the village during a period
of "unprecedented economic
growth" due to the renovation of
Memorial Hall and the construction
of Blyth Cowbell Brewing
Company and the Canadian Centre
for Rural Creativity (CCRC),
according to the application
summary.
The application is expected to cost
approximately $15,000 and seeks
funding to cover 50 per cent of the
cost. It was filed just before the
5 p.m. deadline on Friday, March 31.
"These three key projects will
result in several more visitors to
Blyth throughout the year. The
drastic increase in visitor traffic will
require that the village have ample
overnight accommodation available
to guests," states the application's
summary. "In an effort to encourage
and attract hotel development in
Blyth, North Huron has deemed it
necessary to conduct a hotel
feasibility study for potential
investors."
The application was first
presented to North Huron Council at
its March 27 budget meeting. Chief
Administrative Officer Sharon
Chambers spoke to the application
and North Huron's potential role in
the process.
Chambers told council that she
had been approached by members of
the Blyth business community in
regards to filing the application. She
said that while a specific stream of
RED funding seemed perfect for an
accommodation feasibility study,
private companies were ineligible
for the funding under the municipal
planning stream, so the company
asked that the township partner on
the application.
She said the need for further
accommodation has been clear in
Blyth for years, whether it's for
tourists or those coming to work for
a seasonal company like the Blyth
Festival. Existing accommodation
and billeting options will only be
spread even thinner as a result of the
ongoing development.
"We know that we have a large
tourism -based business that is
building on the fringe [of Blyth] and
that is going to impact Blyth. We
know we have the CCRC and that's
going to impact Blyth and we have
the renovation of Memorial Hall,"
Chambers told councillors. "There is
a lot of activity going on there and
the reality is those things are going
to happen this summer and are we
ready? Probably not."
Chambers spoke about both the
accommodation feasibility study
and perhaps an urban expansion
study that would address further
development on the fringes of the
village, saying that the second study
could cost substantially more, citing
a range of $50,000-$75,000.
At the March 28 meeting of
Central Huron Council, the issue
was discussed further, but council
opted to pen a letter of support for
the application, but not serve as its
co -applicant.
It was recommended by Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and
Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) staff that
North Huron secure a second
applicant before the March 31
deadline. The Blyth BIA
volunteered as a co -applicant, which
was due to be finalized at the April 5
meeting.
The accommodation feasibility
study funding application was
submitted by the March 31 deadline
and a response is anticipated later
this summer or in early fall.
CH budget
to include
increase
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
With Central Huron in a relatively
good financial state, councillors are
torn between depleting municipal
reserves or slightly raising the tax
rate.
Director of Finance Terri Rau
presented the budget to Central
Huron Council at its March 28
meeting, which was held at the
Regional Equine and Agricultural
Centre of Huron (REACH) due to
smoke damage at town hall as a
result of last month's major
downtown fire. Rau's budget, as
presented, included an increase in
spending, but no increase to the tax
rate. The budget will include a
carry -forward deficit from 2016 of
nearly $400,000.
Total levy requirements in the
proposed 2017 budget are $6.2
million, which is an increase of 1.83
per cent from the previous year's
budget at $6.16 million. The budget
includes a total of $1.67 million in
transfers from reserves to cover
street lighting, equipment
purchases, public works projects, a
new roof and other upgrades to the
town hall building and several
recreation projects, including the
new community park in Clinton that
will include a skate park, splash pad
and playground, as well as upgrades
to the baseball park.
The total $6.2 million budget is
broken down to show that 71 per
cent of the budget is for capital
expenses, while the remaining 29
per cent is for operating expenses.
By far the most expensive project
in the budget is the construction of
James Street, which is expected to
cost the municipality over $2
million. Work on Porter's Hill Line
will also cost over $600,000.
While the proposed budget
doesn't call for an increase in
taxation, several councillors felt that
either a one or two per cent increase
to the tax levy would help ease the
burden on reserves in the budget,
which are being hit hard by over
$1.6 million in withdrawals from
various reserves.
Councillors Alison Lobb, Marg
Anderson and Dan Colquhoun all
agreed that a one per cent increase to
the tax levy should be instituted,
while other councillors felt there
should be no increase, despite the
nearly two per cent increase in year -
over -year spending.
Deputy -Mayor Dave Jewitt also
acknowledged that two absent
councillors, Burkhard Metzger and
Alex Westerhout, were both
committed to no tax rate increase, so
to institute an increase when they
Continued on page 20