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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-08-18, Page 1INSIDE THIS WEEK: SPORTS - Pg. 8 Local's baseball team nabs top national spot FALL FMR - Pg. 10 Molesworth's Blake wins Brussels crown GALLERY - Pg. 19 Hussey's `Transfiguration' opens at Festival Art Gallery Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1H0 4Citiz Volume 32 No. 32 n WELCOME TO BINT H $1 .25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, August 18, 2016 The game must go on Despite heavy rains across the area on Saturday, soccer tournaments were still being played throughout Huron County including the U13 Girls year-end tournament hosted by Brussels Minor Soccer. The final game of the tournament featured St. Columban taking on Goderich. St. Columban came out ahead, but required extra time to do so, even through the heavy rain that swept through the community on Saturday morning. (Vicky Bremner photo) Brussels barn project given the green light By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen A large project that will see a barn relocated from a Grey Ward farm to the main street of Brussels has been given the go-ahead by the Huron County Planning Department. Huron County Planner Claire Dodds spoke to the application for a minor variance at Huron East Council's Aug. 9 meeting, saying that while the project, brought forward by Grey resident Bryan Morton, is complex, it's one in which the department is in favour. The proposal, she said, calls for a barn to be taken apart in Grey, transported to Brussels and reassembled on the site of the former Brussels Hotel, beside the newly - renovated Brussels Library. The property will also feature a silo and a windmill, that will all have to adhere to village height restrictions, Dodds told councillors. The intent behind the building, which is tentatively being called "Four Winds", is that the upper level will be home to a banquet hall that can accommodate a maximum of 120 people. There are also plans for the lower level to house the Brussels Farmers' Market year-round, as well as a restaurant. The occupancy limit for the banquet hall, Dodds told councillors, is tied directly to the parking the site is able to accommodate. The building will have 46 parking spots, which will then accommodate the 120 people. If more parking spots can be created in the future, Dodds said, the occupancy limit could rise slightly. Some of the site's parking will be street parking along Elizabeth Street, which runs behind where the barn is proposed to be located. Because the street is rather narrow, Dodds said, the planning department has decided to only allow parking on one side of the street. The Stephensons, Elizabeth Street residents, were at the meeting, and said they were just getting used to not having traffic and late-night noise associated with the Brussels Hotel, so they hoped it wouldn't return with Morton's project. Dodds said that the department had yet to make a decision on which side of the street they would allow parking, so the Stephensons said that the east side (closest to the main street) would be ideal so that cars weren't essentially parking on Elizabeth Street front lawns. Morton promised to be a good neighbour. He said he had no intention to seek a liquor licence for the banquet hall and that any events held there would wrap up by midnight, ensuring noise wouldn't continue through the night. Another issue pertaining to the property is that the municipality will have to sign an encroachment agreement with Morton, as the property will make its way onto the Brussels Library property slightly — which council said was no problem. In terms of the lot, Dodds said that it is actually comprised of two lots, so that would have to be corrected in order for the project to go forward — that, however, is more of a legal issue, as the lots have been treated as one entire lot for years.Councillors were in favour of the proposed conditions and said they were happy to help bring this project forward. In response, Morton said that he too was happy that he and his team were "finally here" with the project finally gaining momentum and looking like a real possibility for the village. Huron East drops comprehensive shared services plan By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen With Central Huron pressing pause on a comprehensive shared services strategy that would involve two or three other municipalities, Huron East has followed suit, opting to first look internally for efficiencies. After allowing results of a joint council meeting with Central Huron and Bluewater Councils to sink in, Huron East Council discussed the issue at its Aug. 9 meeting with the decision looming whether or not to continue on the shared services path. Many councillors felt that focusing so heavily on the North Huron and Morris-Turnberry pilot project had been a mistake. Councillor Nathan Marshall, among others, was concerned with the lack of specific data in the plan. Councillors referred back to a comment made by Chief Administrative Officer Brad Knight at the late June council meeting that they felt showed why that model won't work for a shared services project between municipalities as large and diverse as Huron East, Bluewater and Central Huron. Knight pointed out that North Huron and Morris-Turnberry project saving $600,000 by 2018. However, despite the fact that the size of the two are comparable, the joint Morris-Turnberry and North Huron budget will still be $1 million more than Huron East's, meaning that $600,000 in savings simply wouldn't cut it for many Huron East representatives. Knight, in his report, said that the two municipalities will no doubt see retirements in the future, but he felt that to even anticipate $300,000 in savings would be questionable. He said that if council did want to pursue further investigation into sharing services, the municipality would have to develop its own model. "If council continues to pursue the concept of shared services, council may have to truly assesss the need, the potential savings (or potential costs) of such shared services without simply referencing the Morris-Turnberry/North Huron example, as these municipalities do not compare well now, and given that they have limited their ability to consolidate services, any cost savings achieved are likely to be minimal and they will likely not be any better comparison in 2018 than Continued on page 14 HC Plowing Match this week Fear Family Farms and Monoway Farms are welcoming plowers, would-be Queens and Princesses and spectators to the 89th annual Huron County Plowing Match starting today, Thursday, Aug. 18, in Morris-Turnberry, and running through tomorrow, Aug. 19. The event, which will be hosted by Paul Fear and family on their farm at 84902 Clegg Line, just off of Morris Road, starts with Junior Day at 9 a.m. on Aug. 18. Junior coaching runs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. followed by the 4-H Sodbuster Achievement Day from 12:15 p.m. to 3 p.m. and the Princess competition speeches starting at 1:30 p.m. Friday marks the start of tractor and horse plowing as well as the Queen of the Furrow speeches and children's novelty classes. Later in the day, the Queen contestants will plow and hope to do their best. Later that night, at the Belgrave and District Community Centre, the winners of the various competition classes will be announced and the new Queen of the Furrow will be crowned. The match marks the first time the same Huron County Warden has hosted two consecutive matches. Morris-Turnberry Mayor Paul Gowing has the honour of bringing the event to his home municipality this year after hosting it alongside the Hayden family in ACW.