HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-07-25, Page 24PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013.
Seaforth Foodland plans praised by council
Keeping cool the wet way
Sierra Hertlein wasn’t minding the water spilling on her
during a game of ‘Over Under’ during the Blyth Community
Churches’ summer Vacation Bible School last week at the
Blyth Christian Reformed Church. (Denny Scott photo)
Plans for the reconstruction of
Seaforth Foodland, which was
destroyed by a fire on April 27, were
embraced and complimented by
Huron East councillors at their July
16 meeting.
Huron County Planner Sandra
Weber presented the plans to council
alongside Foodland’s Christine Yee,
who was also at the meeting.
The presentation of the plans to
council came after the matter had
been discussed by Huron East’s
administration committee and the
committee wanted the new
incarnation of the store to better fit
into the heritage district of Seaforth.
The proposed building will have
three vertical stripes along the side
of the building facing Seaforth’s
main street. Originally planned to be
metal, it was suggested that the
stripes, which are part of Foodland’s
branding, be made of something that
would look more at home in a
heritage district, such as brick.
The parking lot will remain
approximately the same size as the
original parking lot with 65 regular
parking spots and two handicapped
parking spots.
One change will be two defined
entrances and exits from the parking
lot, which were not there before.
Weber said these changes should
greatly increase the flow of traffic in
and out of the store onto the town’s
main street.
Huron East Mayor Bernie
MacLellan said he felt the
compromise between those at
Foodland and community members
was a good one because no one got
everything they wanted out of the
deal.
The building will also feature
several murals of historic downtown
Seaforth.
Yee also spoke to council, saying
that it was no secret that the situation
came up quite suddenly, as a result
of the fire, but to have the
application filed by the middle of
June, with hopes of construction
starting early next month, she felt
the process was moving along quite
nicely.
“We’re really proud of the new
design for Foodland [in Seaforth],”
Yee said. “We like to emphasize our
brand, we’re proud of our brand.”
She added that those at Foodland
are hoping that the new store will
be ready to open in mid-
December.
Deputy-Mayor Joe Steffler said he
was happy that things were moving
along so quickly and that council
shouldn’t stand in the way of
progress. He urged council to “get
on with life” and pass the new
design so owner Steve Delchairo and
Foodland can begin rebuilding, both
for the good of the company and for
the good of Seaforth.
“Let’s put this to rest once and for
all,” he said.
Councillor David Blaney said that,
with no offense to the store’s
previous design, the proposed plans
were a huge improvement.
“This is going to look good,” he
said.
Later in the meeting, council
passed a bylaw to authorize a site
plan control agreement with
Seaforth Foodland, allowing the
company to go ahead with
reconstruction.Continued from page 20
flat roof replacement, going instead
with repairing the existing roof.
Knight also expressed his
disappointment in council, saying
that there was a slight “over-
reaction” to the town hall costs by
council, and that he found
comments made by councillors in
the local media about holding off on
the Victoria Street reconstruction
“disappointing”. He said that the
costs incurred by the town hall
project were properly budgetted for
and did not impact anything else in
the municipal budget.
Treasurer Paula Michiels said that
the miscommunication could also be
chalked up to her
“misunderstanding” the situation
when she prepared the initial report
on the project’s costs for the July 2
meeting.
Councillor Nathan Marshall, even
after Knight’s presentation, said he
was confused and said it sounded
like “spin” to him.
Councillor David Blaney,
however, said that while he was
confused by the situation too,
perhaps the onus is on council to ask
more questions, rather than staff
having to inform councillors every
step of the way.
Dripless Oil Undercoating
• Can extend the life of your vehicle with preventative
rust protection for vehicle body and underbody
• VOC compliant products ensure less
pollutants are released into the atmosphere
providing cleaner air and a healthier environment. All
products applied meet new and lower VOC
regulations 2010.
519-523-9308
2 miles south of Blyth corner of London Rd.
& Hullett McKillop Rd., Central Huron
Have a Break on Us!
Book your August appointment
before the end of July and you will
be entered in a draw to win tickets
for 2 for the Blyth Festival’s
production of Garrison’s Garage
Dripless Oil Undercoat
and Oil, Lube and Filter
Service
Receive a $500 Tim’s Card
Coupon valid August 12-31
Book your service today
Extend the Life of
Your Vehicle
Jack Van Dorp
Jack’s Tip
When you apply your dripless oil undercoating
during August and September the moderate
temperatures help improve adherence of product.
Jack Van Dorp is a red seal certified technician
with more than 20 years experience
www.jacksgeneralrepair.ca
39965 Hullett-McKillop Rd.
Central Huron
✂
✂
54 King St.
Clinton 519-482-3951
Soaps
Brought to you by Elliott Nixon Insurance Brokers Inc. ~ 519-523-4481 • enib@himg.insurance.com
Thursday
23°
Friday Saturday
22°
Sunday
20°
Monday7-Day Weather ForecastElliott Nixon Insurance Brokers Inc.Tuesday
25°
Wednesday
22°24°25°
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Knight denounces
‘spin’ on renovations