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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-10-17, Page 18FAXING SERVICE We can send or receive faxes for you for only $1.00 per page. The Citizen, 413 Queen St., Blyth. Phone 519- 523-4792. Fax 519-523-9140. tfn NOW BOOKING FOR 2014: Two- bedroom cottage with bunkhouse at Point Clark, includes fully-equipped kitchen, gas barbecue, fire pit, horseshoe pit and much more, close to lighthouse and beach. To find out more or to book your holiday call 519-523-4799 after 6:00 p.m. tfn -------------------------------------------- PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2013. Classified Advertisements All word ads in The Citizen classifieds are put on our webpage at www.northhuron.on.ca Tenders Services acation propertiesV Real estate Real estate Farms for Sale (Estate of Elliott Hackwell) 2 farmlands for sale in geographic Township or McKillop, Municipality of Huron East, County of Huron, comprised of: 1) Part Lot 20, Concession 13, 2 acres containing buildings and house, 88 workable acres with 10 acres of bush. Asking price $1,410,000. 2) N 1/2 Lot 9, Concession 14, containing 34 workable acres with 66 acres of bush. Asking price $442,000. For inquiries, call 905-666-3390 or 905-617-7752 APPROX. 12.8 ACRE LICENSED GRAVEL PIT For Township of Ashfield-Colborne- Wawanosh. Legal description Part of lot 6, Concession 5 ED, Geographic Township of Colborne, PIN 41359-0008 LT, being approximately 12.8 acres. LOCATED at 81694 Sharpes Creek Line in the township of Ashfield-Colborne- Wawanosh, County of Huron. FOR SALE BY TENDER For Tender Forms and other particulars contact: Royal LePage Heartland Realty, Brokerage 519-482-3400 Richard Lobb Sr. Cell: 519-955-0163 richardlobbsr@royallepage.ca Fred Lobb Cell: 519-955-0012 fredlobb@royallepage.ca Tenders will be submitted to Royal LePage Heartland Realty, 1 Albert St, Clinton by 12 Noon on Wed., Oct. 30, 2013. Highest or any tender not necessarily accepted. Get information on Huron County attractions on the Stops Along The Way section of our website www.northhuron.on.ca Ginn fears energy future Continued from page 1 owners in Blyth about the potential change despite their proximity. Scrimgeour’s main problem, he said, is the fact that the new business represents a net loss in employment opportunities. “We provide jobs because we do things the old-fashioned way,” he said. “Many students have got money for tuition through local businesses like us.” Scrimgeour stated that, with the new gas bar, cards are read automatically, gas is pumped manually and bills are sent out automatically, meaning the people who were previously paid for pumping gas or working retail could find themselves out of a job. BIA Chair Rick Elliott explained the BIA had not been invited to discuss the issue but said he would take their message to council. NORTH HURON COUNCIL Both Elliott and Scrimgeour would speak on the issue again as they both attended a North Huron council meeting on Oct. 6 as deputations. While Elliott was there to provide an update on the BIA for council, he also weighed in on the issue. “Notwithstanding the Grandview, the BIA is pro-economic development and pro-investment,” he said at the council meeting. “We like to see people wanting to invest here, wanting to create jobs here and wanting to raise families and that sort of thing.” However, the method by which the development is being proposed and approved is something Elliott said the BIA was not behind as several members felt that it wasn’t in Blyth or North Huron’s best interest. “Historically, our community supported five gas stations, four grocery stores and two convenience stores,” he said. “That was historically, but margins have fallen. People aren’t running on the same margins. “Even though it won’t be in our township, we need to encourage political partners to be sure they are following the economic impact studies,” he said. Elliott went on to say he hoped North Huron could encourage Central Huron to look at the impact on not just the community of Blyth, but of all the surrounding area. He also requested council encourage the applicants to keep the building’s façade similar to those of the downtown core. Scrimgeour’s main message when he spoke to North Huron Council was to remind them they have power over this development. He explained servicing for the property has to be agreed on by North Huron as they provide the water and sewage services to the property. In his opinion, council could and should use that to make sure the concerns of North Huron’s ratepayers were being answered. Scrimgeour was also joined at the meeting by Auburn Grill owner Ken Warwick who pointed out that, in Central Huron’s official plan, there are two paragraphs that outline how building on the edges of Blyth are to be handled. He said the fact that this structure would house a company that would contest not only with his business but all the businesses in the core of Blyth that offer similar services, is against Central Huron’s own plan. Section 3.3.3.2.4 of Central Huron’s official plan states: “Development [adjacent to Blyth] shall be limited to Commercial and Industrial uses which include agriculturally related commercial uses and large space commercial uses which cannot be suitably located within the Village of Blyth. Development will not be permitted that would compete with the core areas of the Village.” “There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that it’s directly competing [with local businesses],” Warwick said. OFFICIAL PLAN In a later interview with The Citizen, Planner Monica Walker- Bolton explained she was aware of the guidelines in the plan. However, she felt that the business would serve a different clientele than those in the core of Blyth. She said that highway travellers and freight operators would make up the majority of the new development’s customer base. Mayor Jim Ginn, also in a later interview with The Citizen, explained he felt that, even with the recent surge of development in downtown Blyth, the new business would still fit. “I guess what we considered was the fact that, previously, the Grandview could seat 48 and the new restaurant would only seat 16,” he said. “It’s greatly diminished in that respect and, in all honesty, if you want to call Tim Hortons a restaurant, you can, but they don’t serve a lot of meals. It’s more of a grab-something-quick-and-go kind of location.” He said putting the restaurant back was just returning it to its previous use and that the convenience store wouldn’t hurt existing businesses in Blyth. Ginn also said any development there should be preferable to having an abandoned or derelict building. Currently, however, the site plan for the location is being debated by Central Huron Council because of business owner Wayne McClinchey’s concerns. McClinchey, who owns the property directly south of the Grandview on County Road 4, has several major issues with the proposed development and outlined them in a letter that was delivered to North Huron, Central Huron and Morris-Turnberry Councils. While he presented five concerns referencing displaced snow and water, negative aesthetic implications, effect on his own business as he does sell gas, diminished property and business value and the removal of a fence that belongs to him, McClinchey said in a later interview with The Citizen that his concerns extend beyond that. “It’s not just my property at risk,” he said. “The whole corner will be a disaster. Parking trucks on the side of the road and having all that traffic at the exit of the drive-through would just make it a place where accidents will happen.” McClinchey was also frustrated no one approached him about the proposed development, including Walker-Bolton, who stated an impact study on affected businesses was performed. “While the developer claims to have conducted a business impact study, I question the thoroughness of the endeavour as no effort to contact me has been undertaken,” McClinchey wrote in his letter. “While I do not sell food or coffee nor do I operate a convenience store, my business does feature a gas pump. “Although gas sales are not the primary thrust of my operation, the pump is responsible for a quantity of walk-in business opportunities. Despite this, the name McClinchey South End Auto does not appear in the business impact study provided to planners by the developer.” If not for the individual actions of councillors, McClinchey said he might never have had the opportunity to discuss the issue with anyone. “The only person who ever approached me was [North Huron Deputy-Reeve] Dave Riach who isn’t even in my municipality,” McClinchey said, adding if it weren’t for the actions of Central Huron Councillor Alex Westerhout, he may never have had the option to discuss the issue with Central Huron Council. McClinchey was also upset at the state of ‘perpetual daylight’ his property will be under with the large, powerful lights proposed in the new store’s site plan. Councillors from both North Huron and Central Huron have agreed to come to McClinchey’s property and look at what is causing him concern. North Huron councillors were thankful for the presentations made by Warwick, Scrimgeour, Elliott and McClinchey and said they would take the information under advisement. “We’re very pro-economic development, but one has to be cautious when jumping in feet first,” North Huron Councillor Archie MacGowan said during council’s Oct. 7 meeting. “I, for one, have heard of and have traffic concerns between County Roads 4 and 25 for many years and the convenience store has not been a use that’s been there before. From the documentation there, I’m not sure how big a portion of this establishment that will be.” Councillor Brock Vodden wasn’t so optimistic, however, pointing out other economic development issues have been appealed and have not fared as well, including Blyth Public School. SITE PLAN APPROVAL Ginn explained, in his interview, that until the site plan was approved, the project wouldn’t move forward. “We need to do a rezoning on the property because it’s going to include a convenience store or combination convenience-gas store,” he said. “It was zoned with a restaurant previously with the convenience store being added it required a rezoning.” Ginn explained that, with the rezoning, the applicant will have the new building constructed and permission to continue with that build rests with Central Huron. “We still have site plan control,” he said. “All the details are getting worked out but there is a lot we have to sign off on. Lighting services, storm water management, surface water management and providing water are all details that need to be worked out and the project can’t proceed until they come up with a plan we approve.” Plan causes concerns with businesses Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn says there could be big trouble ahead in the energy sector. After attending a recent Erie Thames utility corporation board meeting, Ginn told his fellow councillors, at the Oct. 8 committee of the whole meeting, that are a number of projects on the horizon that could spell trouble for the utility’s bottom line. One problematic plan, reports Ginn, is being proposed by Wal- Mart, which has announced all of its stores will become energy self- sufficient by installing solar panels. If Wal-Mart moves forward and other chain stores follow, the change will have a big impact on the bottom line for utility company revenues. Ginn notes other energy-efficient program, like using LED lighting, are having an impact on utilities since the bulbs use 70 per cent less energy. “It appears to me this is a market that seems to be consolidating, rather than expanding,” says Ginn, noting Central Huron owns three per cent of the Erie Thames utility. “It is going to be hard for us to recoup very much money out of being a shareholder. The picture doesn’t look too pretty.” Ginn said while it is quite possible the utility could turn things around, it is also readily apparent Central Huron will not be seeing any dividends on its shares any time in the near future. By Cheryl Heath Special to The Citizen