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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1970-11-12, Page 11,1•14aztsee,7.. Canadian Forces Base Clinton will be closing in September, 1971 and the future of the area depends on whether or not alternative uses can be found when the base closes. Several projects have been suggested as replacements and the interesting thing is that all could be accommodated in the huge establishment. The land directly north of the base would be excellent industrial property, CFB Clinton the Pegasus Theatre oh the base could provide service to the new larger community, CF Photo Clinton ews- ecord 105 YEAR — NO.49 CLINTON, ONTARIO — THURSDAY, NOV IN/IfiEf3 12. 1970 SEPQV Town of the future; What. Clinton could be like in 20 years ... if we want it to Stage two: the groundwork brings results The big new town hes ,inore than 10,000 people in a well-planned commanity. The lucky residents of the community have acres of greenbelt Parkland, two arenas, several swimming pools and bowling alleys, a golf course, The first five years of any long-range plan involves a great deal, of preparation, often with little apparent result. So " it would be with this scheme. For the most part, it would mean proceeding with many of the present objectives, but proceeding with the long-range plan in mind, The important first step would be for an over-all planning board be set up with officials of the town and Tuckersmith Township involved. Working together with county and provincial planning officials, they could lay down the steps to be followed, assuring orderly growth into a planned community. In Adastrat, Park it would mean the takeover of base essential facilities by some management organization and the leasing or sale of buildings to the various groups interested. Such things as a community college, the Department of Transport school, a police college, the Conestoga College experiment and small industry would give the base a strong population base again. Such facilities as the arena, bowling The groundwork laid' in the first five-year stage would begin to show some results in the second five-year stage, By this time the permanence of the users of Adastral Park and the base facilities would be established and growth from that end 'of the community could begin, The first important step would be the setting up of an industrial park serviced from the present sewerage system of the base, This would be separated from residential and educational If everything has gone well during the first 10 years of the scheme, the last stage would be the simplest of at, With land already serviced for the industrial park it would be an ,..ea"s"y part to service the residential land along the hills just south of the greenbelt development Oh the south side of the present town. 13y this time, with new industries in the industrial park, neW homes Would he needed, The rows of curling rink, theatre, camping' and picnic facilities, a modern shopping centre, and a large industrial park with excellent connections to road and rail transportation systems. It doesn't sound like Clinton, but it could be if the ideas of alley, curling rink, school and theatre could then be reopened ,either . under . sponsorship or private enterprise, serving the population of both Adastral Park and Clinton. • The solid establishment of these objectives is about as far as growth from Adastral Park can be expected to progress in the first five years. THE TOWN'S PART In Clinton, many present programs would be' carried on but at a faster pace. Within five years the new sewage treatment facilities would be finished in preparation to serve the new growth to the south. Present programs to upgrade streets and streetlighting would be accelerated so that by the time the five years were up, the problems of the present commercial and residential areas would be solved enough so attention, and finances, could be turned to development at the south. Meanwhile an important part of the, plan would already be underway at the south side of the town. Development of the areas of the base by a narrow belt of parkland, perhaps even wooded to cut down noise from the plants in the industrial park. The industrial area could be set up along the County road connecting the base to, Highway 8 and along a new access road pushed through from Highway 4, This development could extend along the County road until it reached the Goderich-Stratford railway. All industrial lots in the area Would then have easy access to Highways 4 and 8 and to the east-west and northsouth hint between Highway 4 and the County road backing the base provide an excellent setting for beautiful homes, and because of the magnificent view of the greenbelt and tayfield Valley they would command, they would likely be the expensive type of housing that would bring in high tax revenue. As in the case of the residential section of the base, they could be separated, front the industrial park by a strip of forested several forward-thinking individuals in the area were adopted. The big, new town, would include the present town of Clinton, the present CFB Clinton, turned over to other uses:and a modern and a planned new town joining the two with a Bayfield Valley parkland, now in the talking stages with the more progressive of town councillors, would go on to provide new park facilities for, the present residents of town, residents of Huronview, the future residents of the south end and, perhaps most important of all, any boost in tourism due to the Ontario government's wildlife management area to the north of the town. Development of this area as a greenbelt and recreation area is the one part of the overall, long-range plan that could, and should be completed within the first stage. It is an integral part of the whole scheme, and one of the easiest to accomplish. Hopefully, within the next year there will be a conservation authority covering the Bayfield watershed, to help co-ordinate the work. But even if there is not, the work should go ahead. Co-operation between the town and Tuckersmith is essential and, since both will benefit, there should be little squabbling. The valley system from Highway 4 right through to Highway 8 could be developed over the years. Work could be done railway lines. The northern side of this industrial area would likely have to be serviced by the new sewage treatment plant the town plans to build since land slopes toward Clinton the farther north one goes. This is the period when street and sewerage facilities would be being pushed into the area from both ends. • But will induStry come? Well, take a look at where we stand if things progress so that this plan is still in effect. We have two attractive communities parkland. By this time, many of the older buildings rt the old base would likely be coming down after years of good service and Would be replaced with newer Structures, more permanently built. The new residential areas could then be served by a new shopping plaza, giving the area south of Bayfield a convenient shopping area. greenbelt of parkland, industrial parkland and new residential and shopping area, jointly developed by the town and Tuckersmith township. Altheugh the plan Sounds far-fetehed, the idea has sprung up in the minds of several men completely by the municipalities or through leasing municipally owned land to service clubs who would develop it. The latter could be the cheapest, and certainly the best method. If each club had a specific area to deal with the whole area could have an interesting variety. For instance, there could be a small botanical gardens looked after by the Horticultural Society and perhaps an interesting animal park if the Fish and Game club were given an area to develop. These clubs could be supported in their part of the project by grants from the municipality, but most of the expense would be in man-hours and in the final situation, the area would have an inexpensive park and, more important, one people could be proud of because they had contributed to it themselves. Somewhere in the greenbelt there would likely be a dam which would provide a small lake for boating and swimming, an especially important item to attract tourists. This would be built by the municipality. A golf club and tennis courts, also that have proved they have the determination to make their area better. We have a growing population of 6,000 or more people with good elementary, secondary and hopefully post secondary education-. We have elaborate recreational facilities with at least three bowling alleys, three or •four swimming pools, tennis courts, two arenas, a curling rink, a race track, good playing fields, a theatre and even a small zoo. What better community to attract the people an employer would have to bring in to work in his new plant. In the end, a model town of 10,000 to 12,000 persons would be the social, economic, commercial and cultural Mitre of the county with many of the services of cities, but with the important advantages of small town life: Open spaces, clean Water, clean air and that feeling of belonging that only small towns can generate, And as important there Weald be a tourist attractions but of need already in our area, could also be included-in the greenbelt, It is an ambitious undertaking, but one that doesn't necessarily have to cost a lot in terms of other major expenditures. Moreover, as a tie-in to the new Department of Lands and Forests- project in Hullett, which also is to be completed in five years, it could bring thousands of tourist dollars into the community to help pay for the initial cost. In this way we could have marvellous recreation facilities that were supported to a large extent by dollars from outside the community. The conservation program on the river is in line with urgings in the four part report of planners O. V. Kleenfeldt, to Huron County Council in that it would conserve valuable water. By conserving water it would also increase the potential of the Hayfield River as a receiving stream for treated sewage, since large amounts of water are essential to properly dilute effuent from treatment plants. For the plant itself, we have cheap, serviced land, with easy outlet to four major transportation arteries. And, if a community college is part of the base complex, the plant owner knows that skilled personnel are near to help him solve problems, If industry were to move anywhere in western Ontario, wouldn't a plant owner be crazy to turn down such an opportunity? And, perhaps, just perhaps, the government could be encouraged to encourage industry to settle, • feeling of pride because the residents did it thernSelVeS. It's pretty futuristic, to be sure, but there are many, who know what they are talking about, who know it ean be done, if imagination, co-operation and hard worst are all combined. It can be done, if the people of Tueltersmith township and the town of Clinton want it badly enough, have planned to, ake). The only expenSe in the new area to be deveeped would then be laying the pipe, Gus Boussey, manager of Clinton Public Utilities says the problem of servicing the area between the base and the town would not be a major problem. There is a crest of hills just south of the Huronview home for the aged which would provide natural fall for sewage systems to the base plant on one side and the town plant on the other. Water lines are already in place from Clinton, along Highway 4 to the base. These at present serve many homes along the highway as well as the base, and thus expansion should not be as costly as if it meant starting from scratch. 3. Major expenditure on elementary school expansion would be forestalled for most of the growth period because Air Marshall Hugh Campbell School at Adastral Park can accomodate many more students than it is likely going to have to by any future user of the hose facilities. Coupled with this is the fact that, if a community college becomes a future tenant of the base, the area will have an important cultural and educational edge over nearly all towns its size. Persons settling here would know that their children could get a higher education without leaving town. Industries would know that skilled professional personnel are close at hand. 4, Combining the recreational facilities of the present base and the town would give a variety of facilities that many small cities can't offer. At present, the base is probably more self-sufficient than the town. It has it's own theatre, hockey arena, curling rink, bowling alley, football, soccer and softball fields, tennis courts and three swi.., ming pools (only two are in use in recent years). Clinton could add to the partnership its excellent baseball field and horse racing facilities. 5, Development of the Bayfield River valley into a recreation area is already being considered a necessity by many in Clinton. A conservation authority to revamp the whole Bayfield watershed is almost a certainty within the next year, Such a development along the river would help the area reap the maximum benefit from the Hullett Wildlife management area which will be completed in five years and could mean tourism becoming a major source of dollars to the community. To get the most possible out of the project, it is essential to encourage hunters and sight-seers to stay for a while in the community, to spend time and money. The best way is to encourage them to camp in such a development as could be built along the river which would benefit local people as well as the tourists. 6. A major concern in industrialists when they are considering where to locate is the availability of transportation. The area between Highway 8 and the base and Highway 4 and the county road on the east side of the base, provides the best available land in the county as far as transportation by road and rail are concerned. With the minimum of expense, the area can be joined with spur lines that will link it directly with north-south and east-west rail lines (the only place in the county to have such a location. It is also close to both Highway 4 and Highway 8 giving quick access to either the Stratford-Kitchener-Guelph area or to London. Those are facts that show why the project is feasible. But there are other reasons why it should be seriously considered by officials from both Tuckersmith Township and Clinton. For one thing, if a replacement is found for the armed forces when they pull out next September, (the premise upon which this whole plan is built), there is almost certain to be a continued growth in Clinton and likely there will be a growth at the base, If this growth continues as it presently has been, in all directions, it will cost us considerable money (witness the cost of servicing the new Huron Pines subdivision to the northeast of Clinton that has meant prolonged negotiations because an expensive pumping station for sewage had to be installed). However, if Clinton on the north, and Tuckersmith township who have responsibility over the base, got together and channelled all growth into the area between the two communities, they could share facilities and cut costs. They could also plan ahead with the certainty of knowing what areas would be developed. One of the major concerns of all planners today is for orderly growth. The opportunity for a planned community of definite size within the boundaries of the four roads is exciting. By limiting growth to that area and forbidding growth in all adjacent areas, planners can determine the exact boundaries of the community, The main problem that could destroy such a plan would be a lack of co-operation between Clinton and Tuckersmith township, the two municipalities involved in the area to be developed. There shouldn't be such a problem, since each has much to gain if the plan went ahead, but in our area dealings between different municipalities is often difficult. If an overall plan is first established between the two municipalities, growth could then take place from each end, eventually meeting in the middle. The development would be over a 15 to 20-year period, in definite stages. Examples of the stages and the accomplishments of each stage are given in accompanying stories. Present boundaries — New industrial New residential a Conservation authority Recreational greenbelt The final stage two towns become one in the area independently about the same time this summer. The concept: grew because it is a natural step in future planning. It isn't something that would happen overnight. ft is a definite long-range project over a 15-20 year period, but then today all planning is done for at least a 15-year period. Several interesting facts prove that the idea is not ridiculous: I. The new county plan being prepared by G.V. Kleinfeldt and Associates (London) Ltd, shows that Clinton has one of the best growth potential of any town in the county, It's schools are more than adequate for present requirements and for most expansions, so that major additions would not be required for some time- One of the major reasons that Clinton has a good growth potential is because it has a good receiving stream for effluent from the sewage treatment plant. Present problems with pollution will be overcome with a new plant which has been in the ' planning stages for some time. This new plant will be large enough to serve a population of 4700. 2. Present sewage facilities at CFB Clinton are designed for more than 4000 persons. If, as seems most likely, a school was integrated as part of new facilities at the base after the armed forces pull out next year, this capacity would be increased since students would only be using the facilities for a small portion of the day. Thus, by linking the two systems, we have facilities for a , population of 10,000 people without major expenditure for new sewage treatment plants (except expenditure we already Stage one: an extension of present policies 1 Town of I Clinton If alternative uses for CFB Clinton are found, the prospect for growth is good for the area and the plan outlined below tells of some of the exciting developments that could come. The map above shows how the base and town could become one large community with hard work, co-operation and progressive planning. A large greenbelt and industrial park would occupy some of the intervening area. 0 @ • ar avow& 011..r• 0,1•11 • • • • • 01° • 10 • 4, •