HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-01-15, Page 20After much debate at the Jan. 7meeting about whether or not thecounty should look into options foreliminating the height restrictions on
County Road 13 created by the
railway overpass, councillors held to
their original view and said not at
this time.
Information from public works
indicated that the first official
correspondence regarding the bridge
at the edge of Clinton, occurred in
October 1991. At that time the OPP
had investigated six incidents where
a tractor/trailer had become lodged
under the bridge. The OPP requested
signage be considered with advance
notification being given at Hwy. 21.
Even after, however, trucks
continued to hit the bridge.
In 2001 the county applied for
funding to remove the bridge and
create a level crossing but was
turned down.
Last fall the public works began
looking at options that would not
restrict trucks from using the road.
The preferred option, according to
acting director of public works Dave
Laurie is to lower the road.
At the first December committee
of the whole it was decided in arecorded vote that the report bereceived and filed.At the county meeting, CentralHuron councillor John Bezaire askedhis colleagues to reconsider. “Thereis federal funding coming out that
we may be able to get. I’m asking
council to reconsider and give staff
the opportunity to investigate.”
He agreed that while this may not
be a project for Huron to spent
money on, if it fit the criteria of a
grant it would be best to have the
information ready for application.
“I’m just asking that we keep the
door open.”
Laurie said that the estimate for
closing the road is $650,000 with an
added $100,000 contingency fund.
However, he said, there is another
benefit in the potential lowering of
greenhouses gases as trucks could
take the most direct route.
Bezaire also raised the point that
there may be private sector and
lower-tier money available for the
project. “These costs may be shared.
I think it’s premature to slam the
door.”
Warden Ken Oke questioned the
definition of slamming the door, as
he believed that just because the
report is filed, it doesn’t mean it
can’t be revisited in the future. However, Bezaire noted that itdoes at this point stop staff frominvestiging options. Central Huron councillor BertDykstra backed up Bezaire sayingthat finding partners may be a
possibility but without looking into
it, the county will never know. “This
is a county responsibility because
it’s a county road and it is restricting
traffic.”
Bernie MacLellan, councillor for
Huron East wondered if it wouldn’tbe better to look first at the money togive them a starting point, butBezaire disagreed. “Why not see ifwe can get the partners, then firm upthe numbers?”While Bluewater councillor Bill
Dowson thought the responsibility
for fixing the problem should go to
the railroad, Laurie didn’t see this as
a possibility. “I think the railroad is
not going to want to throw money at
this.”
Asked by Bluewater’s DaveJohnston how much it would coststaff to follow up on Bezaire’ssuggestions, Laurie estimated$2,000. Prior to making an decision onBezaire’s request councillors first
had to deal with the recommendation
to receive and file the report. In a
recorded report this was approved
15-4.
Councillor Joe Seili of Huron East
was absent.
PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2009.
A delegation of Bluevale property
owners went away frustrated from
the Jan. 5 meeting of Morris-
Turnberry council after councillors
were unable to find a solution to the
knotty problem of a Duncan Street
drain.
David Thompson, who headed the
delegation, said he had the
signatures of 16 homeowners,
representing 29 lots, on a petition
asking for an engineering report for
the construction of a municipal drain
to solve water problems in many of
the homes. His hope, he explained,
was that the number of petitioners
would impress councillors enough
that they would have the road
superintendent sign-on to say the
drain was needed.
If the road superintendent calls for
the engineering study, it will go
ahead whether all property owners
involved agree or not. However,
when the study is presented to all the
landowners whose land would be
involved in the project, (and would
be asked to contribute to the cost)
they have to vote on whether to
proceed with construction.
It’s necessary to have owners of
60 per cent of the land involved
agree to construction. If they agree,
the cost of the engineering study will
be included in the project’s costs and
split among all the property owners
involved. If they don’t agree, the
municipality would have to pay for
the engineering costs, estimated at
$12,000.
Twice before previous councils
had commissioned an engineering
study but landowners had voted
against proceeding. Thompson
complained that two thirds of
Bluevale homeowners are pumping
their water out and it’s running onto
the properties of the other one-third
who have no place to get rid of it.
Several councillors argued that it’s
unfair to make taxpayers in other
parts of the municipality pick up the
tab for a study that benefits only
those in Bluevale. Council has
already paid for $5,200 in
engineering fees to prepare for a
public meeting that was held in
Bluevale in November.
Council did vote to sign the
petition as a landowner, since it
owns eight lots that would be
involved. Nancy Michie,
administrator, clerk-treasurer, noted
that brought the total of signees to
37 of 48 properties involved. At that
rate the study would cost $324 per
lot.
But some of the petitioners own
several lots so they could be hit with
bills of more than $1,000 with no
assurance the project would go
ahead when the final figures are
known.
Thompson said that he had
promised some of those who had
signed that he would not submit the
petition if they could be stuck
picking up part of the cost of the
study should the project fail to go
ahead. He felt several would
withdraw if they knew they would
have to pay $324 a lot.
Councillor Mark Beaven tried to
get around the impasse by proposing
a motion, seconded by councillor
Bill Thompson, that council pick up
half the cost of the study, reducing
the petitioners’ cost to $162 per lot.
The motion failed in a recorded
vote, however, when some
councillors felt it would be setting a
dangerous precedent for future
municipal drains.
The delegation was sent away,
armed with the $324-per-lot figure,
to see if the petitioners would still
sign on, and report back to
council.
Smooth sledding
Many snowmobile trails in the area remained closed last weekend, but these riders found
some smooth sledding at the Brussels Conservation area and garden area. The Ontario
Federation of Snowmobile Clubs and the OPP advise riders to check trail status before
heading out. (Vicky Bremner photo)
County takes no action on railway overpass issue
M-T councillors find
no solution for
Bluevale drain issue
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The Citizen
By Bonnie GroppThe Citizen
Classified advertisements
published in
The Citizen
are now available on our
website at
www.northhuron.on.ca
By Keith Roulston
The Citizen