HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-04-09, Page 1 (2)Brussels swimming O o/ still con tro versial
Controversy over the building
of a new swimming pool for
Brussels is not dead yet as
evidenced by the April meeting of
Brussels village council on Mon-
day night.
The whole subject got reopened
when council was asked to formally
approve the recommendation of
the Lions Club's swimming pool
committee for tenders for con-
struction of the new building at the
swimming pool. Discussion be-
came heated when Councillors
Malcolm Jacobs and Gordon
Workman questioned the original
agreement between the village and
the Lions Club under which the
village agreed to provide interim
financing for the pool.
Deputy clerk -treasurer Ruth
Sauve explained that although
there is no formal agreement
signed between the village and the
Lions, the club has provided a
letter pledging to pay back all debt
plus interest within three years. In
addition, she said, the Ontario
Municipal Board had approved a
by-law allowing the village to
borrow up to $40,000 in interim
financing. To date no money has
Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel,
Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships.
VOL. 2 NO. 15
Our way
or no way
MOE tells
E. Wawanosh
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 1986.
40 CENTS
BY GARY WALDEN
Open burning of household
waste at the East Wawanosh waste
disposal site is not acceptable,
Philip Bye of the Ministry of the
Environment told township council
April 1.
According to, Mr. 'Bye, the
burning of household wastes sends
many toxic fumes into the air and
does not reduce harmful leaching
of toxic wastes into the soil.
Therefore the government's posi-
tion is that noburning of household
waste is to be allowed at any dump
site. Instead this garbage is to be
compacted and buried. This will
not solve the problems of leaching
but will stop the contamination of
the air.
The township council really have
only one choice in the matter:
comply with the government policy
or the dump site will be closed.
Councillor Don Schultz felt that
the township should be able to
continuetoburn, as only a small
percentage of the garbage brought
to the dump is household waste.
Also it was his position that if the
waste wasn't burnt, then he, as
owner of the land on which the site
is located, didn't particularly want
to continue leasing the land to the
township. Councillor Ray Hallahan
felt that not burning the garbage
was just inviting insects and rats to
move into the ready-made home.
Mr. Bye said that the govern-
ment's position is set, and irre-
gardless of the arguments, there
can be no open burning at the dump
site and that the council must do a
hydrological study on the dump
site if they wish to continue to use
it.
When Reeve Ernie Snell asked
how much a hydrological study
would cost, Mr. Bye wouldn't
comment but suggested that it
might be quite expensive. When it
was pointed out to Mr. Bye that
there are only 355 households in
East Wawanosh to pay for all this
added expense, he replied that that
was the township's problem, the
tests would have to be done.
Under these circumstances,
council agreed that they would
have to continue having garbage
separated, such that no household
garbage would be burnt; - any
wood products can be disposed of
by burning, - and to investigate the
costs of a hydrological study.
Representatives of the Christian
School development at Hutton
Heights attended council, and
informed council that they have
applied for a severance for a
laneway into their property. They
Continued on page 12
The walls came tumbling down last week at the final clean-up of the once -huge Queen's Hotel in Brussels
took place. Material salvaged from the building by Total Demolition lies piled in the foreground. By
Monday, the site was completely levelled and preparations were underway to make the site ready for the
new supermarket to be built on the lot.
Morris, Brussels discuss dump
BY DOROTHY FOXTON
Residents of Brussels may pay
an additional five per cent of the
cost of the Morris Township Waste
Disposal Site if a suggestion made
at a joint session of Morris and
Brussels councils on April 1 is
accepted by Brussels council.
Clerk Nancy Michie explained to
the two councils that a resolution
between Brussels and Morris had
been drawn up years ago but had
never been signed. Morris felt that
a new agreement should be drafted
and signed.
Brussels Reeve Hank Ten Pas
asked if Morris was happy with the
present cost-sharing split of 55 per
cent to Brussels and 45 per cent to
Morris. Reeve Doug Fraser of
Morris said the township felt
Brussels should be paying, an
additional five per cent of the costs.
This, he indicated, would help
cover additional costs brought on
by tougher restrictions imposed on
waste disposal site operations by
the Ontario Ministry of the En-
vironment.
There are 573 households in
Morris using the site and 404
households and 37 - 40 businesses
using the site in Brussels. Adam
Smith, caretaker from the dump
site feels that Brussels' volume has
increased since the original agree -
Continued on page 12
Brussels garbage
Costs may double
The cost of garbage disposal for
Brussels ratepayers may double
under a new agreement with
Morris township for use of the
Morris Township Waste Disposal
site.
The cost to Brussels last year
under the agreement by which
Brussels paid 55 per cent of
operating costs was $6,200. With
the Ministry of the Environment
imposing stiffer rules against
burning and requiring regular
covering of household wastes with
fill, Morris has budgeted $20,000
for operation of the site which,
under the old agreement, means
Brussels' share would be $11,000.
But at a meeting with Morris
council on April 1, the township
council had asked Brussels to
increase its share of the costs since
itfelt more garbage was coming
from the village than when the
original cost-sharing was set up.
Brussels councillors agreed
Monday night to go along with the
Morris request that Brussels pay
60 per cent of the costs. This could
mean a cost of $12,000 to Brussels
this year.
Councillor Malcolm Jacobs ask-
ed where the village would take its
garbage if it didn't agree with
Morris.
Councillor Dave Boynton point-
ed out it would cost a lot more for
the village to try to set up its own
site. Councillor Jacobs said it was
worth the $1,000 extra (the differ-
ence between 55 and 60 per cent) to
have good neighbours.
been borrowed.
"I don't see what all the hassle is
about" Councillor Dave Boynton
said. "They've agreed to pay the
principal and interest by 1987."
Councillor Jacobs said he was
very surprised that the 1985
council had agreed to go along with
such an agreement. Councillor
Workman wondered how anybody
can keep track of the bookwork
when the pool committee keeps
coming in with dribs and drabs of
bills.
Councillor Betty Graber tried to
argue that all this was past
business and should be left alone.
Councillor Workman wondered
why Brussels was stuck backing
the pool committee. "Why didn't
they go to Grey and ask them?"
"Because it's on our land and
it's through our O.N.I.P. (Ontario
Neighbourhood Improvement Pro-
gram) grant," said Councillor
Graber.
"I've got nothing against the
swimming pool but I'd like to see
when this money is coming in,"
Councillor Jacobs said.
Councillor Graber argued it has
already been coming in. Currently
the committee is owing about
$2,000 to the village. But the two
councillors against the agreement
pointed out that the tenders being
called were for nearly $21,000 and
that money hadn't been received
yet.
Earlier, in order to allow the
committee to go ahead and award
the tenders for the work, Councill-
ors Graber, Boynton and Workman
had signed approval to the recom-
mendations but Councillor Work-
man asked that his name be
removed. "1 signed this (the
recommendation) but I don't agree
with it," he said. "Nancy (Exel,
town auditor) said it was okay so I
signed. I'm not against the pool but
I'm against their way of doing it."
He questioned the surveys the
committee had presented and said
they had brainwashed the three
councils (Brussels, Morris and
Grey).
Councillor Jacobs said the Lions
had told people the operating
deficit of the pool would cost people
at most $1.50 each but they didn't
even know how much liability
insurance would cost."
Councillor Workman question-
ed the committee's estimates of
operating deficit saying that they
talked of •a $6,000 deficit but
Listowel, with a much larger
population, hada deficit of $14,000
in operating its pool.
"Even if it ends up costing $5 a
person it's still cheap recreation,"
Councillor Graber argued.
Councillor Workman pointed to
various members of council and
asked them "when you came on
council did you come on to look
after people's money or to (exple-
tive deleted) it away." •
Councillor Jacobs said the other
councillors hadn't been very co-
operative when he had brought
aproposal for a development at the
old fairgrounds that would have
brought jobs and made money for
the village "but here you want to
give money away and you all want
to go along".
Reeve Hank Ten Pas stepped in
to bring conversation back to the
matter at hand, the tenders. In a
recorded vote Councillors Graber
and Boynton approved the tenders
and Councillor Jacobs and Work-
man voted to reject them. Reeve
Ten Pas broke the tie in favour of
the tenders being approved.
Debate didn't halt however and
Councillor Workman said liability
insurance for a swimming pool is
one of the most expensive liability
insurances. What happens if the
pool gets built and costs of running
it are too high, he wondered. Mrs.
Sauve explained that under the
agreement, if there isn't money to
run the pool, it will close.
Councillor Workman said that if
Continued on Page 2