The Citizen, 2019-04-04, Page 3THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019. PAGE 3.
The County of Huron has started the process of conducting a 5 Year
Review of the Huron County Official Plan.
The Official Plan is a land use planning document that is a statement
of where and how development should take place. The Plan includes
the vision, goals and policy directions for the County, as identified by
the community.
As a first step in a broader community consultation process that will
take place over the coming months, a special meeting and a
community consultation will be held.
You are invited to attend the special meeting and/or make written or
verbal representation on the revisions that may be required to the
Plan.
The special meeting of County Council will be held on
May 8th, 2019 at 9:00 a.m.
Huron County Council Chambers,
1 Court House Square, Goderich, ON
You are also invited to attend a Community Consultation Workshop
to provide input on emerging topics, goals and policies for the
County Official Plan review.
The workshop will be held on
May 14th, 2019 from 7-9 p.m.
Libro Community Hall,
239 Bill Fleming Dr., Clinton, ON
For further information, contact the Huron County Planning and
Development Department at (519) 524-8394 Ext. 3
You are invited to participate
Huron County
Official Plan Review
Green construction
projects highlighted
Continued from page 1
consumption each year,” he said.
“Then we use it; burn it up.”
By moving to 100 per cent
renewable energy, he said, the
county can participate in one of the
cheapest forms of energy out there,
and that goal is being realized with
small-scale projects.
He said that utilizing LED
technology instead of traditional
light bulbs, using low-speed drives
for water and wastewater projects
and capturing methane from plants
for re-use are examples of how the
county is moving forward.
Unfortunately, he said, those are the
“low-hanging fruit.”
“Now we have to move on to the
bigger projects,” he said.
Mayberry explained that
traditionally, one-third of energy
consumption is tied to residential
environmental controls like heating,
one-third is associated with
transportation of goods and people
and one-third is commercial,
industrial or private consumption.
Oxford County has started focusing
on the former, looking at making
more efficient homes.
“The minimum standards for
today’s building code were just great
for 1970, 80 or 90,” he said. “Now,
it’s time for serious improvement.”
HOUSING PROJECTS
Oxford County has gotten hands-
on trying to create more green living
spaces, starting several different
housing projects to provide
attainable, environmental homes.
The county’s first project was to
resurrect a 120-year-old former sock
factory as affordable housing with
green building practices, Mayberry
said.
The building, located in
Woodstock, houses 54 units that
each cost $5 a month to heat.
“There is excellent heat recapture,
the air quality is excellent and it is as
good as any building in Oxford,” he
said.
Mayberry explained that Oxford
County is using U.S. passive house
standards, saying that those goals fit
better for the county and allow them
to buy local whenever possible.
Two more projects are on the way,
he said, with each being more green
than the last.
In Tillsonburg, for example, a
fully-accessible 18-unit building
geared towards seniors with limited
income is being built.
“We had the energy modelling
done by a consultant and, the total
cost of all energy in the 600-square-
foot units should be less than $10 a
month,” he said, adding that the co-
op in charge of the site is charging
$20/month for utilities just to be
sure.
With the addition of a solar array
on the roof of the site, the total cost
of all energy consumed per month
will be $3 to $5, Mayberry said,
including delivery.
The county’s next project involves
six four-plexes and one 180-unit
building geared to income.
“These are all going to be built
to passive-house standards,” he
said. “There will be solar-self
generation and the county will
continue to move towards building
and demonstrating highly-efficient
building options.”
While many municipalities or
counties may shy away from being
involved with residential projects,
Mayberry said the projects are
actually investments, with the first
projects payback periods being
around 20 years, and, thanks to more
North St. West, Wingham
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Continued on page 18
Hometown advantage
Seaforth took on The Docks in the Matthew Huether Memorial Tournament held on Friday and
Saturday in Seaforth. The event, held to benefit the Trillium Gift of Life Network, was the first
tournament held in Huether’s name after the Londesborough native died in a single-vehicle
accident last year. His team, the Young Bucks, organized the tournament in his memory. Blyth’s
Michael McDowell, centre, of The Docks is seen here doing his best to hold off the opposition
in one of the team’s Saturday games. (Hannah Dickie photo)
A request for the donation of
training props from the former
Emergency Services Training Centre
(ESTC) located just south of Blyth
has unveiled some unfinished work
for North Huron with the shuttering
of the site.
When it was first announced that
North Huron would be selling the
centre/fire hall, details on how the
props would be handled were also
provided, with council stating that
anything the firefighters wanted
would be kept. However, no details
were provided as to where those
props would be housed.
During North Huron Council’s
March 18 meeting, a letter from
Huron-Kinloss Fire Chief
Christopher Cleave outlined six
items his fire department was asking
to receive in return for crediting
North Huron through “various
media outlets for their generosity
and contributions.”
Fire Department of North Huron
(FDNH) Chief Marty Bedard took
the request a step further, saying
that, as long as it doesn’t cost the fire
department anything, any prop could
be donated.
Councillors were concerned,
however, as, after the sale
announcement, no information had
come forward as to which props the
firefighters wanted to keep.
Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip said he
wanted to have the firefighters
decide what is surplus, provide that
list to council, and streamline the
process. Otherwise, when word
gets out the site is being
dismantled, it will result in
numerous requests.
Councillor Kevin Falconer, a
former long-time FDNH and Blyth
firefighter, said that while a
“framework was hinted at” to deal
with these requests, it was never
finalized.
“It was mentioned to provide a
location for the training props if the
fire department wished to retain the
props,” he said. “That’s never been
dealt with. We’ve never had any
information as to where, when, how,
why or what, to that effect.”
Falconer went on to say the list of
requested props, including an
overturned propane transport truck
and trailer, a forklift, a stand-alone
shipping container, a medium-sized
horizontal propane tank, two
medium-sized upright propane tanks
and a “crib”, represented a
significant investment for the
training centre.
He said some of the props required
significant improvements to receive
certification for live fire training,
representing far more than the value
of the props themselves. He also said
they would be difficult to replace if
the FDNH decided to pursue its own
training facility.
“A lot of these pieces that we’re
talking about are used for live-fire
training portions of the [National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA)]
modules,” Falconer said. “If the
FDNH was to go back through their
own training, they would have to
rebuild and recertify props to their
usage.”
Bedard said that he would get a
list of which props the firefighters
wanted to keep, but said he
understood that the firefighters
wanted to scale back to just the
shipping containers with the live-fire
burn scenarios.
Seip said that, on top of discussing
the issue with the firefighters, a new
storage location for the props being
kept needed to be designated.
“My concern isn’t where it is at
this point,” he said. “There is no
place for them to go.”
He said this discussion should take
place as part of the discussion about
the new fire hall.
Councillor Chris Palmer had other
concerns, asking where FDNH
firefighters would train if not in
Blyth. Bedard said that having the
space for training wasn’t an issue, it
was getting accredited trainers to
come to the site that was of some
concern.
After some more discussion,
council directed Bedard to compile a
list of props FDNH firefighters want
to keep to streamline any further
requests for donation.
May you know the love of Christ
which surpasses knowledge!
(“Every Day!” Author unknown, 1872)
“May you know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge!”
Ephesians 3:19
Christ’s love surpasses knowledge! Blessed fact! His love is so vast, so full, so
free — that it cannot in its completeness be comprehended by finite minds. But
enough of it may be known to satisfy our longing hearts, and to fill us with joy
and peace.
Let it be our constant desire to know and feel the Saviour’s love. Let us dwell
with wonder and delight on that marvelous manifestation of it — the sin-
atoning sacrifice of Himself for us! What love must that be, that led Him to
die, even the death of the cross, for our sins! “Greater love has no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” — but Jesus died for His
enemies!
Did He die for us as His enemies — then what is His love to us now that we
are His friends? It is unutterable!
May the Holy Spirit reveal Christ’s love to us now in such measure as we may
be able to understand and enjoy it; but the full disclosures of it await that
period when we shall be with Him, and shall see Him as He is!
“May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should — how
wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is!” Ephesians 3:18
A Grace Gem
Submitted by: Immanuel United Reformed Church,
Listowel, ON 519-291-1956
Donation request raises concerns