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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-05-09, Page 1CitizenTh e $1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, May 9, 2019 Volume 35 No. 19 GARDENS - Pg. 11 ‘The Citizen’ presents annual spring home and garden guide HEALTH - Pg. 32 Mental Health week is marked in Huron FITNESS - Pg. 3 Local woman earns medals at provincial fitness comp. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0 INSIDE THIS WEEK: Cuts continue to ‘decimate’ trees: Pullen Fire hall ceremony on Friday With Premier Doug Ford’s cancellation of the 50 Million Tree Program, there is concern in Huron County, but Forest Conservation Officer Dave Pullen says the move follows a pattern of cuts to forestry services in recent decades. In an interview with the CBC, Forests Ontario CEO Rob Keen said that over 27 million trees had been planted through the program in the last 10 years. The program, he said, also saved landowners up to 90 per cent of the cost of large-scale tree- planting on their properties. Pullen, in an e-mail to The Citizen, said that the current government’s cuts are simply the latest in a long line of reductions that have “decimated” future tree-planting capacity in Ontario. “Starting with the closure of the provincial tree nurseries in the mid- 1990s [under Conservative Premier Mike Harris], the closure of the Ontario tree seed plant last year [under Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne] and the now the cancellation of the 50 Million Tree Program, successive provincial governments have decimated future tree-planting capacity in Ontario,” Pullen said. “This is at a time when woodlands in southern Ontario face unprecedented challenges. All of these cuts provide very little savings in the provincial budget, but they are extremely damaging to reforestation efforts that benefit air and water quality, soil conservation and flood control.” Pullen, however, said that in Huron County, residents are lucky to have a number of programs that have been initiated and continue to be funded by the county. The elimination of the 50 Million Tree Program will make things much tougher in Huron though, he said. “In Huron County, property owners are fortunate to have funding programs like the Huron Clean Water Project and tree-planting programs delivered by the conservation authorities, the Huron Stewardship Council and several private companies,” Pullen said. “However, the 50 Million Tree Program was an important source of funding to offset landowner costs and to complement these local tree- planting efforts, especially for larger reforestation projects. Many counties in southern Ontario do not have local programs and are much more reliant on the 50 Million Tree Program. Future tree-planting efforts will be severely impacted in those areas.” The combined Fire Department of North Huron Blyth hall and North Huron Blyth Public Works shed project is already facing increased costs after the first phase of the project was approved at Monday’s council meeting. The project is proposed for the north end of Blyth on property the municipality acquired earlier this year after facing backlash from the community over suggested locations for the facility proposed at the time. North Huron Council was told that, due to significantly more soil on the property than anticipated, specifically at the back of the property, the low bid for the preliminary site work would cost $352,800, $125,848 more than anticipated. Director of Public Works Sean McGhee explained that, in some locations on the property, there would be more than two metres of fill under the crust of the land, which is responsible for approximately $72,000 of the additional charges. While the municipality plans to try and use as much of the fill as possible, including packing some back into the ground to support the facility, it does still represent an additional cost for the project. Council approved the tender of Kurtis Smith Excavating Inc. of Brussels for the project, which came in at the aforementioned $352,800 price tag, plus applicable taxes. Lavis Contracting Company Ltd. also tendered on the project, however its bid was significantly higher, coming in at $519,293. A review by engineering firm B.M. Ross verified that both tenders were properly documented and mathe- matically correct, meaning council was free to choose the lower bid. North Huron has scheduled an official sod-turning ceremony at the site for tomorrow afternoon, Friday, May 10, to mark the start of the project. North Huron T ownship Council has decided to enter the property development business after taking steps to create between 80 and 135 lots on 21 acres of a municipally- owned 35-acre lot. Located at Hutton Heights, the early estimates to create and service the lots is $5,455,000 according to Engineering Firm B.M. Ross and, depending on how council decides to proceed, the municipality may put that money out to prepare the lots to sell to developers. Bruce Potter of B.M. Ross explained that, while 135 lots could be created on the property, which North Huron bought over a decade ago for $155,000, his plan and estimates were based on a two- entry-style development with lower- density residential properties, providing lots for 80 single detached homes in the development. Using those numbers, he explained that each lot would cost $68,200 to the municipality or a developer if North Huron decided to pre-sell the property or look for a NH to develop Hutton Heights Up in smoke The Fire Department of North Huron’s Blyth and Wingham halls, alongside assistance from the Huron East Fire Department’s Brussels hall and the Central Huron Fire Department responded to a fully-engulfed barn on Sunday afternoon just outside of Blyth. The blaze is estimated to have done $200,000 in damage, however, due to the assistance of civilians and neighbours, 30 head of cattle from within and around the structure were saved, ensuring no livestock was lost in the tragedy. While firefighters from North Huron, Central Huron and Huron East were battling the blaze, the Howick Fire Department was on standby for any other emergencies that occurred in the area. (Denny Scott photo) By Denny Scott The Citizen By Denny Scott The Citizen By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Continued on page 30