HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2004-01-15, Page 202004
PHONE
BOOK
The Citizen
The Citizen's New 2004
Telephone Directory Will Be
Available Soon°
Serving
Auburn
Blyth
Brussels
Clinton
Goderich
Gorrie
Listowel
Wingham
It will have the newest listings in a convenient large type format. In one book
you have the listings that you would need three Bell Canada books to find.
Here is your chance to advertise in a product that stays around 365 days.
Reserve your space today call Alicia-or Jamie at 523-4792
or fax us at 523-9140. Deadline: January 30, 2004
If you have a new phone number, or if you have just moved into this area,
and your phone number is not included in the new Bell phone book,
please call 523-4792 or 887-9114 and we'll be sure to include your listing.
hearing complaints in spring and fall
from users of the Wingham course
when nearby farmers spread manure,
there were bound to be complaints In the end council voted 9-7 to
with livestock farms so close to the uphold the committee's decision to
Woodlands course. turn down the expansion.
With thanks
Brussels Public School principal Heather Beattie, left, and music teacher Heather Laurie
accept a $1,000 cheque from Brussels Lions Club president Paul Mutter. The money is to be
used to support the instrumental music program at the school. (Photo submitted)
PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2004.
County council split over golfcourse expansion
By Keith Roulston
Citizen publisher
A proposal to expand a Central
Huron golfcourse was turned down
by Huron County councillors Jan. 8
after a lengthy debate.
The debate erupted after the health
and planning committee rejected a
recommendation of county planners
to approve a -zoning change to allow
Woodland Links Golf Course, west
of Clinton. to expand from 18 to 27
holes.
The debate was led by Huron East
councillor. Bernie MacLellan, chair
of the health and planning
committee, who said he hadn't voted
on the issue but if he -had he would
have supported the amendment that
would have allowed the expansion.
Only one farm would be currently
be affected by the expansion, he
said, and that farm had already
applied for a building permit for a
new weaner pig barn which would
predate the golf course expansion.
But other councillors worried
about restrictions on the future
expanSion of area farms. Scott
Tousaw, director of planning and
development, explained that a
golfcourse must meet provincial
minimum distance standards (MDS)
from the nearest farm. At present the
golf course has about 10 per cent
less than the minimum requirement
but planners felt the discrepancy was
not too large to approve the change.
If the nearby farm expands, the
golfcourse would be 36 per cent shy
of MDS requirements.
Provincial recommendations are
that farms must meet double the
MDS requirements from recreational
property but the county has been
using the same distance standards
for farms from recreational property
as it does for recreational properties
from farm. The expansion of the
Huron County councillors got new
jobs as the new term of county
council began last month.
Dorothy Kelly of Morris-
Turnberry, Neil Rintoul of Ashfield-
Colborne-Wawanosh and Murray
Scott of North Huron will serve on
the agriculture, public works and
seniors committee under chair Rob
Morley of South Huron. Other
members include Ellen Connelly of
Goderich, Jim Fergusson of
Bluewater and warden Bill Dowson.
Scott will represent the county on
the Maitland Watershed Partnerships
Terrestrial Team and Dowson will
serve on the Maitland Watershed
Partnerships Water Action Team.
Connelly will be the county's
representative on the Huron-Perth
Children's Aid Society.
Central Huron's Bert Dykstra,
North Huron's Doug Layton, and
Ben Van Diepenbeek of Ashfield-
Colborne-Wawanosh will serve on
the health and planning committee
under chair Bernie MacLellan of
Huron East. Other committee
members include Ken Oke of South
farm complies under this
requirement but would need a minor
variance to the zoning bylaw to
allow expansion if the provincial
recommendations were followed.
Tousaw said there was some concern
that farms could be caught if the
province ever took over enforcing
MDS standards.
Ben Van Diepenbeek, Asfifield-
Colborne-Wawanosh councillor said
several farm families in the area
were worried about their future if the
golfcourse was allowed to expand.
Even if the farmers could meet the
current requirements what would
happen if they needed to expand in
three or four years, he wondered.
"If history repeats itself, the
farmers are the first ones who will be
shut down if there are complaints
from off the farm," he said.
Warden Bill Dowson said
agriculture and tourism are
important in every municipality and
if there could be protection for
nearby farmers he wouldn't have a
concern about the expansion. "But
no matter what you say he (the
nearby farmer) doesn't have the
same right to build as before," he
said.
But Central Huron councillor John
Bezaire argued that just as farms
have had to expand from their
original 80 or 100-acre parcels to
stay viable, so golfcourses needed to
expand.
MacLellan argued that Huron
County promotes tourism and -a 27-
hole golf course in the heart of the
county would do just that. The
course is built on farmland that
would not have been productive, he
said.
But Doug Layton of North Huron
worried that smaller golf courses in
Wingham and Bayfield which were
already straggling could be hurt by
this expansion. As well, he said, after
Huron and Paul Klopp of Bluewater.
Van Diepenbeek, along with
Dowson, will sit on the Huron
Environmental Mediation
Committee and Van Diepenbeek is
on Healthy Futures Technical
Review Committee.
Rosemary ROgnvaldson of
Howick and Joe Seili of Huron East
will serve on the social and cultural
service committee under chair John
Bezaire of Central Huron. Others on
the committee include Dave Urlin of
Bluewater and Deb Shewfelt of
Goderich.
Seili will be county representative
on the board of directors for the
Huron Business Development
Corporation.
Shewfelt will the county
representative on the Bruce Grey
Huron Perth District Health council.
This committee also includes the
library board which has several non-
councillor appointments including
Carol McDonnell of Blyth, Paul
Elgie of Goderich, Norm Fairies of
Howick, Ron Anderson of Exeter
and Cheryl Heath of Clinton.
County names committees
e,ostning
v Sean vet
The Citizen's
Bachelor
Contest v