HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2009-10-14, Page 5Opinion
•mer Id,' **(CS
41111111111111.111.
Council should rescind $125,000 paid to Brian Batnim
To the Editor,
The following is a letter to the
residents of Seaforth Ward, Huron
East.
In the Sept. 30 edition of The Hu-
ron Expositor, there is an article
that provides details of the Ontario
Municipal Board's dismissal of the
appeals against the former Seaforth
Public School property.
We were disappointed to read "...
that council's decision to authorize
a front-end contribution for infra-
structure with a $125,000 contribu-
tion which will be recovered through
a lot levy at the time of sale..."
We believe the record should be
set straight for Huron East resi-
dents, the council and the Expositor.
The following is from the minutes of
council's March 6, 2007 meeting.
"Owner of Coastal Enterprise
2005 Ltd. and developer of the Sea -
forth Public School property Brian
Barnim was in attendance to ad:-
dress
d-dress his request for a contribution
towards the cost of the develop-
ment. Council were (sic) advised a
request had been presented to the
Water and Sewer Committee for
assistance towards the cost of ser-
vicing the subject lands and a rec-
ommendation was approved as fol-
lows:
"It was duly moved and seconded:
"That the Water & Sewer Com-
mittee recommend to Huron East
Council that the Municipality of
iiuron East pay 50% of the cost of
the water, sewer and storm sewer
services in the development with
the cost to be recovered through a
lot levy. Carried."
"The developer felt the project
was not feasible and contacted the
Seaforth Ward Councillors concern-
ing additional funding for the proj-
ect to proceed. An agreement with
the Seaforth Ward Councillors was
agreed to and presented to the Ad-
ministrative Committee for their
information prior to Council meet-
ing."
"It was duly moved and seconded:
"That Council of the Municipal-
ity of Huron East contribute one
hundred and twenty-five thousand
dollars ($125,000) towards the con-
struction of Robert Street, Seaforth
Ward with the funds to be removed
from Huron East Seaforth Ward Re-
serves; and further that the balance
of the construction costs for Robert
Street be the responsibility of Brian
Barnim, Coastal Enterprise 2005
Ltd. Conditional upon the exist-
ing school building being torn down
and removed .within one (1) year.
Carried."
Council should be aware and the
Expositor should acknowledge that
there are two issues here.
• Council has agreed to a front-end
contribution of 50 per cent of the
cost of water, sewer and storm :ser-
vicing to be recovered through a lot
levy.
• In addition to the above provisions,
council has contributed $125,000
towards the construction of Robert
Street, with the funds to come from
the Seaforth Ward reserves.
While we did raise concerns dur-
ing the OMB hearing with the front-
end financing of services, we also
raised the concerns with council
contributing $125,000 to a private
developer to open a road allowance.
These same concerns were raised
by private developers Marlen Vin-
cent and Jack McIllwain at a meet-
ing of council on April 17, 2007. Nei-
ther of these developers received
any money either as a grant or a
loan from the town at any time.
We talked to other municipalities
and consulted with lawyers familiar
with municipal developments and
none has seen a municipality give
money to a developer to develop a
road.
We are requesting town council
rescind the $125,000 contribution to
Brian Barnim, Coastal Enterprises
2005 as passed on March 6, 2007 at
the council meeting.
To receive this money, the condi-
tion was that the school buildings
were 'to be demolished and the rub-
ble removed by March 2008, and
this was later extended a month
to April 2008.
This did not happen in the time
period specified; in fact the school
was not demolished until Septem-
ber 2009, 18 months later.
At the time the money was grant-
ed, it was granted to Brian Barnim,
Coastal Enterprises 2005. This
company is not mentioned in the
bylaw amendment or the develop-
ment agreement.
As the original conditions have
not been met and the company to
which the money was pledged is not
named as the owner of the proper-
ty orthe developer, we believe the
town has little choice but to with-
hold the money.
The funds in question were to
be taken from the Seaforth Ward
See HURON EAST'S, Page 10
Two guns and several rifles stolen from
Brussels hardware shop in 1884
October 10, 1884
While John Drewe of Brussels
was moving his hardware from the
old shop to the new one some par-
ties stole several articles, among
others being two guns and several
rifles. One party has been arrested
and some of the goods obtained.
Mr. Wm. fabkirk of the 9th con-
cession of Grey has potatoes of the
Early Rose variety which weigh two
and a half pounds each. This is the
kind of murpheys that are grown in
this vicinity.
Mr. A.J. Wilson of Seaforth was
awarded 15 prizes out of 20 in the
chicken line at the Stratford show
last week. .
October 8, 1909
The corner stone of the new
church at St. Columban, to replace
the church destroyed by fire last
summer, was laid on Sunday after-
noon last.
Mr. E.R. Jackson who has been
at his home in Egmondville for the
past few weeks has returned to Fort
William.
The Northern Pyratus Company
of New York, have instructed him
to locate a railway from the Trans-
continental Railway to their mines.
The large elevator at Fort William
belonging to the Grand Truck Pacif-
ic Railway was engineered by him.
John Grieve of McKillop threshed
last week and he says he has the
largest crop he has had during the
forty-six years he has been on his
present farm.
October 12, 1934
Messrs. John McKenzie and A.W.
Siller of the Badminton Club were
present at the regular meeting of
town council in the council cham-
bers on Tuesday evening. They
asked that the club be granted the
use of the Zbwn Hall for the com-
ing season on the same terms of the
lease as the year before.
Mrs. George Lilley picked 11
quarts of raspberries last week in
her garden on West William Street.
Ripe strawberries are being picked
every day from the patch in the gar-
den of Mr. Chas. Aberhart, North
Main Street.
Robert Dodds Jr., of McKillop has
a potato measuring . 25x11 inches
and weighing 2 and three-quarter
pounds, Mr. James Sloan brought
in eight potatoes averaging two
pounds two ounces and these were
a sample of the whole fields' produc-
tion.
October 9, 1959
The Hensall cenotaph should take
on a new appearance come spring.
At the Monday meeting of Hensall
council, premission was granted the
Girl Guides of the village to plant
yellow tulips around the base of the
monument.
One of a number of strawberries
picked in the garden of L.F. Ford,
Gouinlock Street, on Wednesday
measured three inches in diameter.
Donald Scott of Seaforth has been
swinging on a boatswain chair,
nearly 75 feet above Seaforth Main
Street while painting the clock tow-
er on the Post Office building.
October 10, 1984
The restoration and rebuilding of
the Brussels Dam should be com-
pleted within one month. So far, the
345,000 project is on schedule.
Made possible through a Canada
Make Work project, federal funding
for the dam was .announced earlier
this year, and construction started
in May.
C trrent interest in Huron County
surrounds the rights of residents
to have their children educated in
either the French or English lan-
guage.
More and more French language
instruction is becoming a growing
trend in Canada. And, while Hu-
ron County is just now investigat-
ing the possibility of French Im-
mersion, other boards of education
have offered that option to parents
for a number of years.
A delegation of 12 ratepayers at-
tended the Tuckersmith Zbwnship
Council meeting Tuesday night to
question council's proposal to en-
dorse the Arthur Varley farm as a
possible Seaforth landfill site be-
cause of its isolated location on a
farm, compared to the location near
the Seaforth lagoon area which bor-
ders on Harpurhey, ' Egmondville
and Seaforth.