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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.