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Page 8 The Huron Expositor • November 25, 2009
News
Hensall attracts 60 to talk about community improvement
Cheryl Heat];
The Village of Hensall is ready for
a makeover.
In a community meeting Nov. 17,
more than 60 area residents came
out to the village's community centre
to bear witness to the official unveil-
ing of the Municipality of Bluewa-
ter's draft community -improvement
plan.
Plans for the community include
a focus on improving the downtown
core through a variety of projects
including rehabilitating sidewalks,
creating a parkette, installing park
benches and receptacles as well as
offering up facade grants for busi-
ness owners seeking to improve their
stor' efronts.
Bluewater Councillor Kay Wise,
who represents Hensall, said the
plan, which must first acquire the
approval of Bluewater • council to
move forward, will help restore the
village to its former glory.
"I am so excited about it, I could
just burst," she said, noting any
number of the proposals contained
in the document will be welcome to
Components of Hensall's plan
Components of
Hensall's Commu-
nity Improvement
Plan includes the
following proposals:
• Expansion of the
sewage treatment
capacity as a mea-
sure to increase
capacity . for new
growth and devel-
opment.
• Reconstruction
and resurfacing of
roads.
• Streetscaping in
the downtown core,
including installing
heritage lighting.
•• Installation of an
information kiosk to
assist visitors and
profile community
events.
• Enforcement of
property standards.
• Initiation a pro-
gram of financial
incentives to facili-
tate improvements
to commercial store-
front and to encour-
age the retrofitting,
repair and rehabili-
tation of commer-
cial and residential
buildings.
• Creation of a lei-
sure and recreation
master plan as a
means to assess the
short and ' long-term
leisure and recre-
ation needs of the
community.
• Demolition of the
former funeral home
and Mike's Stop and
Go.
village residents.
"They are all things that are do-
able," she said, noting some of the
projects could be funded via the Hen-
sall reserve fund that is left over from
when Bluewater amalgamated,
"It isn't a lot but it's enough to get
started," she said. "We just have to
decide what we're doing first."
Glenn P. Tunnock, president of
15 ViCtona 51., Clinton • 5/9- M / (S O
Tunnock Consulting Ltd. Of Perth,
Ont., noted he has been working on
the proposals for Hensall since first
meeting Bluewater Chief Adminis-
trative Officer Lori Wolfe about two
years ago.
Tunnock said Hensall already has
a firm foundation that makes it a
great place to live.
"It is a very safe, very quiet, very
pretty community. Great for fami-
lies. Great for seniors, and it has a
lot of assets."
Further, he said, the community is
home to several successful business-
es, notably Iceculture Inc., that gives
it the necessary tax base to sustain
itself.
"It has got so much going for it.
It really needs to harness the ener-
gies," he said.
Tunnock said the dozens of propos-
als within the. Community Improve-
ment Plan will require partnerships
between a variety of stakeholders.
And yet, Bluewater itself will be
on tap for a number of initiatives,
including the necessary expansion of
the sewage lagoon in order to allow
for further development.
"There's no question the price tag
is substantial because we're talking
about $3.8 million for a sewage la-
goon, we're talking about $300,000
for the village hall, and we're talking
about probably over a million dollars
in street improvements."
The priority list for the projects
will be at the discretion of Bluewa-
ter, said Tunnoch, as no set timeline
is in place.
It's going to be a long recession,
says Huron's social services director
Social Services director Dave Overboe says there are some notable changes
under way in Huron County's housing department.
Specifically, he told county council's committee of the whole, the county is
seeing more of its senior citizens leave subsidized housing since rents are at
the high end of the scale.
In turn, those senior tenants are being replaced by young Ontario Works
recipients who pay rent at the lowest end of the scale.
Further, he noted that Ontario Works rolls show there hasn't been a rapid
incline in cases but there hasn't been the usual return to work in the fall.
As it stands, said Overboe, all indications are "this is going to be a long
recession and a long recovery."
Overboe also rolled out a plan to utilize a $43,700 Enhanced Employment
Support Project being offered through the province. He noted the depart-
ment is working on a plan to identify social -assistance recipients under the
age of 30 and target them for special programs designed to assist them with
enhancing their life skills.
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By Cheryl Heath
FOSTER FAMILIES
NEEDED FOR SCHOOL
"A a AGED CHILDREN.
atdiresciety
Help Children from Your Community
For Information Call the Huron -Perth
Children's Aid Society
Huron County: Deanie Jardine at
519-524-7356 or 1-800-265-5198
Perth County: Vy Waller at
519-271-5290 or 1800-668-5094