HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2012-03-21, Page 14Four councillors walk out at Bluewater session
Bluewater has yet to
form committees
Vanessa Brown
Clinton News Record
Citing a lack of transparency with the
mayor's committee and board recom-
mendations, four Bluewater councillors
walked out of last Thursday's council
meeting, effectively ending the session.
The day's agenda had called for a dis-
cussion on the Bayfield library's recon-
struction project and the municipality's
committee and board appointments.
Councillors Geordie Paltnei Tyler 'Jesse!,
John Gillespie and Kay Wise expressed
concern that Mayor Bill Dowson would
include committee appointments on the
agenda without all 10 council members
present. Coun. George Irvin was absent
from Thursday's afternoon meeting.
Coun. Irvin had voted against approving
Dowson's recommendations at
Bluewater's budget meeting on March 25.
In Coun. Irvin's absence, the agenda was
approved to hold a discussion on all of
Dowson's committee recommendations.
"'This is not transparent at all, and 1 am
totally not supporting it; said Coun. Hes-
sel, referring to the agenda. "It's
outrageous."
When the time cane to discuss which
councillors would be appointed to which
committees and boards, Couns. Palmer,
Hessel, Gillespie and Wise left the
building.
"If the issue was simply the tri -munici-
pal committee and we were voting on
that, that would be fine," Coun. Gillespie
explained. "But when it's focused on all of
the committees, and not all of council is
here, 1 will not participate in that
process."
Thursday's infighting was the fourth
time Dowson's committee and board
recommendations were in dispute.
Last month, Dowson refused to hold a
discussion on his board and committee
appointments unless all 10 council
members were present. Coups. Gillespie,
Dowson says Bluewater is working on committees
CONTINUED FROM < PAGE 1
construction to continence in the Spring
of 2012" That motion was lost.
As a result of the lost motion, a notice
of motion was tabled for a future meeting
of the Board stating: "That the Grand
Bend Areas Sewage Treatment Board
support the review of phasing the
mechanical treatment plant construction
and that this he considered at a future
board meeting once all three parties are
present.''lhis motion carried.
As the meeting continued the next
three agenda items; Certificate of
APIU Val application, project tithing was
deferred, final design and call for pre -
qualification of tenders were all deferred
due to Bluewater not being at the table.
Robertson said they have a 1)ee. 31 dead-
line to commit or decline and that it "was
sneaking up 00 them."
"This is a tight, tight timeline and the
sooner we get to tender, the better,' he
said, adding they need to know who is in
and who is out.
'the next meeting is scheduled for April
18 at 10 a.m. at the Recreation (;entre in
Exeter. Dowson told The Lakeshore
Advance Bluewater will continue to work
towards appointing someone to the
committee,
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Palmer and Wise urged Dowson to
remain consistent in that stand.
"You did promise us there would be a
full council... At one time there were
some councillors missing, and we didn't
call the question," Coun. Wise said. "And
we're holding you to that today."
Dowson argued that it's not responsi-
ble to the public to keep using that
excuse.
"We have finally reached a point...
where we have to move forward," he
said. "When 1 said we would not bring it
up until we had a full table, we have ran
out of time on that one. I can't keep
using that one on the public... They're
not accepting that."
Dowson added that certain council-
lors had previously told him they would
accept his recommendations, but then
carne to council meetings and voted
against them.
"Don't talk to me about someone
not honouring their commitments," he
said. "You told me you'd support it.
And then all of a sudden you cannot
follow your words four times, and it's
yikdnixAtly, April 6, 2011, ! ,La g1cirp t1/404nce
OK. No, it's not OK."
As previously reported,
Bluewater could not partici-
pate in a Grand Bend and Area
Sewage Treatment Board
meeting last Friday morning.
Dowson said Bluewater has
about $600,000 tied up in the
protect, and that the prospect
of the tri -municipal project
with South Huron and Lamb -
ton Shores failing because his
municipality cannot pass its
comtnittee and board appoint-
ments concerns him.
Bayfleld library Project
Before Councillors Palmer,
Hessel, Wise and Gillespie left
the meeting last Thursday,
Brad Skinner, principal archi-
tect at Skinner and Skinner
Architects, led a discussion on
the status of the Bayfield
library construction project.
To date, Bluewater council
has approved Skinner to begin
drawing a blueprint for the
new library branch. The new
building will be between 4,500
and 5,000 sq. ft. in size, Skinner
said, with an estimated cost of
$1.25 million. The tnunicipal-
ity has applied for a $934,000
grant, but as of Friday that
funding has not yet been
approved. There is also around
$500,000 in reserve funds for
Bluewater's libraries and pub-
lic washrootns, which would
further offset the total cost.
Council on Thursday
directed Skinner to begin pre-
paring preliminary drawings
for a one -floor building that
would accommodate a multi-
purpose room to hold 30 peo-
ple and a room for the post
office roughly 11 X 11 ft. in size.
Skinner was also advised to
leave the archives building as
itis.
The next meeting on the
Bayfield library project will be
held in April.
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