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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-10-14, Page 6PAGE 6—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1987 PUBLIC MEETING CONCERNING A PROPOSED OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT AND PROPOSED ZONING AMENDMENT AFFECTING THE TOWN OF GODERICH TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Goderich will bold a public meeting on Monday. November 23, 1987 at 7:30 p.m. in the Goderich Town Council Chambers to consider a proposed official plan amendment under Section 17 of the Planning Act and a propos- ed zoning amendment under Section 34 of the Planning Act. The proposed official plan amendment and zoning amendment affect the lands shown below for w h►ch a Ile plan of subdivision is proposed. The Official Plan amendment exchanges residential land and open space land in order to re -orient the park area shown as OS1. The zoning amendment will incorporate the new plan of subdivision into by-law 38-1985 and place it into a holding category (-H), until plans are finalized. The by-law would permit single family houses (RI), medium density dwellings (R2), and apartments (R3) as shown on the map below. The apartment blocks shown as R3-8-11 are proposed to permit 6 storey buildings and a maximum density of 40 units per acre (these lots would otherwise be limited to 5 storeys and 30 units per acre). ANY PERSON may attend the public meeting and/or make written or verbal representation either in 'support of or in opposition to the proposed official plan amendment and zoning change. ADI)ITIONAI. INFORMATION relating to the proposed official plan amendment and proposed ,ening amendment is available for inspection during regular office hours at the Town Clerk's of- fice in Goderich. DATED A•1• THE TOWN OF GODERICH THIS 12th DA1' OF OCTOBER, 1987 TOWN OF GODERICH Area to which this amendment applies 0 40 20 12D 160 200 Larry J. McCabe Clerk -Treasurer Town of Goderich 57 West St. GODERICH, Ont. 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Itis.; MUS a au1 t g St-�. f C nadi (`aiTl n:y • O uulairscs Outcome is predictable whe council doesn't favour proposal Dear Editor: The outcome was predictable. When the council members do not favour a proposal, they always remind us that they are the elected representatives in charge of tax- payers' money. Fair enough. But did the aquatic centre proposal come from little green people from outer space who never heard of taxes? No matter how you look at it, an aquatic centre costs a great deal of money. Surely we must have known this from the beginn- ing. Taking into account all the possible grants and realistically hoped-for private donations from service clubs, industry, in- dividuals and so on, there could have been no doubt that a large chunk of financing would have to be picked up by the Town of Goderich. Whether it is $1 million or $1.5 million, for practical purposes it is immaterial, because the council would have turned it down anyway. However, in my opinion the council could have been more to the point, businesslike and civil, by simply in- dicating that it is not prepared to raise a large amount of money, as it would mean going into costly debt. I and many others could buy' that. What put my back up is how it was done. By going into un- necessary dramatics of excuses, fault- finding and grandstanding the council came across as someone who foolishly . first spreads butter and jam on a slice of bread which it had intended to drop anyway. • It also raises a question whether the council ever intended to consider an aquatic complex seriously in any form (it would unavoidably cost money) or whether the working committee of volunteers served merely as a handy scapegoat, providing a suitable background for a bit of political chest - thumping. I speak as an individual Who has been an active volunteer on both committees - one working with the consultants (hired by town council) throughout 1986 on the _ recreational master plan and feasibility study, the other with the task of looking in- to the possibilities related to an aquatic centre. In . both cases the town council advertised for volunteers and appointed those who applied. Any attempts to read some sort of "elitist" tendencies into the committee's make-up or into the fact that squash courts were included in our sugges- tions strike me as funny and hopelessly out of place. As some council members say that swimming and squash 'are activities for "certain type of ,people". whom they ap- parently de, not .represent, I presume that before next year's municipal elections these councillors make it abundantly clear just what type of people•they do represent. Some council members did not listen to what was really said; they recited the lines they had prepared in anticipation. Dr. Don Neal, our committee's spokesman, em- phasized several times that while the total proposed activity area is 17,500 square feet, within that footage any kind of activi- ty rooms could be. considered, as the choice would make very little difference in the overall cost of the structure. • What prevented- Councillor Jim Searls from making a motion at the council table that the originally suggested squash courts CHECK AND COMPARE N 25% LETTERS the future. Councillor John Stringer was disap- pointed with the committee's proposal, because he had expected several alter- natives and funding options. There is nothing preventing council'members from coming up with alternatives. The reference to the recreation department's annual "operating deficit" invites a reply pointing out that no municipal department ( with the possible exception of the sewage plant) is self-supporting. If they were, there would be no need to collect taxes. Besides, the "deficit" results from tax- payers and their families using the recrea- tional facilities and programs. I am proud of our recreation department. I am also mindful of the fact that its budget is ap- proved by the council. We put our tax dollars together, to pro-. vide a number of services which are customary in a civilized community. Recreation is an essential service in our contemporary society. No stranger to political realities, I am not fretting because the council turned down a major project in the planning of which our committee had participated. I arn sure that no•committee member takes the set -back personally. However, I do feel somewhat dishearten- ed from time to time by the habitual nay-• sayers, on or off council, who make a vir- tue out of pulling things down, apparently savouring every moment. of it. If only the energy thus spent on negative agitation in the background could be harnessed for constructive purposes! In my opinion Mayor Palmer and Coun- cillors Stringer, Profit and McCauley were on the right track when they wanted to refer the proposal to the council's ad- ministrative and finance committee for further study and recommendation. As Coun. Profit put it, the council owes it to the people, to look thoroughly at the pro- spects of the -project that grew out of public request. The motion was lost in a tie vote. I was disappointed to see that Coun. Bill Clifford, the administrative committee chairman,. voted against it. Coun. Glen Carey was not at the meeting. Beyond this point, the committee could have done nothing more without the town council's commitment and direction. While the Board of Education (owners of the land in question)' had an observer on our committee, they can and will negotiate only with the council. How could we have asked the neighbouring township councils for any kind of commitment, without hav- ing even a cursory commitment from our own council? If our, operating. cost estimates are not more, complete, give us an idea what you want to see operated. The town council has clearly shown that by approaching it at this stage we did the right thing. The project is now where it belongs - with the council. Council members have no claim on being treated like prima donnas. There is nothing wrong with some hard work, initiative, en- thusiasm and leadership expected from be replaced by activity rooms for our elected representatives who are public teenagers? Come now, let us not fool `* servants in the most gratifying sense of the ourselves or anybody else. It would ° not word. have made. the slightest difference . Using the example of New Liskeard (a whatever activities might have been pro- town smaller than Goderich) where an im- posed. Coun. Searls could not and would pressive aquatic centre is in progress, in not have voted in favour of the proposed combination with a private development, project, because of the cost. A spade is a perhaps our council will work out a similar spade. Thus, it startled me to hear Coun. arrangement and development with an Searls later express on television and enterprising spirit. radio what the committee had done wrong. As a person who has always worked at His words about teenagers' needs sounded securing recreation its rightful place impressive, but surely teenagers • also among municipal services, I trust that swim. . enough council members are prepared to Apart from the aquatic centre (and out- put on their positive thinking caps and side the terms of our committee) the working gloves and to take off where they recreational master plan contains dropped the ball. valuable recommendations, the gym- In doing so, the council might even get plementation of . which would take no out of its lazy habit of reacting when it is money. The plan has been in the hands of . pushed or pulled by specific events, in- the town council and the recreation board stead of clearly viewing, weighing and set - since the beginning of March. Coun. Searls . ting its priorities, in fairness to the public is a member of both bodies. One recom- who might want to consider the options. mendation in the master plan is the crea- before elections next year. tion of a youth council. I have mentioned to Coun. Searls that I am looking forward to Respectfully, seeing motions and constructive actions in Elsa Haydon • *Up to 522,500.00 available * Completely Open for pre -payment *Simple Interest *Life Insured * Up to 60 Months for Repayment 11 you are looking for a ... New Car Loan, Used Car Loan, Home Renovations Loan, Home Refurnishing Loan, Holiday Loan, Paying-Of t- • offmal Your -Charge -Card Loan, Bill Consolidation Loan, or any other Good Reason Loan ... Let's get together! 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