The Times Advocate, 2008-09-17, Page 22
Times -Advocate Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Water payment options presented to Hensall residents
Continued from front page
adjustments will have to be made for
final costs as well as the number of
properties and the debenture interest
rate.
If the lump sum payment option isn't
taken, residents will be required to
make a payment of $720 by Dec. 31
with four annual payments of $180.
Residents were told the municipality
will send out a form in October provid-
ing more information.
Asked when water would start flowing
to Hensall, Burns said the pipeline is
"very near completion" and that techni-
cally it could be within a month but
more likely it will be early winter before
it is completed.
In response to a question about why
residents were being asked to pay
before the water is flowing, Burns said
interest is accumulating on the debt and
the sooner money started coming in, the
less interest there would be.
Burns was also told that many of the
residents in Hensall couldn't afford to
pay $9,000 by December and asked why
annual lump sum payments couldn't be
made.
Burns said the system is the way
municipal debentures work and allow-
ing multiple payment methods "would
be a bookkeeping nightmare."
With Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty
saying the province may not fufill its
mandate to require 10 per cent ethanol
content in gasoline by 2010, many of the
questions from the residents referred to
the ethanol project and the status of the
negotiations with GreenField.
While the plant was originally sched-
uled to be completed by this fall, the
completion date has been delayed by
GreenField until 2009.
Several residents asked whether there
are guarantees on what will happen if
the company cancels the project.
Burns said the project is going ahead
on the assumption there will be an
ethanol plant and there is no basis to
"assume what ifs...it's difficult to have a
plan B because there are so many alter-
natives."
Asked about the sewage system in
Hensall, Burns said while the system in
Hensall is at its maximum and has been
limiting growth in the village, until there
is grant funding provided, it won't be
upgraded.
Asked why Dec. 31 was picked as the
deadline for the lump sum payment,
residents were told it was felt three
months was a practical amount of time
to be given and that it is tied to the
municipal tax bill timing.
Asked again about the GreenField por-
tion, Dowson said "legally we can't go
there...we can't answer that, it's a pri-
vate company."
Asked what the municipal options
would be if GreenField cancels the
plant, Bluewater chief administrative
officer Lori Wolfe said Bluewater would
pursue the obligations.
Asked if there was a signed contract,
Wolfe said the municipality is in negoti-
ations and "has commitments in writ -
mg„
Several residents said it was unfair to
expect them to pay without knowing the
results of the negotiations.
Dowson replied that the negotiations
are moving forward and there is no rea-
son to say it wouldn't happen.
Asked if Bluewater will be responsible
for the $6 million if GreenField pulls out,
Burns replied, "It's a what if. There
would be meetings and discussions in
the future."
Asked if it is normal in development
work for security money to be put up by
companies, Burns replied, "that is nor-
mal in development, absolutely."
Other comments by residents included,
"we like to feel our council is account-
able...who has been negotiating with
GreenField for two and half years?"
Wolfe replied that while the munici-
pality appreciated the concerns they
were not able to give out information.
Burns was asked by a resident about
the possibility of keeping the wells avail-
able in the event of a water emergency
but said the cost of keeping the wells
ready for use would make it impractical.
Hensall resident Dan
Mudge expressed the
feelings of many in the
audience, saying "It's a
little premature for a
legal document from us
when you don't have a
document. What have you
answered?"
Dowson said there was
good discussion at the
meeting and the respons-
es would be talked about
at Monday night's council
meeting.
Accommodation reviews include Usborne Central
Continued from front page
2004, the board closed five of its Stratford elementary schools. "So ... we want to move down that road carefully
and with the best intentions to provide programming for those students."
The status quo in the Central West Huron cluster — with Holmesville Public School among the six Avon Maitland
facilities below 60 per cent loading — leaves open an increased likelihood of triple -grade classes, the report
explains.
"These schools are unsustainable with small and declining enrolments."
But, given equally striking enrolment projections in the areas surrounding
Exeter and Wingham, board staff recommended not proceeding with too
many accommodation reviews in a single year.
That leaves North Central Huron — with a cluster of elementary schools in
East Wawanosh, Hullett, Turnberry, Blyth and Wingham - and Usborne
Central Public School as the two remaining recommendations for accommo-
dation review.
"Over the past five years the enrolment in Usborne has dropped 38 per
cent and is projected to decline another 6.4 per cent in 2008-09," states the
report.
Central Huron trustee Shelley Kaastra expressed concern that no other
schools would be included in the newly -created ARC — as had been the
case last year in accommodation reviews in Mitchell, Goderich and St.
Marys.
Ash responded that the enrolment decline at Usborne has been so severe,
compared to other nearby schools, that there has been broad consensus
among board officials about where accommodation review efforts should be
directed.
South Huron representative Randy Wagler — supported by counterparts
Kaastra and Al Sygrove (Goderich/Northwest Huron) - unsuccessfully
attempted to have the decision to form the ARCs delayed by two weeks.
He noted the three communities affected by Avon Maitland accommoda-
tion reviews in 2007-08 were given warning in the form of joint school
council/school board administration meetings the previous year. Similar
meetings never took place in either South Huron or Wingham, and the
trustee suggested people in those communities "might feel that the process
is being thrust upon them."
Stratford's Doug Pratley spoke against the deferral, saying, "two weeks
aren't really going to make any difference." The deferral was defeated 5-3.
Having lost his bid to defer, however, Wagler offered his full support to
beginning the accommodation review. Indeed, he initiated the motion.
"One can see that there are challenges at Usborne," the area's trustee
said. "And I think that when one gets to just over 100 students in a K-8
school, there are challenges in delivering quality programming to our stu-
dents."
Likewise, in the case of the North Central Huron cluster, Wingham-area
representative Colleen Schenk voted in favour of commencing the accom-
modation review.
"I do want to say that we should make it clear that we're not looking at
closing all of these schools," she said.
A joint meeting of the two ARCs — meant to provide orientation about how
the accommodation review process will unfold — is scheduled for Oct. 23. In
each community, at least three public ARC meetings must take place, with
the first happening less than 60 days after the Sept. 9 decision. Reports from
the ARCs — meant solely for information, not to make decisions — would
likely be delivered to the board in late March.
Membership on the ARCs — assuming the board is able to attract the
desired range of participants — would include representation from school
councils, teachers, the community and municipal governments.
At Monday's meeting it was decided
Hensall residents will get a different
option on how they want to pay their bill
for the pipeline project bringing water
to Hensall.
General manager of corporate services
Terri Brandon presented several options
to council.
Brandon said there could be potential-
ly 430 different payment plans but coun.
Peter Walden said it was the obligation
of council to do the accounting for resi-
dents and that it would mean more
money up front to the municipality.
Dowson said the more options that
were presented to the residents, the
tougher it would be for council to suit
the majority of people.
Coun. Kay Wise noted she hadn't
received any complaints on the amount
the residents were being asked to pay.
More information on any additional
options available to ratepayers will be in
next week's T -A.
�c1rr Pt.
ti „ -\,\ Huron Perth Ag Service Inc.
f f 7498 Line 19, RR2
Staffa, Ontario NOK 1 Y0
Phone: (519) 263-2034
Fax: (519) 263-2330
Please check out our website
www.hpagservice.com
for up-to-date services,
events and deadlines
as well as agronomy
information.
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