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The Citizen, 2016-10-13, Page 1INSIDE THIS WEEK: SPORTS - Pg. 8 Huron East Mayor has proposition for BMGCC COURSE - Pg. 11 Toronto Master's students visit Blyth BELGRAVE - Pg. 12 Water meter introduction could raise Belgrave costs Publications Mail Agreement No.40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1H0 4Citiz Volume 32 No. 40 n WELCOME TO BINT H $1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, October 13, 2016 Outdoor learning environment Members of Toronto's Ryerson University Ethics and Sustainable Design Course, run by School of Fashion Associate Professor and Program Director Doctor Lu Ann Lafrenz, visited The Garden at Blyth as well as Blyth's Trinity Anglican Church to learn about natural dyeing from the Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity instructor Jennifer Triemstra-Johnston, who is also an instructor at the university. The program saw students visit the garden to find ingredients for natural dyes which they then used, alongside some prepared natural ingredients provided by Triemstra-Johnston, to make their own scarves to take home. (Denny Scott photo) Council approves Bachert rezoning By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron East Council approved a controversial rezoning for Walton - area Bachert Meats after further research and consultation put councillors and neighbours at ease. Huron County Senior Planner Claire Dodds spoke to the application at council's Oct. 4 meeting. The decision was originally deferred in the summer when a number of neighbouring landowners spoke to council about concerns with the odour they said was coming from the abattoir. The rezoning will allow for an accessory house to be built on the property. Dodds went over the process with councillors, saying that in the time since the rezoning application was first addressed by council, a number of bodies, both local and provincial, were consulted as to the business and its normal farm practices. While there had been comments about the injecting of the abattoir's waste water into the farm's soil, Dodds said it is an accepted farm practice and is, in fact, the suggested practice in order to best minimize any odour issues. Dodds said that the business's waste water storage has the capacity for over 200 days, saying that it is likely injected into the farm's soil about twice a year. She said that's not to say that there is no odour associated with the injection process, just that injecting it has been identified as the best practice to minimize impact on neighbours, just like any other manure storage solution for other Huron County farms. Dodds also said that the use of a straw cover on the waste water container has also improved the odour situation drastically, according to neighbours. She also added that there aren't any minimum distance separation (MDS) concerns with the application either. Because of the nature of the rezoning, she said, it allows the municipality and the Huron County Planning Department to keep tabs on the business and the property through site plan control, something that wasn't available under its previous zoning. Dodds also said that neighbouring residents have been supplied with a cell phone number for Auburn's Jacqui Laporte, the local contact for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). When residents complained about odour concerns, they said there was no way to accurately report it due to the time it took to have someone come out to the property. Dodds said she hoped this protocol would help issues along, although it hadn't been used in the past. Another concern, she said, had been the potential for increased noise associated with expansion of the business in the form of more truck traffic. With the potential for site plan control, Dodds said, noise would be something that could be monitored and, if it becomes a concern, regulated. Council accepted Dodds' report and felt that all bases had been covered and were comfortable that the concerns of neighbours had been addressed. Council passed a bylaw later in the evening, confirming the rezoning as recommended by Dodds. Central Huron supports new park Central Huron Council has voted in favour of the creation of a dog park in Auburn following a presentation by village resident Jacqui Laporte. Laporte made the presentation to council in early September and at council's Oct. 3 meeting, Roads Manager Tom Sinclair recommended that council endorse the plan. As part of his report, Sinclair said his department would go about obtaining three quotations for the installation of the outer and inner fenced areas for the dog park. In his report, Sinclair said he had sent invitations for quotes to local companies Elliott Fencing, Central Huron Fencing and Brussels Agri Services Limited and was awaiting results. Quotations were set to close on Monday, Oct. 10. Sinclair told council that after speaking with the roads manager from Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, that township is also interested in sharing the costs with Central Huron. This comes after North Huron Council filed Laporte's report when she was scheduled to present to council but did not come to the meeting. To date, North Huron has not indicated its willingness to support the park. Further to council's support, a notice has also been posted in the village's post office informing the community of plans for the park. As part of Sinclair's report, he included a proposed map for the park, which would be constructed just next to the village's baseball diamond. The park would be fenced in with an area for small dogs and a much larger area for large dogs. The fenced area will be made up of cedar posts and livestock fencing, which will be supplied by Huron Bay Co-op Inc. The park will also include bags and a garbage can for dog waste, as well as benches and a picnic table for dog owners. There will be a number of rules associated with the park, including that dogs will need to be spayed or neutered and that owners must pick up any dog waste. Sinclair told council that the park will not have lights, so there won't be use after dark and due to its remote location, noise associated with the park is expected to have a minimal impact. Over $2,000 has already been raised within the community for the park, which will help pay for any costs associated with construction that aren't paid by Central Huron or Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh.