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Lucknow Sentinel, 2009-02-04, Page 10r: Page 10 - Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, February 4, 2009 ACW residents having a problem with high water levels BY DENNY SCOTT Signal -Star Staff It all comes back to the way the water flows. No, this isn't a new age way of thinking, it's the problem that some Ashfied- Colborne- Wawanosh resi- dents are having with high water levels, ground springs, and drainage pr9b- lems. ACW's council was made aware of the situation thanks to a letter from Kevin Smith, a resident of Fern Drive at RR 4 Goderich. Smith was complaining that his neighbour was pumping water from their. basement onto the right of way, caus- ing slippery road conditions and also causing snow to melt near the edge of the road, causing cars to bottom out. Residents of the area attended the Jan. 20 ACW meeting to speak to the issue that affects newly developed areas north of Goderich, including Century Heights. According to residents, the drainage tiles and storm sewers don't seem to be doing the job they need to, as underground springs are show- ing their strength flooding base- ments year round. Most residents have just accepted what they are dealing with as status quo; their submersible pumps have kept their basements at a somewhat rea- sonable level. With the recent thaw that Huron County residents saw, followed by a half-day power outage, many of the people present at the meeting had horror stories of water so deep they needed hip waders and drainage so poor : that they needed four sump pumps just to get the water back to floor level. Building application Council became a committee of adjustment to deal with an applica- tion from Robin and Janet Heggie to allow them to build a .sun -room on their home in Cedar Grove, north of Port Albert. The application calls for a bank set -back to be altered to . allow them room to put the addition on their home. Council decided that there was no potential for a severely blocked view, and no plan- ning issues to pre- vent the applica- tion. The Maitland Valle y Conservation Authority also had no problem with the changes, how- ever the applica- tion could not be approved. Council had to defer the decision to a later time due to some last- minute changes made to the : appli- cation by the applicants. Building permits While Goderich saw an increase in building permit values over the past year, ACW has gone in the opposite. direction, continuing a trend that began . in 2006. The number of permits issued has been spiraling downward for four years in ACW. Between 2005 and the pres- ent, there has been a drop of 66 per- mits issued, lost at about 20 per year. Between 2006 and the present, the value of the permits has. decreased $80,000, which is a drop of nearly 60% over the three year period. N e w. Construction value in the area has also .dropped significantly, dropping from $,16,198,705.06 in 2005 to $6,702,084, a reduction of near- ly 60 per cent OPP In ACW The estimate for the I Ontario Provincial Police to provide polic- ing for ACW has increased -this year by $28,236. Up from $345,275, the esti- mate reflects any work the OPP have to do off their major. patrolling routes like Highway 21. Council approved the esti- mate. Dates of notice At. the urging of some council members, . ACW has adopted an official stance on dates of notice. Council will issue certificates and congratula tions to individu- als who reach one of the four follow- ing milestones; an individual reach- ing their 90th birthday or 100th birthday, or a cou- ple reaching their 50th or 60th wed- ding anniversary. The certificates will only be issued if the request is . made four weeks in advance, and cor- roborating docu- mentation, a birth certificate or mar- riage certificate, is provided. The department also responded to 30 accidents, four of w rich proved fatal, 48 first response calls, and 11 false alarms. The report, also highlights the fact that, although their calls may have been less than ( previous years, . they put in more time on calls due to the major. structure fires. Alison Simpson Alison Simpson n response to an e-mail she had ent, was invited to speak to council about : ,problems with the road` near her parents. home. Simpson report - d that guard: rails that were' installed tiring renova- ions to highway 21 are proving to e rivers dangerousdueto to winter drifting. The guard `rails re providing a lace for snow . to ccumul:ate :1 t t b r' a t a against, which causes drifts to build across the road, making already -perilous winter -driving more dangerous. Council agreed with Simpson, and is waiting for esti- mates to remove the' guard rails. The rails, although installed. by the province, do belong to ACW, and can be used elsewhere in the township. The Lucknow Sentinel Deadline is 4 p.m. Fridays Lucknow Fire Department The Lucknow Fire Departmen Med their year end report for 200.E to ACW fo information poses. According to die report, the department responded . to 118 call outs, "includ- ing seven major structure fires with loss of over one hundred "thou- sand dollars and one which was well over a mil- lion,' COMMUNITY GROUPS / SPORTS TEAMS / SERVICE CLUBS WORD 01- MOUTH tif[n BOOq? bet our image nut 0 • free tools to hdp get your mes out! Online Videos • Photo Galleries Discussion Forums • Event Calendar • Slogs • Event Postings It's about access liere's your invitabon to get the word out to lots of people oh the net locally! Whether you're a sports organizabon looking at posting league results, or a service club with a community onnouncement, you can now post it on one of the best vie%Atd sites in your community. 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