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Times Advocate, 1993-05-26, Page 3Second draft Times -Advocate, May 26,1993 Pa03 3 ABCA unveils iuw S;effie Management Ply R - Acknaiitlg 'that thetpMentation of their Shoreline Mitaigement Plan wasn't well re- cetved last year, the Ausable Bay- field Conservation Authority has released a revised plan for 1993 they hope will be better accepted by lakeshore cottage owners. The plan proposes to regulate the Lake Huron shoreline from Port Franks to north of Bayfield into zones where development is either restricted or conditional. The sec- ond draft of the plan was unveiled - at a public meeting Friday evening at the Exeter Legion Hall, drawing 51 people to the presentation. Two further meetings are planned for June 25 and 26 in Varna and Medford. Public comments on the draft will be accepted until August 1, after which a final plan will be created in September. Patrick Don- nelly, one of the authors of the plan, said while cottage owners had suggested the plan not be finalized over the winter when property own- ers were away, he said it was more important to collect their comments during the summer months for con- sideration later. Donnelly said the new .draft is different from last year's version in that it better spells out the restric- tions on development in the two lakeshore zones. He acknowledged that last year's draft was "very..am- biguous" in some areas.and led to complaints from propertyowners. One such problem was the con- cern that cottages in'the 'leer -risk zone could not be •rebuilttfif e- stroyed by fire, thus -meaning they could not be insured and property values would fall. Donnelly ex- plained the new peen .clearly states such cottages cannot be rebuilt only if destroyed by flooding or erosion. Donnelly said the new draft also allows more dpddna1br landowners seeking to protect their shorelines, and there is now a stronger empha- sis on the effects of poor surface drainage on bank erosion. The biggest change, said Donnel- ly, is that the Conservation Authori- ty is now recommending the plan be carried out by the municipalities themselves, and not by the Authori- ty. "A very major shift from what we Patrick Donnelly of oftheAusableateffieldriservation Authori- ty explains to an audience of_ -51 Friday ming how the Shoreline Management flan, which .proved so :controversial amongsttcge owners -last summer, has been revised in its second ;draft. Funds are there.tutwho qualifies? Homeowner loan prognum described as outdated' By Adrian Harte . T -A Editor EXETER - Could you use a few thousand dollars to spruce up your home? Would you rather bor- row it from your local friendly municipality rather than from a bank? Would you like up to 20 years to pay it back? If the answer is yes, you may be sur- prised to learn that many local munici- palities have literally thousands of dol- lars ready to loan out to their property owners. Exeter has $151.000 just sitting in an account waiting for people to ap- ply for it. Zurich has $106.000. Hensalt has another $97,000, and other municipali- ties have similar amounts. What's the catch? There's always a catch. The money was given to the municipalities under the Ontario Home Renovation Program (OHRP) to allow low-income homeowners to make repairs and upgrades to their properties. The maximum allowable loan is $7,500, your adjusted income must be $21,000 or low- cr. and interest rates run as high as 10 percent. Those numbers may have sounded good in 1974 when the program was set up, but in 1993 $7,500 doesn't buy much in the way of renovations, hardly anyone who owns a home earns less than $21.000, and you can get better interest rates from a bank. With the program's criteria outdated, and up to $60 million left in municipal accounts across Ontario. the cash-strapped province is considering recalling the funds. AMO, the Association of Municipalities of On- tario, is opposing the recall, asking the province to re- vise its criteria and allow the money to go back into the economy. Exeter clerk Liz Bell said town records show that 99 homes have benefited from OHRP loans since Exeter received the funds in 1976. the town got $283.245 from the province to loan out to property owners, $82,000 of which is still being repaid. As the loans were repaid, the money could be lent out again. Bell estimates over half a million dollars worth of renova- tions have -been accomplished with the money in Exet- er over the years. "It's certainly been good," said Bell, but notes there is little interest in the program these days with fewer people who qualify for it, and the small loans offered. A few senior citizens are still taking advantage of the loan offer, using the funds to perhaps install a new fur - nace or repair a roof. Bell agrees the fund criteria are far too outdated. "It really is the province's money. I think what AMO want them to do is.use it for another housing program," said Bell. Stephen Township staff acknowledged that their mu- nicipality does have OHRP funds available, but would not release how much money they have. They did say what money is there is being loaned out "very slowly",'if at all. In Lucan. clerk Ron Reymer said the village actually has very little OHRP money left to loan out - only about $5,000. He said there may be as many as 16 outstanding loans still being repaid and if the province wants the money back, Lu - can hasn't much to give them. Even if the money does return to Lucan's account, Reymer said there isn't much that can be done with un- der the program criteria, last revised in 1981. "The guidelines are pretty tough to meet," said Reymer, noting that homeowners would almost have to be on welfare to qualify. Interest rates of 10 percent are no bargain either. , "Obviously, it's cheaper to get it tacked onto your mortgage," he said. pointing out that the outdated rules mean few people are aware of the program and there is little point in promoting it. "I'd be surprised if two percent of the people out on the street know anything about it," said Reymer. Barb Power at the Hensel) Village Office said there is about $12,000 loaned out to village homeowners, and another S97,000 in the bank doing nothing. "It wouldn't be too disappointing for us to have the province take it back," said Power. Zurich also has $106,0000sitting idle in the village OHRP account, with about a dozen loans still being re- paid. "In six years I have given out three [loans], maybe," said clerk Maureen Simmons. who described ,the,pto- gram as being "definitely" out of date. However, the province has yet to claw back the $60 million sitting in municipal trust accounts. The advice of several local clerks is to act quickly if you think you can take advantage of such a loan. For those in truly low-income brackets, a portion of the loan can be "for- givable" or written off, and the interest Sale charge can be as low as zero percent. The money is there if anyone can use it - for now. Lien asks for restriction on -main street icyche riding LUCAN - Village council has re ceived a request from a Main street resident, Bob Mosurinjohn to pro- hibitbicycle riding in the two block •,business section of Main street. ..Mosurinjohn says in a ieuer that se council has expressed its tion of keeping bicycles off s downtown and restric- .:.,dpns by parking and the frequency 'of large trucks. a ban on bike riding is necessary and would meet with little objection from citizens who are interested in the safety of chil- dren in town, lice writer continues, " While a bylaw would be an inconvenience to me personally, I would willingly comply as i have come to see the necessity of adults wearing bicycle helmets for an example to children, many of whom suffer.head.igiuries while cycling". The letter concluded with, " 1 also think a sign at either end of the vil- lage requesting drivers to slow down and watch for children and the elderly would be very effective in reducing the risk of pedestrian, cyclist and vehicular accidents". Thad last year," said Donnelly, not- ing the change came at the request of the local councils. ARCA general manager Toni Prout commented on the change in format of the meeting from the open houses held last summer to present the first draft to a somewhat hostile audience. Prout said the open house plan proved confusing and property owners didn't like lin- ing up to ask questions -of ARCA staff. Consequently, this year's meetings are being held in a more formal manner with a full presenta- tion of the plan and an opportunity for questions afterward. What hasn't changed from last year is the fact that the "red" risk zone touching the lake will still be excluded from any new develop- ment or lots. The "yellow" caution zone will still require consultation with planning authorities, but new cottages can be allowed on existing lots. The extent of the two zones has bcen'changed in some cases in the revised draft, explained Donnel- ly. - "Everything in This document has :o do with where you -put your cot- tage," complained one man in the audience. "As if the cottage was the cause of the erosion." Donnelly agreed that without the cottage on the shoreline, there is no hazard for loss of property or life. He noted many such restrictions ex- ist already in bylaws, but don't arise until someone tries to build some- thing new. The plan, he said, sets out the rules in clear languate for everyone to see. "You're trying to prevent me from suing the Province of Onta- rio," insisted another man, who said the shoreline plan was only a docu- ment to prevent claims from cot- tage owners in the event of storm damage. "When we have a high iftke level, that's when the pressure is put on the province...and the province has said they don't want to be put in that situation any more," said Lor, nelly, noting the shoreline plan is aimed at preventing dcvelopmcnt on properties likely to be lost to the lake. When asked if there had been any loss of life due to catastrophic ero- sion along the ABCA's shoreline, Donnelly agreed -he had not heard of any. One man accused the revised draft as being essentially un- changed from last year's plan, ex- cept for "a few clarifications". An- other in the audience argued the stories of massive erosion of the shoreline were just "hogwash" !full tales of 100 acre farms becoming 50 acre farms were wildly exagger- ated. He said he had seen maps dated to 1869'which show a shore- line much the same as today's. Donnelly said he would like to see those maps, because he said 1.e knows some parts of the Hay Township shoreline are receding at 1.3 metres per year, and some cot- tages have been moved back from the 'lake two or three times because of erosion. When asked what would happen if the local municipalities refused to adopt the Shoreline Management Plan into their bylaws, Prout said he could sec two options. Because the province has insisted on shoreline regulation for the whole of Ontario, Prout said the Ministry of Natural Resources 'might have the respective Shoreline Management Plans incorporated into the Planning Act. "Then it becomes a responsibility of the municipality," said >'rout. Or, said Prout, if the municipali- ties don't want to regulate shoreline development, then the Conserva- tion Authorities could be required to do the regulation. "This isn't something that's go- ing to go away," predicted Prout. 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