WHERE TIRES ARE A SPECIALTY, NOT A SIDELINE. Farm - Auto - Truck - Industrial - Lawn & Garden - On The Farm Service
35 Howard Ave., ELMIRA, ON | 519-669-3232
08 | 25 | 2016 VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 33
KINGS GET THE PRESEASON GOING WITH TWO WINS SPORTS PAGE 9
COMMENT PAGE 6
PROVINCE TAKING WRONG TACK ON HEALTH CARE COSTS
Council approves 32-acre land deal to boost stock of rec. land in Wellesley
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SANDY HILLS FIRE CAUSES $225K IN DAMAGE This tractor was still smoldering four hours after it shorted and caught fire around 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 24, igniting the adjacent shed and calf barn which housed machinery and 41 heifers. Two of the animals perished in the fire, along with farm equipment. Some 50 firefighters from Floradale, Elmira, Conestogo and St. Jacobs responded to 876 Sandy Hills Dr. in Elmira, getting it extinguished by 7:15 a.m. Damage is estimated at $225,000. [WHITNEY NEILSON / THE OBSERVER]
LIZ BEVAN WHAT STARTED OUT AS a search for a bit of land to house soccer fields quickly morphed into something else as Wellesley jumped on the chance to acquire a 32-acre tract, with councillors agreeing to spend $800,000 on the purchase. The township’s 2014 parks and recreation master plan pointed to a shortage of recreational land. The new deal puts a dent in that shortfall, providing much-needed space today and room for future development. It was a rare chance that could not be passed on, said Mayor Joe Nowak “This is forward-looking and it is an opportunity that doesn’t come up too often, to get a piece of property like that with land that is serviceable,” he said to council. “I think that this is an important opportunity for the township.” The property is on the northeast corner of Queen’s Bush and Hutchison roads. In addition to the 32 acres to be purchased, the landowner is donating another eight acres. The decision to go ahead with the buy was made in a closed session on June 21, with a tentative closing date of Sept. 1. For Melanie Martin of St. Clements’ recreation service board committee, the first consideration is determining what will be done with the land. “It seems like a lot of money if you don’t know what you are going to use it LAND | 2
Woolwich approves Elmira splash pad project Having scaled back operating costs by $10,000 a year, organizers win township’s backing STEVE KANNON ITS PROJECTED OPERATING COSTS pared back a bit, a splash pad proposed for Elmira got the green light from Woolwich councillors Tuesday night.
Responding to concerns raised by council two weeks earlier, organizers reduced the estimated annual operating costs to $30,000 from $40,000, largely by reducing the hours of operation, including dropping to 17 from
24 number of weeks the facility would be open. The scale of the project – a 4,000-square-foot splash pad with 23 individual water features – was untouched, with organizers adamant the facility remain a
large, accessible attraction. With the township unwilling to pay any of the capital costs, organizers agreed to take care of some $70,000 for the extension of waSPLASH PAD | 2