The Creemore
Echo
Friday, July 16, 2010
Vol. 10 No. 29
News and views in and around Creemore
Inside the Echo
Young Gardeners
Cadets at Work
Hort Society show to feature kids.
Creemore once again benefits.
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NOT YOUR ORDINARY AFTERNOON AT THE BALLPARK Gowan Park has seen a lot of baseball games over the years, but no one last Saturday
could say if it had ever seen a wedding before. Could there have been a more perfect place for Pete “Hammer” Kinghan, the popular manager of the Creemore Braves, to deliver his vows to Brandy Clark, his new bride? Friends, family and sports fans watching from the bleachers and the VIP seats on the field didn’t think so.
WIND QUESTIONS DOMINATE BREWERY EXPANSION APPROVED CROWDED COUNCIL MEETING Township acquiesces on commenting and green energy regulations, while anti-wind group targets building permit loophole by Brad Holden The future of the wind energy industry has become a complicated matter in Ontario, and nowhere was that more evident than Monday night’s meeting of Clearview Council, where wind turbines provided both the context and subtext of several of the evening’s debates. In front of a very vocal, capacity crowd made up primarily of people who oppose wind farms being established in the Township, the meeting got underway with Deputy Mayor Alicia Savage taking another crack at the
motion she had put forward and Council had passed two weeks earlier. That motion resolved that the Township would not comment on applications for renewable energy projects within its boundaries, due to the fact that the Green Energy Act has removed all decision-making authority on the projects from municipalities and has not provided any method of costrecovery should local governments require expert help or extensive staff time to prepare comments. In the two weeks since the motion had passed, it had received a lot of criticism from residents, who felt Council was turning its back on their concerns. Declaring that the original motion “did not fully communicate its intent” (See “Council” on page 3)
by Brad Holden Almost lost during Monday’s winddominated meeting was an important and long-awaited decision regarding the Creemore Springs Brewery expansion. Following a recommendation of the planning department and passing a motion with little discussion put forward by Councillor Thom Paterson, Council approved the Brewery’s request for official plan and zoning amendments, as well as a deeming bylaw to merge the five lots (121, 127 and 137 Mill Street, 3 Elizabeth Street East and 6 Edward Street East) owned by Creemore Springs into one property. The combined lot will be designated Commercial in the Clearview Official Plan, with an exception that allows a brewery as a permitted use. The zoning on the property will change from a combination of Prestige Industrial Zone, Residential Medium Density and Residential Low Density to a new zoning called Downtown/Commercial/ Industrial. In addition, a Hold symbol will be placed on the zoning pending
Site Plan Approval by the Township; the issuance of Certificate of Approvals from the Ministry of Environment dealing with noise, odour and stormwater management; and the establishment of a servicing agreement between the Brewery and the Township. Among other justifications in its report, the planning department said the brewery expansion meets the Provincial goal of creating “communities that are strong, livable, can provide economic diversity... and a compatible land use mix.” It went on to say that “Creemore is a settlement area that benefits significantly from the operations of Creemore Springs Brewery,” which, once expanded, “will provide for an efficient land use in a downtown core.” In moving the motion, Paterson anticipated that any further issues between the Brewery and its neighbours can be solved during Site Plan Approval. It’s expected that at least one appeal of the decision will be filed with the OMB before the 20-day appeal period expires.
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