The Creemore
Echo
Friday, April 28, 2017 Vol. 17
No. 18
www.creemore.com
News and views in and around Creemore
Inside the Echo
Batter Up
Back to his Roots
Troy Scott buys store close to home
Creemore peewees on the field
PAGE 5
PAGE 8
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Council votes to retain Creemore library land by Trina Berlo Clearview council has voted to keep a property adjacent to the Creemore library in public ownership, with the majority of councillors saying it’s a bad idea to sell off land in the centre of town. Council voted Monday against a staff recommendation to declare a portion of the library lands on Caroline Street East surplus to allow for the development of seniors’ apartments. The 24-unit seniors’ housing project was proposed by Wendy Schellenberg, Peter and Naomi Miller. “Council’s decision is a setback but doesn’t change our intention to develop apartments for seniors in Creemore. If we can find a viable alternative site in Creemore, we’ll proceed with the project,” said the Millers in a statement. Going around the table, council members commented on the issue. “We shouldn’t sell off public land. I think we should hold on to it,” said Deputy Mayor Barry Burton, adding he acknowledges there are affordable housing issues that need addressing. Other council members said they were torn. “I would like to see it move forward but I’m not sure about the location,” said Councillor Robert Walker. He said selling the land could cause problems for a future expansion of the Creemore branch. “If we declare it surplus, we have no idea what is coming,” said Walker. Mayor Christopher Vanderkruys said he doesn’t expect the library will ever be expanded onto that part of the property given the limited growth allocation for the village. (See “Councillors” on page 3)
Staff photo: Trina Berlo
Hannah Bloemendal works on a self-portrait during the Artists in the School program at Nottawasaga and Creemore Public School. See pages 6-7 for the full story.
Council uses Avening gravel pit approval to leverage New Lowell site rehabilitation by Trina Berlo The focus of a public meeting about a proposed expansion to the gravel pit in Avening shifted to New Lowell Monday when council members tried to encourage speedy rehabilitation of the gravel pit there. The meeting was held at town hall in Stayner to hear public comment on Lafarge’s request to have the 3/4 Sideroad Nottawasaga property, east of Airport Road, changed from agricultural to extractive industrial in the township’s Official Plan and zoning bylaw. There is about two years’ worth of extractable aggregate left in the existing Avening Pit so Lafarge is
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hoping to expand operations on a 199acre property to the north. Lafarge is applying for an Aggregate Resources Act licence, which was the subject of a public meeting in November. There is four million tonnes of high quality aggregate to be extracted, over about 20 years, and most of it is distributed in the area. MHBC planner Brian Zeman outlined the proposal, saying gravel trucks would use the existing Centre Line Road exit and haul route and there would be no additional truck traffic. The extraction and rehabilitation of the proposed expansion would be done
in five phases. It is the issue of rehabilitation that is causing concern for council members and at least one member of the public. Dunedin resident Donna Baylis was the only person to speak at the meeting. She said she is very concerned about aggregate pits, since become educated on the subject while fighting the megaquarry in Melancthon. She criticized the quality of agricultural lands after rehabilitation, saying it is a shortsighted use of farmland. In Avening, the Class 2 and 3 farmland (considered prime agricultural) will be mostly rehabilitated to Class 5 (See “Farmland” on page 3)
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