SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 51 ISSUE 18
DRAYTON, ONTARIO
1 Year GIC - 2.45% 3 Year GIC - 3.05% 5 Year GIC - 3.25% Daily Interest 2.40%*
638-3328
THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2018
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Mapleton to look at regulation of ATV use within township By Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – The township is making plans to go it alone on a proposal to regulate the use of ATVs on local roadways. As previous efforts to come up with a county, or north Wellington solution haven’t borne fruit, Mapleton is planning to create a local bylaw regulating use of recreational vehicles on township roads and property. “It seems we’re the only ... municipality in northern Wellington County that wants to take the bull by the horns,” said Mayor Neil Driscoll during an April 24 review of a report on potential ATV regulation from CAO Manny Baron. In the report, Baron explained that since the sum-
mer of 2017, the township has been exploring the idea of implementing an ATV bylaw. “In researching several bylaws, they seem to have the ultimate goal of permitting the operation of all-terrain vehicles on municipal highways within their municipalities,” Baron states. The report points out the Highway Traffic Act, along with the Off-Road Vehicles Act and some bylaws, impose a number of conditions and rules for all-terrain vehicle users, including restrictions on speed and time-of-day and time-of-year usage, as well as equipment requirements. “In exploring a number of bylaws, the question ‘What are we trying to achieve?’ should be asked,” Baron explained. “Are we trying to limit the
use of ATVs? Are we trying to encourage their use, or trying to keep them off the municipal lands? “An open discussion should be had to firm up what we would like to see included in the bylaw, what restrictions council would like to have included and does this warrant a public meeting.” Baron added any bylaw should be crafted in such a way that it is enforceable by the township or the OPP. While indicating he was glad to see the report, councillor Michael Martin said, “I kind of lament the fact that we even need an ATV bylaw to be honest ... “We’ve survived for 40, 50 years or however long ATVs have been around without one and, you know, good SEE ATV » 3
Culvert tender well under budget By Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – Council here has received a rare surprise: a bridge project with a surplus larger than the tendered cost of the project. At the April 24 meeting, Mapleton council awarded a tender for replacement
of a culvert on Sideroad 19 to Kurtis Smith Excavating Inc. for the tender price of $208,000 plus HST. The tender was the lowest of four submitted, with the highest coming in at $312,760 plus HST. A report from public works director Sam Mattina notes $570,000 was allocated
to the project in the 2018 capital budget, resulting in a surplus of $360,000. “The resultant positive variance of approximately $360,000 will allow for additional capital program flexibility to the corporation overall,” stated Mattina in the report.
Grandfriends Day - During Christian Education Week, students at Community Christian School in Drayton hosted Grandfriends Day on April 24. The day is set aside for “grandfriends” to visit the school, see children in the classroom and enjoy a lunch with students at the Drayton Christian Reformed Church. TOP: Grandfriends Gary and Debbie Oxby with Finn. ABOVE LEFT: Larry and Sarah Brouwe. RIGHT: Norma Robertson and Elliott Robertson-Lauzon. Submitted photos
Council directs staff to review rescue van financing plan By Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – Council has deferred a revised financing plan for the purchase of a new fire rescue van after some councillors questioned a proposal to utilize funds from an under-budget road project. In February council approved the replacement of Mapleton Fire Rescue’s current 1998 Drayton station rescue truck and an RFP for a replacement vehicle resulted in three proposals. On April 24 Fire Chief Rick Richardson presented council with a report indicating the Mapleton Fire/ Rescue Truck Committee recommended acceptance of the proposal from Dependable Emergency Vehicles for the purchase price of $344,420, with expected delivery in the early spring of 2019. The company’s tender was the lowest of the three submitted, with the highest
Rescue van - Mapleton council is reviewing plans to finance the replacement of the fire department’s Drayton station rescue van, a 1998 model, after tenders came in well above budget. Photo by Caroline Sealey coming in at $426,000. The report explains the township’s five-year capital plan contains a $250,000 allocation in 2019 towards fire truck replacement. “This was originally intended to be a tanker, and as such, does not realistically reflect the cost of a replacement rescue vehi-
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cle,” Richardson stated in the report. “In 2009 the rescue vehicle procured for the Moorefield station cost $266,326.” Proposed funding for the new truck (upon delivery in 2019) identified in Richardon’s report and a separate report from deputy treasurer/financial analyst
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Larry Wheeler included the $250,000 allocation, plus $100,000 (to be transferred in 2018 to the fire department capital reserve) from savings obtained by the township on a Sideroad 19 box culvert replacement tender. A public works report on the agenda at the same meeting indicates the low-
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est tender for that project, which had been budgeted for $570,000, came in at $208,000. Councillor Lori Woodham wondered if the existing truck had been generating an extraordinary amount of maintenance expenses. Richardson responded that it has only required routine maintenance. “I have a hard time that we don’t have total allocation from the fire department for the purchase of this truck,” said Woodham. “If the truck is still working could we perhaps defer it for a year until the funds can be allocated from the fire department?” Woodham continued, “Yes, it’s a good thing when we have things that come in under budget and it does allow some flexibility, but that (culvert) job hasn’t been completed yet either and there could be things under our control that we don’t know about, and I’d also love to see roads department
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funds spent on roads.” Councillor Dennis Craven said, “You’ve got to be careful, too. If you keep putting off vehicles, not replacing them when they’re scheduled to be, then you might all of a sudden end up having to replace more than one not necessarily for the fire department, but ... all of a sudden you get behind and you’re not able to keep up ... so you have to be careful there to stick to your replacement schedule.” But councillor Michael Martin pointed out, “This isn’t part of our original replacement schedule. It’s been bumped up.” While “cer tainly intrigued” by the proposed financing plan and pleased to see the inter-departmental cooperation involved in developing it, Martin indicated he was concerned the truck financing wasn’t accounted for in advance. SEE RESCUE VAN » 3
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