SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 50 ISSUE 19
DRAYTON, ONTARIO
1 Year GIC - 2.09% 3 Year GIC - 2.14% 5 Year GIC - 2.25% Daily Interest 0.90%
638-3328
FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017
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Council set to update water, wastewater rate structure By Patrick Raftis
Workout time - Breakdancer Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli and Drayton Heights Public School Grade 7 student Halle Detweiler show more than 5,000 students warm-up dance moves at the third annual Empowerment Day at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph on May 4. Photo by Jaime Myslik
Students encouraged to change thoughts, world at this year’s Empowerment Day By Jaime Myslik GUELPH – “No limits. No excuses.” That’s the message breakdancer Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli left with students at the third annual Empowerment Day on May 4. “It’s incredible seeing how everybody reacts to the stories,” said Drayton Heights Public School student council member Mandy De Vries. “Just to hear everybody that is speaking is really
amazing,” added Halle Detweiler, also on the Drayton Heights student council. “It’s really inspirational.” Empowerment Day began in 2015 as a passion project of two students on the Drayton Heights student council. The first year saw 1,300 Grade 6 to 8 students at PMD arena in Drayton. Last year the event grew to over 3,000 students at the Fergus sportsplex and this year the inspirational day grew to more than 5,000
students at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph. Though the event has grown exponentially over three years, the Drayton Heights student council is still responsible for organizing the day. “This came into action probably around September for most of us and it was getting scripts ready and organizing speakers and making sure that this day is going to work for everyone and make sure that it actually SEE EVENT » 7
MAPLETON – Larger volume water users will get a break under a new rate system favored by town council here. Dan Watson of Watson and Associates Economists presented council with the results of a water and wastewater rate study update at the April 25 meeting. Council implemented a metered water system in 2015, passing a bylaw to set the existing rates in June of that year. “Since (then) there have been factors which have required reconsideration of the water and wastewater rates,” township CAO Brad McRoberts stated in a report.
Those factors include lower than anticipated revenue generation. “Due to implementation of metering, consumers have been more conscious of their consumption, and in some cases, ongoing leakage issues were identified and corrected by consumers,” McRoberts explained. Increased project costs for major water and wastewater capital projects, aging infrastructure resulting in greater operating expenses and requests from high volume commercial and industrial users for discounts are among the other factors. The consultant’s rate update study presented council with three options, including the option of a five per
cent increase (from $2.26 to $2.37 per cubic metre) to the current constant rate structure that provides a consumptive base rate that is applied to all users. Option two involves implementing separate residential and non-residential rates. Under that system a lower non-residential consumptive rate is subsidized through a slightly higher residential consumptive rate. The third option, selected by council, involves declining block rates. This means calculating separate consumptive base rates for different levels of consumption. As any customer consumes more water and moves to the higher consumptive block, SEE WATER » 7
Blood donors urgently needed at local clinic on long weekend by Caroline Sealey DRAYTON - The need for blood is constant and continues throughout the year. Each year on the Victoria Day long weekend Canadian Blood Services holds donor clinics to ensure a blood supply is available to patients in need. This year, the Drayton blood donor clinic will be held during the Victoria Day long weekend on May 22. The clinic needs to collect 58 blood donations to support local patients. At present there are 38 appointments available. Canadian Blood Services (CBS) territory manager Tara Gutscher stated in an
email to the Community News this clinic is very important because it is being held on a statutory holiday. “Many of our regular donors may not be available to donate blood on this day due to the holiday. We need new donors to come out, donate blood and save lives,” she said. According to CBS, more than half of all Canadians will either need blood or will know someone who does. Less than four per cent of the eligible population donates blood. “The community’s support at this long weekend clinic is appreciated by Canadian Blood Services,” Gutscher stated.
She thanked everyone who has made an appointment and asks anyone attending the clinic to bring someone along who has never donated. The Drayton blood donor clinic on May 22 will be held at the Community Christian School, 35 High Street, from 3:30 to 7:30pm. To book an appointment call 1-888-236-6283 or visit www.blood.ca. Walk-ins will be accepted. Anyone who is unable to attend the Drayton clinic can donate blood prior to the long weekend at the Palmerston blood donor clinic on May 18 at the Palmerston Community Centre, 525 Cavan Street, from 5 to 8pm.
Moorefield Drain project will piggyback on road reconstruction By Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – The township has struck a deal with upstream landowners that will result in improvements to Wellington County’s storm sewer system through Moorefield and alleviate flooding issues in the village. At the April 25 meeting CAO Brad McRoberts and public works director Sam Mattina explained in a report that as part of the Wellington Road 10 reconstruction project, township staff con-
sidered the idea of upsizing the county storm sewer to accommodate farmland drainage upstream or east of McGivern Street. Upstream landowners were consulted regarding their interests and willingness to contribute financially. The report estimates the overall cost to accommodate the increased stormwater volume as part of the road project at $293,300. “This cost is significantly discounted as the county is asking for only the difference
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in cost for the pipe materials and not the excavation, placement, bedding or manhole structure costs,” the report explains. The current Moorefield Drain dates from 1965 and is considered undersized. The report notes that if the drainage is not accommodated as part of the county project, improvements on the Moorefield Drain in the very near future would cost in the neighbourhood of $1,000 per acre after factoring in the provincial grant for
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the lands within the catchment area. The allocation would be applied to all land owners within the area and the majority of Moorefield property owners would be assessed a portion of the upgrade costs under the Drainage Act. “If the Moorefield Drain was upgraded at a later date as part of the Drainage Act, the project would be in the order of magnitude of $3 million with a municipal assessment in order of $2 million,” the report states.
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“Life is 10 per cent what happens to us and 90 per cent how we react to it.” - Dennis P. Kimbro
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Municipal staff were hoping the owners of upstream farmland would collectively contribute $100,000 to the project, or approximately $750 per acre. However in a letter to the township, the three affected landowners indicated that they would be prepared to contribute $400 per acre or approximately $52,800. Township staff recommended proceeding with the storm sewer, noting that adding it onto the county road reconstruction opportunity
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will result in “a very significant savings” to the township ($250,000 vs. $2 million). Council approved the recommendation to accept the offer of $400 per acre from agricultural property owners within the Moorefield Drainage works east of McGivern Street. They also authorized agreements with property owners to exclude them in future municipal drainage assessments and to allocate their share of payments in annual installments over up to five years.
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