SERVING MAPLETON AND MINTO
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 52 ISSUE 34
1 Year GIC - 2.25% 3 Year GIC - 2.40% 5 Year GIC - 2.55% Daily Interest 1.25%
638-3328
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019
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Minto Council approves $7,200 in CIP grants By Patrick Raftis MINTO – Community Improvement Program (CIP) grants totaling just over $7,200 for enhancements to local businesses were approved by town council here on Aug. 6. The grants include: - a $950 signage grant toward an awning at Magic Ice Cream Shop in Harriston; - a $822 public art grant toward a wall mural at the Crown Theatre building in Harriston; - a $940 signage grant for McLaughlin Financial’s new location in Harriston; - a $3,000 façade improvement grant for Acheson Pharmasave in Harriston; and - $375 each for storefront accessory grants for customized benches at R&R Pet Paradise on Road 1 North, ReMax Midwestern Realty in
Harriston, Leslie Motors in Harriston and McLaughlin Financial in Harriston. “It’s so great to see all these businesses freshening up their storefronts. One does it, they all do it,â€? commented business and economic development manager Belinda Wick-Graham. “With the approval of these grants today we are now out of our CIP grants for 2019,â€? she added. “The enthusiasm for downtown revitalization this year has been amazing and it is wonderful to see the property and business owners stepping forward to improve their façades, signage, curb appeal and helping to contribute to the overall vibrancy of our downtown cores,â€? Wick-Graham stated in her report. “We are hopeful that the budget for this program will be continued in 2020.â€?
Council approves $675,000 municipal drain expansion By Aryn Strickland MAPLETON - Council approved the repair and expansion of a municipal drain south of Moorefield stretching from Concession Road 6 to 8 along Wellington Road 10 during a council meeting on Aug. 13. The total estimated cost of the project is $675,000. Construction alone is estimated to cost about $400,000. Township engineer Tom Pridham called it “a large project,� and stated that the drain needed some “major
overhauls,� during a previous council meeting on July 9. The project will include the installation of 2,658 metres of closed drain, six road crossings, 21 catchbasins and 376 metres of open drain clean out. Eleven properties will be impacted by the improvement project with a projected total net cost of $230,074. Work associated with the closed drain constructed on private lands include: - stripping and replacing SEE DRAIN  4
Horse plow - Celie Diebold of Ayr walks behind a horse drawn plow accompanied by John DeKroon of Dublin at the 2019 Wellington County Plowing Match on Aug. 15 in Mapleton. Photo by Patrick Raftis
Perfect day for plowing at county match in Mapleton By Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – Perfect weather, plenty of competition and a great local venue added up to a successful day at the 2019 Wellington County Plowing Match on Aug. 15. “It was a fantastic day. The facilities were tremendous and the crowd was just very nice,� said Wellington County Plowmen’s Association president Ron Faulkner. Faulkner said he was pleased to see four competitors in the horse-drawn plow category. “That’s a very good number. That’s a skill that’s fast disappearing,� he noted. The match featured over 30 competitors in various tractor-drawn categories. There were seven competi-
tors in the celebrity plowing competition and two in a special OPP officers and spouses category. Faulkner said 2018-19 Ontario Queen of the Furrow Derika Nauta was on hand at the event helping Wellington County Queen of the Furrow Heidi Frey with ceremonial duties. Faulkner had high praise for both volunteers and the match venue. “The volunteers were great. I think we were cleaned up in less than an hour after the last competitor finished,� he said, adding that “Peg Scheick and the Drayton United Church ladies just served a super lunch.� The match was held on the Drayton-area farm of Neil Driscoll and family.
Pitching in - Wellington County Princess of the Furrow Shayna Morphy, left and Queen of the Furrow coordinator Katharine Clyne helped out with registration at the 2019 Wellington County Plowing Match on Aug. 15 in Mapleton. Photo by Patrick Raftis “The plowing field right beside the buildings. It was just almost a perfect location,� said Faulkner. 2019 annual The County Wellington
Plowmen’s Banquet and Queen and Princess of the Furrow competitions will be held on Oct. 26 at the Alma hall. SEE PLOWING  5
Auditor declares town’s books in good financial order MINTO – An annual independent audit has found the Town of Minto’s books to be in good financial order. “It was a clean audit. There’s no issues. You’ve got a good staff and they take care of the books,� Ryan Deyell of Ward and Uptigrove told council on Aug. 7. Deyell said the “key paragraph� in the audit report states, “In our opinion, the consolidated financial state-
ments present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of The Corporation of the Town of Minto as at December 31, 2018, and its results of its operations, changes in net financial assets, and its cash flows for the year then ended December 31, 2018 in accordance with Canadian Public Sector Accounting Standards.� “The big picture? This is a strong statement,� said Deyell.
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He noted the town has over $11.8 million in current financial assets, an increase of about $1.2 million from the previous year. “All the receivables are collectible and you’re doing a good job with that,� he noted. The auditor pointed out the town’s total financial assets increased by about $1.8 million, from $13.1 million in 2017 to $14.9 million in 2018, while current liabilities, including payables, deferred revenues and employee ben-
efits, totaled about $1.97 million. “When you compare that to your current assets, you’re in really good shape there,� he explained. Deyell noted the town recorded a surplus of $3.56 million in 2018, up slightly from the previous year. “Your tangible capital assets have also increased – lots of investment in infrastructure and capital additions,� he stated. “It’s all been done well
WEEKLY WAG
‘‘
By Patrick Raftis
“Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.� - Mark Twain
and budgeted for and I commend everybody for that.� Treasurer Gordon Duff noted “2018 was a little unique in that one project (downtown road reconstruction in Clifford) pretty much dominated. “That was really a $4.7-million project and for us that’s huge,� said Duff. He pointed out the project would not have been possible without funding from other levels of government, including $1 million in provincial
Connecting Link cash. “A municipality the size of Minto can’t do this size of project without the help of upper levels of government,� stated Duff. Deputy mayor Dave Turton, who chairs the town’s finance committee, concurred with Deyell’s assessment of Minto’s treasury department. “Gord and his staff, they do a great job, and he’s been doing a great job for a long time,� Turton stated.
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