SERVING MAPLETON AND MINTO
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 51 ISSUE 34
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Wastewater plant re-rating approval will lead to end of development freeze By Patrick Raftis
Ready for the road - The Drayton Kinsmen and Pal Mocha Shrine clubs teamed up to purchase an adaptive three-wheeler for Carson Deckert of Drayton. ABOVE: The Deckert family, from left: front, Eric, Hadley, Carrie and Carson surrounded by from left: Drayton Kinsmen Gary Van Ankum, Brad Anstead, Ray Kuper and Chad Bridge and Pal Mocha Shriners Warren Jack, John Green and Ron Faulkner. BELOW Carson, 5, tries out his new wheels. Photos by Patrick Raftis
Kinsmen, Shriners team up to put local youth on wheels By Patrick Raftis
strength for the plastic surgery he may have next year.” Carson is a candidate for selective dorsal rhizotomy, a neurological procedure that selectively destroys problematic new roots in the spinal cord. Carson takes physiotherapy once a month through KidsAbility in Fergus and two to three times a month privately with a pediatric therapist. Recently his KidsAbility therapist recom-
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mended the Deckerts attend one of their events on adapted bikes. “You would not believe how remarkable this experience was for him to realize he too could ride a bike like his friends,” Carrie wrote in a letter to the Pal Mocha Shriners. “The independence and confidence that Carson will be able to gain by being able to pedal his own bike will be remarkable - not to mention
WEEKLY WAG
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DRAYTON – A local youth is travelling the road to recovery with a new set of wheels, thanks to two local service groups. The Drayton Kinsmen Club and the Pal Mocha Shrine Club joined forces to purchase a special needs three-wheeler for Carson Deckert. Members of the clubs were on hand to see it delivered on Aug. 15. Carson, 5, son of Drayton residents Eric and Carrie Deckert, suffers from spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. The condition is marked by tense muscles and spasms. Leg muscles in particular tend to be extremely tight, and over time this causes joints to stiffen, reducing range of motion. Carson walks with the aid of a walker, but his mother says he was able to ride a regular bicycle with training wheels if someone helped him move his legs. “But now he can just go,” she said, after watching Carson take his first ride on the Zoulou adaptive tricycle. Carrie said the design of the bike relieves stress on Carson’s legs while he rides and will “help him build up
the fact of being able to ride a bike with his friends and family. “He will also develop some very important body strength that will aid his growth, coordination and confidence.” After learning of Carson’s need for the three wheeler the Kinsmen and Shrine clubs agreed to split the $2,500 cost. The Kinsmen also purchased a new helmet for Carson to wear while riding. Ron Faulkner of the Pal Mocha Shriners said the club, which supports numerous causes assisting children, was pleased to be able to help a local family. Drayton Kinsmen Club president Ray Kuper echoed that sentiment. “Our club’s motto is ‘Serving the community’s greatest need.’ Carson’s part of the community and he’s in need,” Kuper stated. In an email after the tricycle was delivered, Carrie stated, “Words cannot express how truly grateful we are. And as for Carson, this little man is over the moon ... Carson just loves it.” Kuper noted the support of community members for the annual Drayton Kinsmen Farm Show and other club events allows them to raise funds for local causes.
“It takes no more time to see the good side of life than to see the bad.” - Jimmy Buffett
MAPLETON – “Finally there’s going to be shovels in the ground in Mapleton, hopefully as early as this fall.” Mayor Neil Driscoll made that declaration at the Aug. 14 township council meeting, following news that the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) has approved a re-rating of the local wastewater treatment plant, paving the way to end a decades-long development freeze in Drayton and Moorefield. Consulting engineers EXP Services Inc., the Grand River Authority Conservation (GRCA), the MOECC and Mapleton staff have been working collectively over the last several years to acquire approval for a capacity re-rating of the wastewater treatment system from 750 to 900 cubic metres per day. This interim re-rating approval, which will lead to a proposed secondary re-rating of the treatment system to achieve an operating intake
capacity of 1,300m3/day, was awarded by the MOECC on Aug. 3, explained public works director Sam Mattina in a report to council. CAO Manny Baron called the announcement “some fantastic news” and credited “the hard work of staff and correspondence with our engineers” for making it happen. “That’s going to bring 207 liveable units to Drayton in the near future, which is great, great news … It’s a really big deal for us here,” Baron stated. Mattina stated in his report, “This re-rating is a necessary requirement that will allow for continued growth of the community, both physically and economically.” The approval requires methodology to be implemented to achieve provincial Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA), the report explains. The compliance methodology requires provision for additional alum dosing at the SEE WASTEWATER » 2
Periodic road closure part of 2019 rebuild of Highway 9 in Minto By Patrick Raftis MINTO – Highway 9 will be periodically closed between Harriston and Clifford during a construction project now slated for next spring and summer. In March, Minto council agreed to a Ministry of Transportation (MTO) request for an exemption from the town’s noise bylaw to permit the reconstruction of Highway 9 between Harriston and Clifford to include overnight work. At the Aug. 10 meeting, chief Terry official building Kuipers advised council the project did not start in 2018 as anticipated and MTO plans to re-tender the project this fall with a revised construction period of May 1 to
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Oct. 31 of 2019. “The scope of the project has changed slightly with them closing the road from Monday morning to Friday. Before it was going to be open to limited traffic, that sort of thing,” Kuipers told council. In a letter to the town, MTO officials advised that Highway 9 between Clifford and Harriston will be closed to through-traffic for short periods of time from May to September 2019 to allow for specific construction operations. Any closures will occur on weekdays between Monday at 5am and Friday at 9pm. Outside those times, the highway will be open to through-traffic, the letter states. Also, Highway 9 will SEE PERIODIC » 3
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