THE
SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY NEWS Volume 48 Issue 35
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 1.99% 3 Year GIC - 2.21% 5 Year GIC - 2.30% Daily Interest 1.00%
638-3328
Friday, August 28, 2015
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Refusal to release wastewater capacity upsets developer by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - An allocation of 14 units of wastewater capacity to Wellingdale Construction for lots on Faith Drive in Drayton remains suspended, despite a plea for action from the developer at the Aug. 11 meeting. Council officially suspended the allocation after hearing from the township’s engineers and a representative of the local developer on Sept. 23, 2014. A motion to remove a holding provision from 14 lots on Faith Drive in Drayton had to be deferred at the Aug. 26, 2014 meeting after an engineers’ report from R.J. Burnside and Associates stated that while the plant’s rating indicated capacity was available, the township actually had an operational deficit of 61 units. In the meantime, the municipality has undertaken a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment to evaluate alternatives to expand the capacity of the Mapleton Wastewater Treatment Plant to deal with a long-standing capacity shortage. A number of steps have also been taken in an attempt to improve the situation in the short term, including efforts to reduce inflow and infiltration into the sewage system. However, John Mohle of Wellingdale Construction told council the township must either honour the capacity allocation, which was transferred to Wellingdale from The Murray
Political plowmen hit the fields at Wellington County match Political plowmen - Area politicians, including Mapleton Mayor Neil Driscoll, above, and Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece, right, competed in the VIP category at the Wellington County Plowing Match held on Aug. 20 at the Harriston-area farm of Gordon and Anne South. The event included competitions in both tractor and horse-drawn plowing. This year’s plowing match banquet will be held on Oct. 23 at the Alma hall. photos by Patrick Raftis
Council supports ‘depoliticizing’ announcements for local infrastructure project funding by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – Council here has expressed support for a local MPP’s resolution that calls on the government to depoliticize infrastructure funding announcements. Council received notice from Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece at its Aug. 11 meeting of plans to introduce a private member’s resolution in the legislature. The proposed resolution reads “the government should guarantee that government-
held ridings and oppositionheld ridings be given equal and transparent consideration on infrastructure funding, and that when funding decisions are made, should guarantee that all MPPs, whether in government or opposition, be given fair and equal advance notice of the official announcement.� “There is, after all, no such thing as Liberal, PC or NDP infrastructure money; there is only public money. That money comes from taxes that we all pay; everyone in the
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province should expect a similar quality of infrastructure and services, regardless of where they live,� states Pettapiece in his letter, which asks council to pass a resolution of its own in support his position. “Too often, however, there is at least a persistent perception that public infrastructure dollars have, in at least some cases, been directed according to politics and not according to need.� In his letter, the Conservative MPP points out a section of the resolution deal-
ing specifically with funding announcements. “These announcements must, I believe, be depoliticized in order to address the perception that opposition-held ridings are disadvantaged - or worse yet, being punished for voting against the government.� “I think this is very important especially for our municipality,� said Mayor Neil Driscoll, prior to council passing a resolution supporting the MPP’s position.
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Group in a private transaction, or compensate his company. Council passed a resolution granting the allocation to Wellingdale at a meeting on July 22, 2014. Mohle said he had been advised in advance by staff that everything would be in order for the hold to be lifted from the lots at that time. “This motion speaks fairly clearly that we were granted some allocation,� said Mohle on Aug. 11. “What does council intend to do here? We have tried a number of things over the past year,� added Mohle, who wondered, “Are we going to receive some kind of compensation for carrying costs of the delay because we’re being held up?� “This council is saying we can’t sway and make a decision to give allotment that we really don’t have,� replied Mayor Neil Driscoll. He said the municipality doesn’t want to “jeopardize the relationship that we have built with the Ministry of Environment,� through the process of working toward a longterm solution to Mapleton’s capacity issues. “We’re working toward improving the whole system so everyone can build,� said Driscoll. “Does that mean, Neil, that this motion was a mistake?� asked Mohle. “I remember that night very well. I do remember asking staff twice, ‘Are you sure we Continued on page 2
Building boom continues throughout Mapleton by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - Another strong month for building activity in July has kept construction figures well above last year’s levels. The township issued 49 building permits for construction valued at about $3.5 million last month, a recent report indicates. That generated just over $35,000 in permit fees. In July 2014, 34 permits were issued for construction valued at about $2.3 million, generating $23,892 in fees. So far in 2015, 224 permits have been issued for construction valued at nearly $42 million, resulting in almost $275,000 in fees.
To the same point in 2014, 176 permits had been issued for construction valued at $14.4 million, resulting in roughly $153,000 in fees. “We’ve had another busy month,� said chief building official Patty Wright at the Aug. 11 Mapleton council meeting. Five permits were issued for construction of single family dwellings worth a total of $1.6 million in July. Agricultural construction, with 15 permits issued for just under $1.4 million worth of construction, was the next largest category. Year to date, 19 permits have been issued for single family home construction valued at $6.9 million.
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