THE
SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY NEWS Volume 48 Issue 44
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 1.85% 3 Year GIC - 2.19% 5 Year GIC - 2.35% Daily Interest 1.00%
638-3328
Friday, October 30, 2015
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Mapleton council still struggling with requests for grants, rent breaks by Patrick Raftis
Pumpkin decorating - Lanie Moore, left, and her sister Avery, of Drayton, painted and decorated pumpkins at the Drayton Legion’s annual Halloween party for children. A variety of Halloween crafts, activities and goodies were part of the event on Oct 24. More photos on page 8.
photo by Caroline Sealey
Inspection reveals compliance issues but local system delivering safe water by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - Despite some non-compliance and best practices issues noted in recent inspection reports, the Drayton and Moorefield water systems are delivering safe drinking water, according to the township’s public works director. “Is our drinking water safe?” Mayor Neil Driscoll asked director and acting CAO Brad McRoberts on Oct. 13 following a report on Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) annual inspections of the township’s water systems.
“Yes, our drinking water is safe,” replied McRoberts. The question is one municipal council members are encouraged by provincial officials to regularly ask of water system operators. The final inspection rating for the systems was 95.33% for Drayton and 100% for Moorefield. The report, conducted on July 10 and Aug. 20, identified two non-compliance issues for the Drayton system. One involved continuous monitoring equipment not performing tests with at least the required
minimum frequency. The other involved a flow recorder running out of ink, resulting in three days (two in December 2014 and one in February 2015) during which the equipment failed to record the required treated flow rates for almost the entire day. In response to both concerns, the township is working with the system operators, the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) and R.J. Burnside and Associates to implement a new Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system as part of the 2015
capital budget. The report also identified a “best practices” issue with the Moorefield system. The ministry notes the entries in the wellhouse logbook contain blank lines between daily entries. “This is not an ideal practice as it can allow for the recording of information at a later date within the existing log entry,” the report states. As a result, OCWA has amended its practices to include crossing out empty lines from logs “to avoid the potential for the back entry of information,” the report states.
Council plans survey on first year in office by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - Councillors want to know what township residents think of them after their first year in office. At a special meeting on Oct. 23, council approved plans for distribution of a survey aimed at determining if citizens find individual council members accessible and approachable, and if they feel council is operating in “open and transpar-
ent” fashion. The survey also seeks input on how effectively council is communicating with Mapleton residents. Respondents will also be asked about councillors’ visibility at public events. The survey indicates the current council, elected in October 2014, would like to obtain feedback on “how we are doing in our role of representing the community.
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“We truly want to understand if we are making decisions in the best interest of the public.” Once results are compiled, council hopes to “better understand how we are doing as a council and if we are addressing concerns, being transparent in our actions and communicating effectively to the community.” The survey will be distributed though a combina-
tion of methods, including the online Survey Monkey service, a copy of the survey in the Community News, links on the township’s website and social media, and paper copies of the survey available at public locations in Mapleton. The estimated cost of the project ($1,500 to $2,000) will be drawn from the budget for the Mayor’s Breakfast program, council agreed.
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MAPLETON - Council continues to struggle with the issue of providing grants and reduced facility rates to community organizations. The ongoing issue arose again at the Oct. 13 meeting, during which Mapleton council received a request from the Mapleton-Minto 81’s Senior AA hockey team for a reduced rental rate for the community centre hall during home games. The club uses the hall to run a “blueline club” as a fundraiser. The team, which plays home games at the PMD Arena Complex as well as the Palmerston arena, requested use of the hall for $200 for five home games and any playoff dates. The request is for the same reduced rate the team has been charged for the past several seasons. Acting CAO Brad McRoberts noted in a report to council the standard rate is $475 per event. Assuming one playoff game being held at the PMD Arena, the total requested reduction would be $1,650. The Mapleton Minto 81’s would also share profits from alcohol sales. McRoberts pointed out staff have concerns with providing a reduced rate for events, regardless of the requestor, unless the money is drawn from a funding line within the budget. “It messes up our operating
budget,” he told council. While council has discussed the idea of a “community grant program” to cover requests of this nature, there is nothing currently in place. In March, council passed a motion directing staff to bring forward a proposal for a grant program. “I’m struggling with it … because I’ve sat here in the gallery over the years and saw council debate who gets reductions and who doesn’t,” said councillor Lori Woodham. “I don’t want that power.” “I agree with Lori. I’d like to see some pretty strong recommendations come forward on this community grant program,” said councillor Dennis Craven. Mayor Neil Driscoll added, “The sooner we get this community grant program figured out it will make for a lot less debate for us.” Councillor Marlene Ottens said, “This is the same discussion that we had back in March. I agree that we need to have some sort of plan in place to avoid more of this.” Council approved the request for the reduced rate, but directed staff to advise the 81’s to submit another request for a similar grant in 2016 by Nov. 15. That request will be considered as part of the 2016 budget process. The motion passed with only Woodham opposed.
Committed volunteer - Jim deBock of Alma, left, received the 2014-15 Optimist of the Year award from Alma Optimist John Broadfoot at the club’s monthly dinner meeting on Oct. 20 at the Alma Community Centre. DeBock was recognized for outstanding dedication and hard work toward advancing optimism in the club and community. Since 1981, deBock has devoted copious amounts of time and effort for youth and he “embodies the true spirit of giving,” club officials noted. DeBock has a long list of involvement with Optimist events, including Breakfast on the Farm, the local swim program, Winterfest, Tin Can Curling, T-ball, bike rodeo, Plunger Plop, DARE program, Roadkill Race, beef barbecue, rink building and Alma Environment Fair. He has also served in various positions on the club’s executive. photo by Caroline Sealey
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