SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 49 ISSUE 44
DRAYTON, ONTARIO
1 Year GIC - 2.02% 3 Year GIC - 2.30% 5 Year GIC - 2.35% Daily Interest 1.00%
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016
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More consultation planned on farm development charges By Patrick Raftis
Halloween party - The Drayton Legion held its annual children’s Halloween party on Oct. 29 at the branch. Children made Halloween-related crafts, played seasonal games and enjoyed “eyeball juice” and Halloween treats. Zombie Lily McLeod, left, Glenda Dippel as Rey from Star Wars, and skeletal Kate McLeod enjoyed the afternoon. Photo by Caroline Sealey
Council won’t support solar bid By Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - Council here has declined a request to provide municipal support for a proposal to install several ground-mounted solar arrays on abandoned rail line property in the township. Dennis German of German Solar Corporation told council on Oct. 11 his London-based company is planning to submit FIT (Feed In Tariffs) 5.0 applications to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator for four small scale ground-mounted solar projects: one near Moorefield and three others off Sideroad 12, Sideroad 6 and Wellington Road 9. As part of the application process, priority points are awarded to applications with municipal support and German asked Mapleton council to provide documents indicating the township’s support. German notes the projects would be located on abandoned CN rail corridors and occupy less than three acres. They would involve one or two rows of panels, 12 feet above the ground and either 300 (one row) or 700 (two rows) metres in length. He noted weed control and access for farm operations is maintained in all cases and
pointed out land targeted for the projects is not Class 1, 2 or 3 farmland. Council directed staff to provide a report outlining the details of the request and draft an associated support resolution. When the resolution was presented at the Oct. 25 meeting, councillor Michael Martin questioned the need for the project. “So council is fine supporting a project for which there’s no documented need, that’s probably going to affect your hydro rates?” Martin asked “That’s the way I read the proposal yes,” said Mayor Neil Driscoll. Councillor Marlene Ottens noted, “the resolution is just so he can go ahead and apply ... they’re not approving anything.” Councillor Lori Woodham asked, “If council supported this, and they are awarded a contract – then will it come back to us?” “That would depend if they require any permits from the municipality,” said CAO Brad McRoberts. Conceding he wasn’t sure, McRoberts said, “My guess is they don’t need a building permit.” Driscoll added, “And, it is a Green Energy Act project, so once our municipality makes our comments, you might never see it again.”
MAPLETON - Council here plans further public consultation before making a decision on a proposal to end a total development charges exemption for agricultural construction in the township. Council also agreed to amend the 2016 development Charges Update Study to factor in increased estimates for the cost of upgrading water capacity. Council approved both measures after receiving a staff report from CAO Brad McRoberts at the Oct. 25 meeting. Mapleton’s current development charges bylaw includes a 100 per cent exemption for buildings constructed for “a bona fide farm use.” A proposal presented at a public meeting on Oct. 11 would see the exemption reduced to 75%. That would mean someone building a new barn, for example, would pay 25% of the non-residential rate of $2.65 per square foot of gross floor area, which works out to 66 cents/ft2. The proposal drew opposition from the Wellington
Federation of Agriculture and a number of area farmers at the Oct. 11 meeting. The staff report recommended additional public consultation and also that a fact sheet of answers to a spate of recent questions on the topic be prepared for distribution at the upcoming public meeting and as required. In the report, McRoberts also requested council direction on how to address the increase in projected water capacity enhancement costs. The report explains that while the Development Charges Update Study was being completed a Water Capacity Environmental Study was being undertaken for the Drayton water system. Although the Water Capacity Environmental Study is still in draft form and being vetted with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, it contains estimates that the required upgrades could cost up to $3.1 million, an increase over preliminary estimates of $2.5 million. Four options were presented to council for dealing with the higher cost estimates. Option 1. Wait until
the Water Capacity Environmental Assessment is completed and designed to amend the development charge bylaw Option 2. Amend the current 2016 Development Charges Update Study to include an assumption that a provincial or federal grant equivalent to the increased cost will be secured. Option 3. Amend the current 2016 Development Charges Update Study to include the increased water capacity cost estimates Option 4. Wait until the current Development Charge Bylaw expires and update cost as part of the new bylaw. Staff recommended option 3 be pursued, noting the option “ensures development charges are secured.” Councillor Lori Woodham said she could not find “substantial reports from staff” indicating the need for the agricultural development charges and suggested council “Go with option 3 for water, but eliminate this change to development charges for the bona fide farmers.” Councillor Michael Martin suggested supporting SEE PUBLIC MEETING » 4
Wellington’s writer in residence discusses craft at local workshop by Caroline Sealey DRAYTON - Wellington County Library’s 2016 writer in residence Kathy Stinson hosted a writer’s workshop at the Drayton Library. The hour-long presentation, titled Becoming a Writer and held on Oct. 22, focused on getting participants past the, “maybe someday I will
write ... “ to that “someday” happening now. Registration requirements included being prepared to do a little scribbling. Stinson, a resident of Rockwood, began her writing career 35 years ago in university when given the option to write an essay or a children’s book for a class assignment. “I thought it would be fun
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to write a children’s book, so I did,” Stinson said. “The title of that book was Jelly Bean Jungle. Of course, my mom kept all my stories from Grade 4. To date I have written 30 books and have had stories published in many anthologies.” One popular children’s book written by the author,
Pumpkin people - This display on Wellington Road 11 near Drayton featured 13 “pumpkin people” in celebration of Halloween. The pumpkin people are sporting various types of apparel and headgear and represent all ages, in addition to a family dog. Photos by Caroline Sealey
SEE WRITER » 3
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