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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 45 Issue 03
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 1.90% 3 Year GIC - 2.25% 5 Year GIC - 2.70% Daily Interest 1.75%
Friday, January 20, 2012
Success at last? Council to meet with CN by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - If at first you don’t succeed ... That could be an adage Mapleton Township council can live by when it comes to getting the attention of a major company. After months of attempts to reach officials at CN Railway for a meeting over Conestogo River erosion problems in Drayton, chief administrative officer Patty Sinnamon told council on Jan. 10 she is in the process of arranging a meeting with CN officials. The meeting, which she hoped would take place this week, was to consider concerns brought to council’s attention by councillor Andy Knetsch several months ago. He has fears about the abutment on the Conestogo River that is still the property of the railway company. The banks around the abutment are eroding quickly and he sees that as a major safety issue. Sinnamon said scheduling the meeting may not be easy because three parties are
involved: the township, CN and the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA). The GRCA, too, has been trying to meet with CN officials about concerns over flooding, but Sinnamon said besides possible channeling in the river, its officials are concerned about silt washing out from the banks near the old railway abutment and again in other places along the riverbank that is owned by CN. “It is related to the abutment,” Sinnamon said of those other erosion problems. That abutment is about 60 feet high and a recent visit before the weather turned colder showed a steady trickle of gravel rolling down from the banks into the river. Township officials believe some work in the river could prevent major floods that have been occurring in downtown Drayton over the past several years. Sinnamon said she sent emails to several CN officials before she finally obtained a response.
Decision on turbines could be made at Jan. 24 meeting by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. Council here met behind closed doors again to consider what it will do about last month’s approval of a wind turbine project near Arthur. Residents opposing NextEra Energy’s Conestogo Wind Energy Centre southwest of Arthur are hoping the township will take part in an appeal that would result in the project approval being fought on two fronts. NextEra wants to build a 10-turbine, 22-megawatt wind farm southwest of Arthur. Residents in the area have been opposing the project almost
since it was announced three years ago. Preserve Mapleton Incorporated has already filed an appeal of the Ministry of Environment’s approval of the project to an environmental tribunal. There will be a hearing in Kitchener on Jan. 20 to determine which parties will take part in the tribunal and what issues will be considered. The formal hearing is set for Feb. 20 and has an extra day allotted if required. The residents’ group is hoping council will challenge the turbine project’s approval in the courts. Continued on page 3
Generous sponsorship - Drayton Kinsmen Alfred Rumph, Tyler Struyk and John-Henry Klaassen present a cheque to Deb Mantler, president of the Drayton Skating Club. The Kinsmen sponsored the skating club’s annual “Fun Day” in December. submitted photo
Council could be using laptops by February by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. Instead of shuffling paper, councillors here could be doing some scrolling at their council meetings starting in February. It is one of several technology moves council is making heading into 2012. Just prior to Christmas council voted to obtain laptops for councillors. Since councillor Jim Curry and Mayor Bruce Whale already have them, the township is supplying three councillors with computers. Council had been reluctant to spend the money on them, even though it was allocated in the 2011 budget. But the need for technological improvements won. On Jan. 10, Curry asked
finance director Mike Givens if programs will be loaded onto his computer. Givens said that is the case. “We bought the software on the assumption we’d put it on your computer,” he said. Councillor Neil Driscoll, who has been reluctant to spend money on laptops, asked if council will include email addresses for council on the machines. He noted the township is soon to launch its new website and said email addresses for councillors should be available so people can contact councillors about various issues. Chief administrative officer Patty Sinnamon told council the township’s new website will be running “in a few weeks.”
Whale told councillors he hopes there can be some training on the new laptops later this month prior to council’s strategic planning meetings. In other technology issues, councillor Andy Knetsch told council it should consider a projection screen. “We need one sooner rather than later,” he said. Currently, council is forced to use a wall of the council chamber for presentations. Whale said a screen purchase could be considered in the budget this year. Curry said rather than a screen, council should consider a monitor. He said if a stand-alone projector is used too often its bulbs burn out and they are expensive to replace. He added a monitor would pro-
duce less noise, too. But Whale noted the township already has a projector. Givens said that one is shared with the fire department. Sinnamon said that machine has been owned by the township “since amalgamation, and we’ve not replaced a bulb yet.” She said the projector was at the fire hall a few weeks ago because council had not been expecting a presentation and had not known it would require a screen. She said all staff has to do is talk to the fire department and it will be available at the township office. Councillor Mike Downey asked if it is worth buying a projector or monitor “when we have one 99.9% of the time.”
Debris, unlicenced vehicles keeping new enforcement officer busy by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. Residents here apparently take pride in their properties - and take umbrage when neighbours let things slide. The township’s new bylaw enforcement officer Maurita Boyle presented her first report to council on Jan. 10 and detailed the work since she was hired in October. The properties were identified with a number code and no names were used. Boyle made inspections after receiving complaints about the status
of various properties. She currently has 14 ongoing complaints about debris, rubbish and unlicenced vehicles being parked in people’s yards. Mayor Bruce Whale noted that having junk in a yard seems to be the most common complaint by residents, and “it’s nice to see those are getting cleaned up.” Boyle reported that she had worked with six owners who had such things as long grass, noxious weeds and vehicles in the yard. She noted she made “several site visits” with all
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six and those owners have now cleaned up their properties and are in compliance with property standards. In the four cases that are still open, she noted she is working with the owners and will follow up on the complaints to make sure something is done to clean the properties. In one case she delivered a notice of the problem to the property owner and was told tenants are moving in the spring and cleanup will follow. Boyle noted in her report that she was involved in
only three zoning complaints because she had been busy trying to get properties cleaned up prior to bad weather setting in. In one of those, someone is operating a business that is not permitted and she has made several site visits and is working with the owner on paperwork for a zone change. That applicant had until Jan. 12 to complete that paperwork. In another, there was a complain about a business operating that is not permitted and she made several site visits and is still trying to contact the
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owner to discuss property and zoning issues. In the third, she received a complaint about someone operating a retail store in an area zoned for agriculture and she spoke to the owner. Boyle said there was “no sign of a retail store” but the site will be monitored to make sure the owner is in compliance with the zoning. Boyle told council she will be giving quarterly reports on her activities. Councillor Jim Curry asked about business signs in residential areas that are violating the
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township’s sign bylaw. Boyle said it would depend on the size of the sign. Chief administrative officer Patty Sinnamon said people running businesses from their home are permitted a two foot sign on their home. That prompted Curry to ask if a 2 by 3 foot signs placed at the curb is in violation of the bylaw. Boyle said it is. Councillor Andy Knetsch said to Boyle of her report, “I appreciate the work you put into this. It’s very professional.”
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