Briefs from the Sept. 3 Whitewater Region Township council meeting.
Department Reports
Public works: Manager Bill Misener noted the overlay on the Zion Line has begun and it should be completed by week’s end. The new brushhead is working well. Engineering work has begun for Truelove Street and the Wren subdivision. The motor to provide water power for the Industrial park has been installed and training has begun with the fire department so firefighters know how to use it if required. Road side brushing continues as does cold patching and grading of the roads.
Building and Bylaw: Chief Building Official Doug Schultz reported 22 building permits were issued in July with a construction value of $1.2 million. The permits were for four single dwellings, three single family additions, two demolition permits, four septic permits, three accessory buildings, two agricultural, three decks and one pool.
Reeve Don Rathwell is impressed with the building that is occurring in the township.
“We are moving towards more assessment for the township, which is badly needed in Whitewater,” he said.
Mr. Schultz told council there are a lot of dog issues in the township right now.
“In Cobden, we had one dog attack another dog and we must have had three or four calls on the weekend about dogs running at large or dogs barking all the time,” he said.
As the summer goes on and we enter the fall season, Mr. Schultz believes the issue will get worse because pets are left alone more. There are about three calls each week, he said, and the number is increasing.
Chief administrative officer Christine FitzSimons noted that due to health reasons, Steve Fiegen of Bonnechere Valley is not available for dog pick-up calls, so it’s all falling onto Mr. Schultz’s responsibility. There’s hope of finding one individual who can serve several municipalities regarding dog issues, she said.
Environmental Services: Manager Steve Hodson noted the new crawler loader for the landfill site should be in the province by month’s end. The large recycling bins were used at the Cobden Fair, and more will be purchased. The health unit continues to monitor the Cobden beach area of Muskrat Lake and most likely the beach will remain closed for the rest of the season. Hydrants are scheduled to be flushed in Beachburg in September. A works permit has been submitted to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for the Westmeath boat channel dredging.
Ms. FitzSimons noted a blue green algae bloom has now been found in Muskrat Lake and the beach has been posted with this situation as well. She has advised Mike Grace at the health unit of the township’s plan to secure student funding for next year to hire a student to work specifically at the beach scaring the birds away, keeping the weeds under control and taking care of the garbage.
There is a household hazardous waste day Saturday, Sept. 13 at the Ross Landfill site.
Fire: Chief Wayne Heubner said fire prevention must be working because all is quiet within the municipality. The one large fire the township firefighters responded to was in Admaston-Bromley Township, in the area where Whitewater is first responders.
SPEED SIGN
Councilor Allen Dick advised council that there is a possibility the OPP will no longer operate the speed board sign. This sign alerts drivers the speed they are going. Whitewater Township, along with three other municipalities, purchased the sign jointly a few years ago.
Councillor Joey Trimm reminded council that two years ago, there was talk of this council purchasing a less expensive version of a speed sign so it could be used whenever it was warranted in the township. He said it was not pursued, but possibly this is the time to review it.
The sign, if he remembered correctly, recorded the speed and kept count of the number of vehicles, which would benefit the public works department.
Ms. FitzSimons believed the cost was in the $5,000 range.
Following a brief discussion, it was agreed a review of the sign would be conducted and brought back to council.
Other News
Mr. Schultz is going to review an island near LaPasse that the owner wants to sell. In a letter to council, Patricia Healey-Smith said she doesn’t understand why she has environmental issues regarding the island, which she has owned since 1969, while a nearby island doesn’t seem to have the same standards. Mr. Schultz is going to visit the island and check with the Ministry of Natural Resources to see what jurisdiction the township has.
Council sent a letter to Joe Kowalski, owner of Wilderness Tours, advising the township only gave permission to increase the area where he can allow alcohol, not the noise levels or other activities that take place during the two summer festivals he was holding. The letter noted the township requests that the volume of the music be turned down at 1 a.m. Mr. Kowalski sent an email to council advising he had already implemented the 1 a.m. noise reduction previous to the letter’s arrival and had received a complimentary phone call from a neighbour following the final music festival.
