Hello there! It’s been a very busy few weeks with back-to-back-to-back meetings, the reasons of which I have already discussed. We have another Middlesex Centre Council meeting happening this Wednesday at 9:30am, but in the meantime here is a recap of the Nov 27 meeting.
Delegations & Presentations
- Mr. Logtenberg presented the bridge needs assessment from his firm.
- 105(!!) bridges across Middlesex Centre. The majority of them fall under “Fair” condition, quite a few in “Good” or “Excellent” condition, but 10 with less than a score of 40 and therefore need to be repaired or replaced fairly soon.
- Mr. Logtenberg identified some examples of quick wins to bring some bridges up to standard while also doing standard repairs.
- Questions around pre-fab, different materials, culverts, and other things. PWE has some operating budget for repairs, but it’s a fairly small number. PWE will be taking this report and prioritizing items over next few years to keep bridges in good shape. Report received for info.
- Cara Finn, Director of Economic Development for the County then did her presentation.
- County maintains a local business directory (http://investinmiddlesex.ca) that’s free for businesses to join, and is searchable by community.
- There is http://workinmiddlesex.ca — job fairs, youth forums, experiential learning, workforce attraction, and employer round tables.
- There’s also http://visitmiddlesex.ca designed around tourism. Cara can get you hooked up regardless of how economic development can help you.
- Presentation received.
Consent Agenda
- Cllr Heffernan asked questions regarding animal control by-law revision to include regulating cats.
- Consent agenda approved and received. The animal control by-law was later passed and now includes regulation of cats at large (like we thought it did until recently).
Committee of Adjustment
- Application for minor variance at 125 Erie Ave was approved, subject to 20 day appeal period. I asked question regarding lot coverage max (still 35%) and asked the applicant about when they knew setback minimums (they knew when purchasing the property).
Public Meetings
- Items 10.1 and 10.2 passed quickly.
- Lots of discussion around item 10.3. This isn’t new territory for us, allowing a dwelling unit above a garage (especially in a rural area). After some time, we voted and it’s approved.
Staff Reports
- Item 8.1 deferred back to staff based on Council feedback received.
- Long discussion about Item 8.2 and 2020 capital budget. In the end the direction was to keep the new Ilderton fire engine in the 2020 budget and sell the existing one once we get it, and to include the dog park in the budget.
Correspondence
We discussed the CN correspondence, staff are waiting for more info and an action plan from CN. Correspondence received for information.
And then all the by-laws were passed! That’s it for Nov 29. If you have any questions, please let me know.