BRUCEDALE – Topics discussed at the Guelph/Eramosa council meetings on April 24 and May 8 include road paving projects at 4th Line and Guelph Nichol Townline, bylaw amendments pertaining to development charge changes, a report from the Rockwood Tennis Club, and a new encroachment policy.
Road paving projects
Cox Construction will be resurfacing 4th Line and Guelph Nichol Townline – two separate but similar projects that were tendered together for a total of $2,395,127 after HST.
Council received three bids for the projects from Cox Construction, Capital Paving and Fermar Paving.
The lowest bid, from Cox Construction was about $250,000 under budget.
Though exact start and end dates are yet to be determined, the 4th Line project will not begin until at least July, once the school bus season is over, as it will require the road to be closed for about a week. The full closure is needed to replace a significant cross culvert.
Funding for both projects comes from the Ontario Communities Infrastructure Fund, with a portion from the gas tax and resurfacing reserves for Guelph Nichol.
Councillor Corey Woods said, “Cox Construction has done good work in the past so I’m glad that they are doing this project.”
Bylaw amendments
Six bylaws were amended during the May 8 meeting – five pertaining to the changes in development charges for fire protection services, parks and recreation, highway services, wastewater, and water.
The sixth bylaw amendment appointed Chris Fraresso as deputy clerk, retroactive to Sept. 19.
Rockwood Tennis Club
Two representatives from Rockwood Tennis Club (RTC) – president Stephen Campbell and vice-president Stacey Armstrong – attended the April 24 meeting to present a report about the club.
“This year marks RTC’s 45th season of active services as a volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the game of tennis in the Guelph/Eramosa Township,” Campbell said.
Volunteers at RTC organize annual championships and tournaments, open houses, social events, and “most importantly, foster a sense of community among our residents,” he added.
RTC has public hours when non-members can play tennis on the court for free. There are about 200 members at the club, ranging in age from four to 92. The 92-year-old is one of the “legacy members” who has been there since the club opened in 1978, Campbell noted.
Campbell and Armstrong presented a cheque to the township for $4,489, as per their agreement, to cover the 20 per cent life cycle fee and the non-resident member surcharge fee for 2022. The money will be put towards updating infrastructure at the club.
Mayor Chris White said the relationship between the township and RTC is “absolutely fantastic,” noting many other municipalities with publicly-funded tennis courts need to hire-full time staff for the clubs.
“But the beauty of this is you get volunteers like [Campbell and Armstrong] who are dedicated people who can set up the lessons and set up the schedules and take care of everything at no cost to the taxpayer. It’s a wonderful arrangement.”
More information about RTC is available on the website at rockwoodtennis.com.
Encroachment
Council unanimously passed a new policy outlining a structured approach regarding encroachment agreements in the county.
The policy does not include any significant changes to how encroachment instances are governed, but provides a road map for how to address them.
Without a written agreement with the township, citizens are not allowed to encroach onto municipal parks, road allowances or other township-owned lands.
Encroachment includes but is not limited to;
– dumping or storing waste, materials or plants;
– planting, cultivating, grooming, landscaping or applying pesticides;
– constructing decks, pools or retaining walls; and
– pool drainage.
People wishing to encroach on township lands can apply to the municipality. Applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
