Councillors here are reining in a previous decision and looking for a new location for a horse shelter and hitching post in downtown Harriston.
Council was brought up to date on the most recent meeting with adjacent landowners.
Mayor David Anderson said the original request was from the Mennonite community, as directed through owners of the Evergreen Variety store in downtown Harriston.
The idea was concerning a closed-in hitching post. Anderson said council had authorized the spending of up to $5,000 for that project.
However, after directly speaking with neighbours adjacent to the municipal parking lot, he learned Peter and Karry Stark have concerns about the location and impact.
“They are in general opposition to anything going in there which would house horses,” Anderson said. Karry Stark did not object to the current hitching post, but the family is really opposed to anything else going in, he added.
“What we’re doing is looking at other alternatives and other locations that would still be fairly centrally located,” Anderson said. He explained the idea is for “people to still be able to shop locally and park their horses in a protected area.”
Anderson noted, “Minto is getting an awful lot of new Mennonites to the community” shopping in primarily four or five local businesses – but it is one of the reasons the main street is picking up and becoming more lively.
“The whole idea is supporting retail businesses and our main street,” he explained. “It is still in the works, and nothing is finalized as to location or site.” He said he will get back to council with information when discussions on a potential site occur.
