County council is seeking a request for proposals to do the planning for the lands at Wellington Place.
That work will include the Trask lands the county purchased in 2008.
Wellington Place already contains the Wellington County Museum and Archives, Wellington Terrace seniors’ home, the county library headquarters, and 35 acres of that land has been sold to Groves Hospital board for a new hospital. As well, there are plans to place a new OPP detachment at the west side of the lands.
Other possibilities for the area included managed forest, storm water management ponds, and possible social housing.
The study area is in close proximity and in some cases adjacent to, the designated boundaries of the two urban areas in the Township of Centre Wellington: Fergus, Elora-Salem.
It was when the county considered the new police detachment that councillor Jean Innes called for a full blown study to determine how the lands might be developed. Councillors have insisted that the property be developed in keeping with the county museum, which is a national historic site.
As well, a heavily used trail system with four separately defined trails runs through the property in a number of places.
Vehicle access to the existing facilities is from County Road 18 and Colborne Street. The Trask lands provide additional street frontage on Beatty Line North, part of which will accommodate the main hospital entrance.
It was that note in the committee report that caused councillor Bob Wilson to express some concerns about the road alignments, something he has done previously.
Wilson argued that it would make more sense to provide access off two main arteries of Fergus and Elora, namely Garafraxa Street in Fergus, and Colborne Street in Elora, instead of at Beatty Line.
He said that diversion to the Beatty Line is “a very obscure place.
“I know people consider that trail sacred … ” Wilson said of the Elora to Cataract Trail that would be disrupted by a second street if his idea is followed.
The county received heavy criticism several years ago when it built a services road from Colborne that crossed that trail.
In the end it was forced to place stop signs for the trail.
The planning committee report stated “Both the county and Groves recognize that future development of the Trask lands should be comprehensively planned with the Wellington Place holdings.”
The Trask lands were a farm that the county bought, and from which the hospital took 35 acres of land.
The report continued, “This is to take the form of an institutional campus on the 189 acres of land owned by both parties. County council has established a budget for the 2010 to develop a concept plan.”
That statement caused councillor Lou Maieron to ask what is an institutional campus.
Planning committee chairman Walter Trachsel told him it “could be a centre of learning.”
Maieron noted that a map supplied for council does not mention such a centre. “Is this preliminary on how to place the pieces of the puzzle,” he asked.
He noted the report mentions an addition to Wellington Terrace and “other issues. The committee has see a conceptual plan. Can council get a presentation before approving it?”
He said he particularly wanted to know how big the social housing building would be, and “an outline of where the pieces would be.”
He wanted to know if the report is approved, would that give the committee the right to proceed with all the issues listed.
Trachsel said the whole purpose of the report is to set up a committee to consider all those issues.
Warden Joanne Ross-Zuj said what the committee will do is “look at all these proposals and bring it back” to council for its consideration.
The committee that was recommended and approved consists of:
– county Chief Administrative Officer Scott Wilson;
– Groves Chief Executive Officer Jerome Quenneville;
– township CAO Michael Woods;
– Museum and Wellington Place administrator Bonnie Callen;
– chief librarian Janice Hindley;
– Terrace administrator Peter Barnes;
– director of planning and development Gary Cousins;
– Centre Wellington planning director Brett Salmon; and
– county planner Sarah Wilhelm.
Cousins said, “Those things we put on the plan are discussion points.” He said the next step is to engage a consultant to develop a plan.
“Then, it goes to the public. There is a great deal of interest in Centre Wellington” about the plans for the property.
Maieron said he was satisfied.
Council approved the report.
