Perhaps spurred on by the enthusiasm of three local high school students, councillors here have agreed to re-visit the possibility of a Habitat for Humanity project in town.
Last week, students Tyler Paterson, Adrienne Sultana and Ally Welsh joined Diane Nelson, executive director with Habitat for Humanity Wellington County, to lobby one last time for a project in Erin.
Nelson said Habitat officials were “very disappointed” when the town decided earlier this year it was no longer negotiating with them due to an offer for a piece of land on County Road 52 that councillors deemed too low. On April 20, council decided to place the land for sale in regular real estate listings, but that has been put on hold until the town resolves issues with a nearby well.
Nelson said a Habitat for Humanity home in?Erin would be “invaluable” and “a legacy that will … impact two families very dramatically.”
Sultana said she loves living in Erin, and can see no better place for such a home.
“It’s like a 3,000-person family,” she said of the town, adding local high school students are very interested in helping any way they can. “Everybody wants to see it happen.”
Paterson added a recent Star Search fundraiser at Erin District High School raised $1,500 for the cause, and the school has committed to a total of $10,000.
“The community would grow stronger if we had the Habitat house,” he said.
Welsh, who said she always thought people in?Erin looked out for one another, said she was “shocked and disappointed” the Habitat project was being “bogged down by the town.”
Councillor Josie Wintersinger said she appreciated the students’ comments, but the town has to be fiscally responsible and the Habitat offer was “a little bit unfair.”
Mayor Rod Finnie added the town is obligated under provincial law to offer land for sale to everyone – and if it gives it away, it would have to make up that revenue elsewhere.
The mayor noted council has already agreed to waive Erin’s portion of development charges, as well as fees associated with the building permit, site plan and zoning application -which would total up to $25,000 for a single home or $50,000 for a two semi-detached homes.
But councillor Ken Chapman said the idea was to provide land as cheaply as possible for Habitat. He told council he thought Canadians always wanted to help others, and if it were not for “hand-ups” from others, he would not be where he is today.
“We may have lost the vision that these people [Habitat and the students] have,” Chapman said. He later added council is “making one heck of a difficult job” of getting them land.
Councillors voted unanimously to reconsider their April 20 motion, although the matter appears far from resolved.
Water ?Superintendent Frank Smedley admitted some of the issues that need to addressed to make the land a viable building lot – possibly tied to the decommissioning of a nearby well – are out of the municipality’s hands.
Finnie said town staff will look into the matter, try to find a solution and return to the August council meeting with a resolution for council’s consideration.
