An announcement earlier this month that the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) has approved a re-rating of the local wastewater treatment plant, paving the way to end a decades-long development freeze in Drayton and Moorefield, was good News for local developers and residents alike.
Growth is generally seen as vital to maintaining an assessment base capable of keeping up with infrastructure needs without an unreasonable rise in taxation.
While the re-rating requires the construction of a new alum building and dosing system, that project has been let for tender and could be completed as early as this fall.
Mayor Neil Driscoll was understandably pleased with the News, declaring – “Finally there’s going to be shovels in the ground in Mapleton” at the Aug. 14 council meeting. The mayor credited the work of township staff and local councillors for staying the course to get the job done and the praise is warranted. Consulting engineers EXP Services Inc., the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), the MOECC and Mapleton staff have been working over the last several years and also deserve credit.
While there’s more work to be done on this multi-stage project before Mapleton can take full advantage of the community’s growth potential, this particular milestone has been a long time coming and all involved should be saluted for their perseverance, while the developers awaiting permission to build deserve kudos for their patience.
