County council gave unanimous approval on May 28 for staff to apply for two more grants being offered by federal and provincial governments.
And once again, they had very little time to consider where to spend the money, but they did find projects that are ready to start.
On May 14, federal Minister of Industry Tony Clement announced the launch of the Community Adjustment Fund (CAF) in Ontario. It is administered by Industry Canada and is a two-year $1-billion economic stimulus measure.
Warden Joanne Ross-Zuj said the grants seem to be coming “fast and furious.”
The federal government will provide $348.9-million over two years ($174.2 million in 2009–10).
She said after a quick consultation with MP Michael Chong, the county decided it could qualify under the recreation component of the grant.
The county is seeking about $30,000 for the project.
Ross-Zuj admitted that most recreation is handled by local municipalities, but she said trails seem to be taken for granted. The county has been involved in a number of trails, and “it’s recreation.”
She added the county is interested in connecting links between the trails in municipalities for “linking the whole county together.”
She noted that the grant would be for an area the county is interested in that is ready to proceed, since that is part of the criteria. So, the county is proposing to do major work at Wellington Place in Aboyne, including building a trail through a wooded area on the property and building an entrance to the trestle bridge. As well, the work would include kiosks to promote trail routes and parking lot improvements.
The second grant is the Community Futures Funding Allocation.
Ross-Zuj said that after years of piecemeal planning for Wellington Place, the county would like to actually determine exactly how those lands will be developed, and is seeking a grant to get that project started.
She said the stimulus from the Canada Economic Action Plan is to be used to get people back to work, and staff from the planning and treasury departments met and recommended an application to do that work.
The report from county Treasurer Craig Dyer stated “This would be the first step in the development of an ‘institutional campus’ on 189 acres of land.”
Of that, 154 acres still belongs to the county, and the new Groves Hospital is slated for another 35 acres.
Dyer stated, “This site would become a centre for public service facilities that could provide space for over 3,000 long term jobs (excluding construction jobs.)”
The reported added that the current and proposed uses will consume approximately 65 of the 189 total acres. The county has a number of studies completed or underway relating to the site, including engineering for water and waste water, transportation, archaeological, agricultural impact, heliport analysis and subwatershed study, including natural heritage).
Ross-Zuj said this would be the first time anyone has actually worked at planning for the entire property. In the past few years, the county has built the new Wellington Terrace there, approved space for the hospital, selected about six acres for the new Fergus OPP office, and expanded the museum with a new archives building.
Ross-Zuj said the grant would be “an opportunity to look at that treasured piece of land between Elora and Fergus.”
She added with all the institutional buildings being located there, it would have “:a campus feel.”
She said for now, what is going there is “just an idea. We don’t have the outline.”
She added, “There’s no reason we can’t plan and landscape before the buildings go in.”
Ross-Zuj said the work for planting and trails could start immediately and that would “guarantee we would preserve the green and the healthy environment we want for that property.”
She said the number of jobs for the area would be “massive.”
Ross-Zuj said one problem for that property is that it sits on rock. She said it will be expensive to provide services such as sewer and water, although some of those are already in place.
But, “If we go in there again, we need a master plan … We’re launching a number of jobs in developing that site.
Ross-Zuj said the plan would cost between $125,000 and $150,000, and the work would be done within the year. And, she noted, the county would be ready to proceed to the second phase just as another round of funding is announced.
“We would be totally prepared to get into developing that site,” she said.
The warden also noted that the amount of cash the provincial and federal governments are offering municipalities for infrastructure is unprecedented.
“This is unusual, and coming so fast,” she said, adding, “Staff is ready.”
Councillor Gord Tosh wondered if the move would change the county forest policy to the point there could be no harvesting of trees.
But finance committee chairman John Green said that is not the case. “There is some reason for thinning. It should have happened some time ago.”
Council made the study its first priority for the grant, and agreed that staff should be authorized to proceed with the scope of work set out in the application including the issuance and awarding of requests for proposals and quotes, subject to approval of the project application.”
