The new Hillsburgh library is one step closer to the construction phase. Erin council approved the site plan for the property located on Station Street at the Nov. 15 meeting.
The site plan’s approval also comes with a list of conditions from the town, Triton Engineering and Credit Valley Conservation authority.
The site plan includes the renovation of the existing residence and construction of a 628.79-square-metre addition for a total of 908.79m2.
The future library would also have 32 parking spaces, a paved driveway and a new septic bed.
Mayor Allan Alls explained that he moved this approval forward so the county can get started on the permit process as soon as the conditions were met.
Councillor John Brennan asked if the conditions were standard.
Building and planning assistant Jessica Wilton said most of them are, adding that the condition for a contribution of $547.07 per metre for sidewalks along the property’s frontage was not.
“That is not a regular condition. It has been on previous applications, but not recently,” she said.
Councillor Matt Sammut asking if the town would have to contribute for the remainder of the sidewalks.
Roads superintendent Greg Delfosse said the sidewalk installation would be part of the Station Street reconstruction project.
“(The county) will only be responsible for contributing to the frontage of their property … to continue the sidewalk out to Trafalgar Road, which is inevitable, will be our cost,” he said.
The county also owns the pond adjacent to the library site. The dam, which controls the pond, is currently undergoing an environmental assessment (EA).
Erin council was presented options at the Oct. 18 council meeting. The top two options include rehabilitating the dam and reconstructing the bridge at an estimated cost of $5.1 million ($2.7 million direct cost to the town) or reconstructing the bridge and decommissioning the dam at an estimated cost of $3.5 million ($1.7 million direct cost to the town).
The EA is expected to be presented to the town in December.
“I do believe that county is not going to do anything until after the EA has been presented to us in December,” stated Alls.
County Warden George Bridge confirmed that the county will be waiting until after the EA to proceed with the library.
“We don’t want to do anything with the property until we get all the EA done and the property is the way we bought it,” he said in an interview with the Advertiser.
In the minutes from a July meeting of EA representatives, it stated if the pond is removed the library may not move forward which may result in the county selling the property and relocating.
Bridge confirmed that statement saying, “That’s a possibility.”
County officials have been vocal in the past about wanting to retain the pond.
“It’s the social fabric of the community, that was the whole idea. We were having a site that had ambiance and could work with that whole area,” said Bridge.
“We bought the pond as is … we’re not prepared at this time to start looking at changes of the pond.”
Erin councillors have asked for an opinion to understand who owns what.
While decommissioning the pond is a possibility in the EA process, Bridge said that couldn’t happen without consent from the owners.
Council voted unanimously to approve the site plan. Councillor Jeff Duncan declared a conflict and did not vote. Councillor Rob Smith was absent.
