It seems you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
On Sept. 7 Puslinch council reviewed a letter from over a dozen residents addressing council’s previous decision to permit an Xplornet high speed internet tower on Gore Road.
“While we were pleases that we had an opportunity to present our position against a communications tower at 7094 Gore Rd., we were very disappointed in council’s handling of the matter,” the letter stated.
Council came to the meeting unprepared and did not appear to take the issue seriously, contended the group, which includes June and Ross Ayrhart, Jessie Ayrhart, David and Donna Asbury, Karen Peebles, Gobinath and Morella Menon, Sean and Lisa Duncan, Robert and Lisa Joy, and Larry and Susan Martin.
Further, the group suggested councillors were quick to conclude the “expert” point of view was correct.
“We assure council that we did our homework and that we, the residents of Puslinch, are indeed experts on our community,” the letter said.
On the other hand, the group stated, the Xplornet representatives are from Ottawa and London and are unfamiliar with the area, other than some satellite images.
“They did not know of the tower erected on the Bryan’s property, or the other towers slated for Highway 97 and Sideroad 32,” the letter stated. “They did not even know where these roads or the proposed locations were. We would not like to think of what would happen to Puslinch if every ‘expert’ representing a business with a vested interest was so blindly followed by council.”
The group remains opposed to the tower location and believes there is a better alternative and, “council supported Xplornet’s lack of diligence in the matter at the expense of its own citizens. This treatment of our concerns shows a lack of credibility in this council to take care of its own constituents.”
Puslinch Mayor Dennis Lever said he was a little bit disappointed with the letter.
He said his comments were related to property values, which are not covered by the policy. He said local residents there “are not pleased with our decision.”
However, Lever added, he received a number of phone calls and communications on the issue after the meeting.
“There are a number of local residents happy with the decision. It was one of those situations where not everyone was going to be pleased,” Lever said.
