On March 16 Guelph-Eramosa council approved minor revisions to the site plan agreement with the Wellington Catholic District School Board.
Those revisions include removing the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of the Diocese of Hamilton from the agreement, as it sold the property to the school board, and site plan adjustments to window alignment and fire hydrant placement.
Councillor Louise Marshall was concerned about the students possibly crossing the road to attend mass. However, planning associate Kelsey Lang assured her that if a church was built, it would be a neighbour to the school and students would not need to cross the road.
“Road crossing is going to be an issue anyway,” Mayor Chris White said. “It’s one of the reasons we’re putting down the money for sidewalks.”
White said the Catholic board is aiming to open the school in September 2016.
Cancer benefit
Council chose to waive fees for the Rockmosa Community Centre for the eighth annual Good Brothers benefit dinner and dance for a local team walking in the OneWalk to Conquer Cancer for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
Representative Doris Ens said the Rockwood District Lioness and Lions event will take place at Rockmosa on May 9 with dinner at 6pm, and the dance featuring the Good Brothers at 9pm.
Ens said organizers are approaching 71 merchants in the Rockwood area who contributed prizes to last year’s event. The prizes are then given out to those who attend the event.
“We all know what a success this has been over the last eight years,” White said. “A lot of money raised for cancer and the community and it’s a good old fashioned community event to boot.”
G.E.T. Seniors Connected
Council approved an application for an $8,000 grant under the “G.E.T. Seniors Connected” program through the Ontario Seniors Secretariat. The application is due on March 27. The grant, under stream two, will be a one year program and will be used for marketing and promotion, speakers and presenters, food and beverages and ergonomically correct garden tools for volunteers at the Rockmossa enabling garden.
The township is required to provide 20 per cent of the grant value, and that will be covered by an in-kind contribution of facility space for $2,000.
Public Meeting
A public meeting took place before the regularly scheduled council meeting on March 16 to discuss a zoning bylaw amendment application for a garden suite at 5838 Fifth Line.
The application is for a temporary residential structure, with full water and sewage capabilities, for Marilyn Oldham and her husband, Ross, to live on the property and to help with the market garden operation of her son, Lindsay Oldham, and his wife, Rose. The maximum floor area is proposed to be 116 square meters, which is more than the bylaw permits.
There were no citizens at the meeting who chose to speak for or against the amendment.
Council approved the amendment and entered into a development agreement.
Marden Marathon
Council approved Fourth Line East to be closed from Wellington Road 51 to Sideroad 14 on April 11 from 8:30am to noon for the Marden Marathon to take place.
Fire department
Fire department calls for February doubled this year compared to February 2014. Throughout this February, there were 22 calls and last year there were only 10.
The majority of the change was in medical calls, 10 this year compared to one last year, as well as carbon monoxide alarms, four this year and none last year.
“The fact that structural fires continues to get lower and lower and lower is really good News,” councillor David Wolk said. “I think that also speaks to the fire safety message they’re handing out.”
He said he would like to give the firefighters some recognition.
