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Monthly Archives: May 2013

Parry Sound Council Meeting Notes – May 21, 2013

22 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by Jo Bossart/ParrySounds.com in Parry Sound, Town Council

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By-Law, Council Minutes, parry sound, Rezoning, Town Council

Note: This post was edited 2013-05-25 with respect to item 9.4.2. The difference in cost between the black/grey and red stone dust is on the order of $2,000, not $200 as I originally posted.

Well that was a short meeting, one hour from start to finish. There was little discussion (little was needed).

Councillors and Mayor Reports, Questions of Staff

Council and mayor have been busy in the last couple of weeks attending meetings and events.

It was noted that there is some concern about the integrity of the retaining wall between the fire station and the Trinity Anglican Church. Engineers have been brought in to take a look and a report will be available in a few days.

There was mention of another movie being shot in Parry Sound, “A Very Larry Christmas”. No details on the plot were provided. What Parry Sound really needs is to host a remake or sequel to ‘Slapshot’ (1977), perhaps following up the various team members some thirty-five years later.

Correspondence and Deputation

4.3 – the letter seeking information about the former St. Joseph’s Hospital for development was circulated to council and passed on to staff for follow up.

Consent Agenda

A total of six tag day and awareness day/week/month items were approved. See the official minutes for details.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.2.1 – council approved bank signing authority and credit cards for council members and senior staff.

9.2.2 – council approved an additional refund of about $4,600 for water and sewer charge over-payments for the years 2007 through 2010 for 12 Belvedere Avenue.

9.3.1 – a resolution to approve a site plan amendment for 18 Belvedere Avenue was carried.

9.3.2 – council approved the sale of two lots on MacFarlane Street, for $15,000 and $14,000.

9.3.3 – a request to remove a fence requirement for the new gas bar at 80 Bowes Street received some discussion. Apparently the adjoining property owner objected to the complete elimination of the fence and a shorter (lengthwise) fence was agreed and approved by council.

9.3.6 – council approved the sign proposed for the new Pioneer gas bar on Bowes Street.

9.4.1, 9.4.2 – approvals for the purchase of grass seed, fertilizer, gravel, top soil and crusher dust received some discussion. There was a question from council whether the town should just order black/grey crushed stone rather than black/grey and red crushed stone, saving $2,000 (~$20.00 a tonne). It was explained that the red crushed stone was used on the fitness trail and added to its comfort (cooler in summer) and improved its appearance. Council in the end approved the resolutions as presented which included ordering both colours of crushed stone. Taking a walk on the Rotary and Algonquin Fitness Trail this morning I think the slight increase in cost is appropriate. The ‘reddish’ paths are quite attractive and distinctive.

By-Laws

10.5.1 –  council approved the appointment of Dave Thompson, Director of Emergency and Protective Services/Fire Chief, as Fire Chief, Chairperson of the Community Emergency Management Committee (CEMC) and as the Staff Resource Representative for the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee with Peter Brown as the alternate for the CEMC

These notes review only those portions of the council meeting that I see as having greater importance or general community interest. Please see my earlier Council Agenda Preview post for more discussion and details concerning the various agenda items.

The official minutes from council meetings are available at the Town of Parry Sound website, no later than the Friday following the meeting. The full council proceeding are available on video through Cogeco. Schedule details are available from the town office (705-746-2101).

Some Good Local Advice. (May 2013)
ParrySights-0686

Parry Sound Council Agenda Preview – May 21, 2013

19 Sunday May 2013

Posted by Jo Bossart/ParrySounds.com in Parry Sound, Town Council

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Agenda, By-Law, economic development, parry sound, Planning, Rezoning, safety, Town Council

This week’s agenda is about as light as I have seen in many months. Is this an early sign of summer? There seems to be little reason to attend this meeting unless you have something on the agenda. I don’t see council turning down any of the requests before them.

Correspondence and Deputations

4.3 – A letter to council seeking information about the former St. Joseph’s Hospital for development purposes caught my attention. I’m not sure how council and staff will respond to this request. The request was sent in a handwritten note from a former resident of the Parry Sound area who represents an investor group. Perhaps I spent too much time in the corporate world but I would have a real problem taking this group seriously. Seriously? A hand written letter? Oh, they want to transform the building into a “Fulltime Residential Hotel Complex”. They are also planning to acquire the surrounding properties. Well I guess it’s something to keep our Director of Development & Leisure Services busy.

Consent Agenda

There are a total of five tag days and awareness month items for approval.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.2.1 – council is being asked to approve bank signing authority and credit cards for council members and senior staff. No issue here in my opinion.

9.2.2 – the owner of 12 Belvedere will receive a refund of about $4,600 for water and sewer charge over-payments for the years 2007 through 2010 if approved by council. That’s a total refund of about $7,400 for the years 2007 through 2012. Oops! I’m glad the error was caught and corrected.

9.3.1 – is a resolution to approve a site plan amendment for 18 Belvedere Avenue that involves creation of an additional residential lot.

9.3.2 – requests approval for the sale of two lots on MacFarlane Street, for $15,000 and $14,000. Interestingly these were the only tenders received for these properties. The party making the tender for these two properties, Cornerstone Carpentry, was the party who made the low-ball unsuccessful bid for the Pump House (former Waterworks) property.

9.3.3 – is a request to remove a fence requirement for the new gas bar at 80 Bowes Street. It seems a reasonable request based on the provided information. As an aside, I think the new gas bar building is rather attractive, certainly by the standards of the minimalist (cheap looking) business structures that been built or renovated in town over the last few years.

9.3.6 – this one is a bit of a head-scratcher. It is approval for a sign at 80 Bowes Street (the new gas bar), that replaces the sign approved last meeting, and is substantially the same. The resolution approved at the last meeting was added to the agenda at the last minute without any information provided to public prior to, or at, the council meeting about the item. There was also no discussion of the resolution at the meeting. Perhaps it should have been delayed and done right the first time, with the appropriate information made available to the public.

9.4.1, 9.4.2 – approvals for the purchase of grass seed, fertilizer, gravel, top soil and crusher dust.

By-Laws

10.5.1 – is the appointment of Dave Thompson, Director of Emergency and Protective Services/Fire Chief, as Fire Chief, Chairperson of the Community Emergency Management Committee (CEMC) and as the Staff Resource Representative for the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee with Peter Brown as the alternate for the CEMC

That’s pretty much it. See you Tuesday.

Take a Peek. (click photo for larger version)ParrySights-0481

Note: Not all agenda items are covered here. I typically skip those items that have little material impact on the town. These items include simple requests for Tag Days (permission to canvas), Awareness Weeks/Months, road closures for civic events, and the like . Want to see everything that is on the agenda? The full agenda can be found at the town’s website (http://townofparrysound.com/pagesmith/14).

Council Meeting Notes – May 7, 2013

08 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by Jo Bossart/ParrySounds.com in Town Council

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By-Law, Council Minutes, parry sound, Rezoning, Town Council

This week’s meeting was surprisingly short. If it were not for presentations, deputations and the councillors reports the business portion of the meeting would have taken less than an hour. No surprises either. That’s good I guess. Surprises are not what businesses want from governments. Please refer to my earlier council meeting preview notes for additional details on the separate agenda items.

Councillors and Mayor Reports, Questions of Staff

Council has been busy attending committee and community meetings since the last session of council. There was little of importance reported by mayor and councillors. It was stated that the OPP is reporting fewer crimes in and around Parry Sound.

The new Director of Emergency and Protective Services,  Dave Thompson, was introduced.

Correspondence and Deputations

4.1 – a request from L and H Motors regarding a suggested transient license fee was passed on to town staff for follow up.

4.2 – the Parry Sound Canoe club’s request for approval and the necessary land access to build a storage facility and dock in the Williams Street or Yvonne Williams Parks was noted and forwarded to staff.

4.3 – a request to declare May 5-11 Hospice Palliative Care Week was approved by council.

4.4 – the Parry Sound Dragon Boat Festival organizers request for support of their annual dragon boat festival was forwarded to staff.

4.6 – the owner’s of the Dairy Queen request for reimbursement/credit for excessive water costs related to a malfunction of their equipment was added to the agenda, and was later rejected by council. See agenda item 9.2.1.

5.1 – Stop the Drop, a group concerned by dropping water levels in Georgian Bay and the Great Lakes made a presentation on their group and its objectives. Council agreed to follow up on their request for non-financial town support of the group’s activities.

5.2 – the town’s municipal by-law enforcement officer presented the provincial requirements for a the town’s new accessibility plan.

Consent Agenda

There was nothing on the Consent Agenda.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.2.1 – the request for credit/reimbursement of water and sewer charges by the Dairy Queen’s owners, 4.6 above, was denied.

9.2.2 – council approved reimbursement of two years of over payments for water and sewer charges concerning 12 Belvedere. Staff was instructed to secure the necessary records to see if additional credits were due for the town’s billing errors.

9.3.2 – council rejected the one tender offer received for the town’s Old Pump House (Waterworks). Council agreed to solicit offers from real estate agents to list the property for sale through a more traditional real estate sale process.

9.3.3 – council approved the sale of the three separate lots on William Street for a total of $150,000.

9.3.4 – the 168-unit condominium development on the property behind the homes on Emily Street was given support in principle by council. The support is largely limited to applying for grants to upgrade services necessary for the development.

9.3.5 – a resolution to send the Ministry of Natural Resources a letter objecting to their decision to assess certain properties in Parry Sound with respect to being provincially significant wetlands was approved by council.

9.3.6 – Canadore College’s new sign proposal was accepted by council.

9.3.7 – a later addition to the agenda was the approval of a sign variance. Because it was a late addition to the published agenda, and not included in the council package, and neither council nor staff explained what it was – I have no idea what they approved. I’ll send a note to council asking that this type of oversight in failing to advise the public of what they are reviewing not be repeated. It’s probably a minor sign variance, but this type of oversight still reflects poorly on staff and council.

9.5.1 – council passed a resolution to accept portions of the town’s 2013 Accessibility Plan. There was little discussion, and there appears to be much more involved than is easily understood or explained. The Parry Sound plan seems to be an adaptation of the general provincial template. Interested parties should contact the town office for details.

By-Laws

10.2.1 – council passed a by-law accepting the 2013 budget and striking the tax rate for this year. One again I suggest you contact the town for information on the budget to understand what is and isn’t included.

There was more, but nothing I saw as important or interesting. Please refer to the official minutes that are published on the town’s website and available by contacting the town office.

Wrestling Serpents. The Waubuno Beach Storm Drain has Been Vanquished.

Waubuno Beach - May 2013

Council Agenda Preview – May 7, 2013

06 Monday May 2013

Posted by Jo Bossart/ParrySounds.com in Town Council

≈ Comments Off on Council Agenda Preview – May 7, 2013

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Agenda, budget, By-Law, economic development, Growth, parry sound, Planning, Town Council

Busy little town with summer approaching and a busy council agenda this week. Now that the budget is out of the way staff and council can focus on the longer-term strategic and operational issues. A review of the agenda suggests it will be a longer meeting. From award presentations to deputations to staff presentations, multiple resolutions and by-laws, this meeting pretty much has it all.

As usual only the more ‘mission critical items will be covered in this council agenda preview. I suggest you head over to the town’s website to look at the full council agenda. The supporting materials are available at the town office and library.

Correspondence and Deputations

4.1 – a request from L and H Motors regarding a suggested transient license fee is on the face of it a little confusing. Reading the letter I wasn’t sure what it referred to. Reflecting on the issue I suspect that it refers to the habit of the Mac Lang dealership renting space at the Parry Sound Mall and setting up a car sale lot. They are here for a couple of weeks, sell a bunch of cars, and then leave. The transient license presumably would require them to pay some sort of fee on sales made while located in Parry Sound. The intent I suppose is to level the playing field in terms of the car dealers. The local dealers pay property taxes that are not incurred by transient dealers. As it is a letter and there is nothing about it on the agenda I expect there will be no discussion at council but will be referred to staff for follow up.

4.2 – the Parry Sound Canoe club is requesting approval and the necessary land access to build a storage facility and dock in the Williams Street or Yvonne Williams Parks. This is the logical next development step for an organization that provides canoe and kayak instruction to Parry Sound and area youth.

4.3 – a request to declare May 5-11 Hospice Palliative Care Week.

4.4 – the Parry Sound Dragon Boat Festival organizers are requesting considerations from the town in support of their annual dragon boat festival.

4.6 – the owner’s of the Dairy Queen are requesting reimbursement/credit for excessive water costs related to a malfunction of their equipment. This is on the agenda as item 9.2.1.

5.1 – Stop the Drop, a group concerned by dropping water levels in Georgian Bay and the Great Lakes will be making a deputation.

5.2 – Tammy Purdy, the town’s municipal by-law enforcement officer will be presenting an overview of the town’s draft 2013 accessibility plan.

Consent Agenda

There is nothing on the Consent Agenda.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.2.1 – this item relates to the letter noted above, 4.6, where the owners of the local Dairy Queen are requesting a credit/reimbursement for equipment failure at their facility that caused them to incur excessive water usage. Town staff is recommending against any form of credit or reimbursement.

9.2.2 – this is similar to the previous item in that it involves the town’s water services. The property owner at 12 Belvedere only recently realized that they have been billed at commercial rates for water and sewer services for the past few years. Their monthly bill listed their service as residential but was billed at commercial rates. This has been going on since 2007. The town proposes to reimburse them only for the last two years of over payments, an amount of about $2,700, rather than for the full period. I think they should be reimbursed for the whole amount, but without any type of interest. Yes they should have asked why their bill was so high, but they at least paid their bill. The town recently wrote off charges for the deadbeats who walked away from their water and sewer bills. Let’s do the right thing and reimburse the overpayment or provide a credit against future water and sewer use.

9.3.2 – there was only one bid received for the town’s Old Pump House (Waterworks). It was for $130,000, well under the $275,000 assessed value for the property. Town staff is proposing that council reject this offer and list the property for sale by a realtor. This makes sense. The property is certainly worth more than $130,000, and the property is more likely to appeal to someone new to town who wants a property that is more than simple accommodation.

9.3.3 – this item relates to more property sales, in this case the three properties on William Street that were recently carved out of the existing William Street Park. One purchaser has made the high offer of $50,000 per lot if and only if they can purchase all three lots. It looks like someone has a plan. The proposed offer, $150,000, exceeds the sum of the highest offers for the three lots by about $20,000.

9.3.4 – this is in my opinion the most interesting item on the agenda and concerns a 168 unit condominium development on the property behind the homes on Emily Street. I had to look at the maps in the council package to really understand where it was. It’s a package of property behind the homes on Emily Street that are on top of the hill and accessed by Kate Street. This is basically a ‘landlocked’ piece of property with existing homes between the development area and Emily Street, and Imperial Oil property between it and the harbour.

The developers are requesting the town consider water delivery improvements to service the proposed new development. I believe this would involve replacing the water and sewer systems on Forest Street at a cost of more than $2-3 million. The town had previously applied for a provincial infrastructure grant to cover this expense for reasons unrelated to the proposed development and is awaiting a decision. The developers also want to have ‘access’ to the town’s property in and around the Imperial Wharf to construct a marina that would service the boats of the condominium owners.  They are also looking for the town to petition Imperial Oil to be permitted to use portions of their property for parking and parkland.

This seems to be a big project with lots of pieces that need to be put together before it can be realized. Town staff supports the development, especially as the developers suggest pricing would be on the order of $500,000 per unit.  That would mean a total of $80 million in condominium sales. Council is being asked to approve a resolution that grants in principle:

1) the use of part of the Town’s wharf property located at the end of Champaigne Street subject to terms and conditions yet to be determined and the execution of an agreement also be given approval in principle; and

2) the Town commit to approaching Imperial Oil with the objective of obtaining their approval for the use of Imperial property for passive parkland and parking uses; and

3) all efforts be undertaken to secure funding to allow infrastructure improvements that will increase water conveyance to the Harbour area to facilitate the proposed development.

9.3.5 – is a resolution to send to the Ministry of Natural Resources a letter objecting to their decision to assess certain properties in Parry Sound with respect to being provincially significant wetlands. This designation would severely restrict development. The town is suggesting that these properties are already offered significant protection that will be increased with the town’s proposed new Official Plan.

9.3.6 – Canadore College is proposing a new sign that has the support of town staff.

9.5.1 – is a resolution to accept the town’s 2013 Accessibility Plan. The outlines of the plan will be presented in the deputation portion of the meeting.

By-Laws

10.2.1 – this by-law completes the 2013 budget process with formal acceptance and approval of the budget and striking of the 2013 tax rates. Please see my earlier budget note post of April 24th for a topline overview of the budget. You will need to review the final budget to properly understand what is, and isn’t, included.

That’s pretty much it. See you Tuesday.

It’s That Time Again – Big Sky, Big Water and Big Colour. (May 2013)

ParrySights - 5759

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