Uncategorized

UPDATE on CKSS Intersection

Mike Cluett

Once again, I’d like to thank everyone who has called, emailed or spoken directly with me regarding the situation at Craig Kielburger Secondary School.  Some will have seen that since the opening of the school in September, there has been concerns for the safety of the students due to traffic, lack of traffic calming measures and garbage.  Here is the most recent update.

As a result of many studies in the area surrounding CKSS at Ferguson and Louis St Laurent, staff will be moving forward with a recommendation to install traffic light at that intersection.

From Engineering Services

Please be advised that we have completed a number of traffic studies at this intersection related to the opening of Craig Kielburger Secondary School.

We completed a study for an all-way stop and the warrants weren’t fulfilled due to the low side street volume. The all-way stop warrant doesn’t take into consideration pedestrian volumes.

We did a study for an Intersection Pedestrian Signal (IPS) and warrants were fulfilled we also ran the warrants for a set of traffic control signals and warrants were also fulfilled.

As a result we will be installing a full set of traffic control signals at this intersection.  We will be starting the design and begin ordering the required equipment within the next two weeks.

Once I have a schedule of when the construction will commence and an anticipated completion date I will advise everyone.

As soon as the date of installation is known to us, I will post it here.

This just leads me to ask people in the area to take caution, as they normally should in school zones, while driving along Louis St Laurent Ave towards the school.  There has been and will continue to be a lot of water main construction going on and coupling that with increased traffic (both vehicles and pedestrian) it can lead to something we don’t want to deal with.

To address a number of concerns with reference to garbage along Louis St Laurent, that is also being addressed.  You will notice a few garbage containers installed along the street to allow students and others to place their garbage in the receptacles instead of on the road or on people’s property.  It’s also good to note this ISNT a location to dump your garbage if you missed the pickup.  Staff will be monitoring the area to make sure they are emptied when full and the area is kept clean.

I have also been in contact with the principal of CKSS and the area school board trustee and they are informing students via announcements and other measures, to help keep the area clean when they’re walking on Louis St Laurent towards the Metro mall before, at lunch and after school.

Bus drop off locations are being looked at as well, so it limits the potential of traffic backup along LSL in the morning and in the afternoon.  Drivers should be aware of this and Halton Police will also be monitoring the area for speeding, jaywalking and other infractions as well.

It’s a growing process.  And right now we’re going through some growing pains.  It helps when we all work together to make sure our students get to and from school safely.

If anyone has any concerns, please feel free to email me mike.cluett@milton.ca or to give me a call. 

Public Open House Milton Education Village Sept 25th

Mike Cluett

Public Open House: Milton Education Village Secondary Plan

A Public Open House relating to the Milton Education Village Secondary Plan Study will be held:

Date: Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Location: Milton Sports Centre, Banquet Room (located closest to south entrance), 605 Santa Maria Blvd., Milton

Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
(A presentation will be given by staff and the Consulting Team at 7:30 p.m., followed by a question and answer period)

The purpose of this initial public open house and presentation is to provide an opportunity for the public to discuss with Planning staff, the study process and initial results of the background studies relating to the Milton Education Village Secondary Plan (see map). Copies of the Background & Concepts Report will be available at the open house for viewing, and Town staff and members of the Consulting Team will be on hand to answer questions.

The Milton Education Village Secondary Plan is being conducted in accordance with Sections 17 and 21 of the Planning Act, and the policies of the Town of Milton Official Plan. In addition, all related Secondary Plan studies are being carried out in conformity with approved procedures contained in the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) Process.

We encourage you to take this opportunity to get involved in this exciting project, and to provide staff with your questions and comments. Public consultation is an essential component of the preparation of the Secondary Plan, and we ask you to join us and help shape the future of the Milton Education Village.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Ms. Bronwyn Parker, Senior Policy Planner, 905-878-7252, ext. 2307, browyn.parker@milton.ca

Possible Cedar Head Road Closure Soon

Mike Cluett

From the Town of Milton website:

Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 11(3) of the Municipal Act, S.O. 2001, Chapter 25, as amended, that Council of the Town of Milton at its meeting to be held in Town Hall, 150 Mary Street, on September 24, 2012 beginning at 7:00 p.m. will consider the adoption of a bylaw(s) authorizing a temporary closure of Cedar Hedge Road between a point 160m north of Laurier Avenue/Croft Avenue to the north limit of the road in order to facilitate pavement improvements and the installation of sanitary sewer, storm sewer and watermains to provide services for future residential development.

The temporary closure will be in effect from October 1, 2012 until December 31, 2012.

Plans detailing the project are available for viewing at The Town of Milton, Engineering Services, 2nd Floor, 150 Mary Street.

On September 24, 2012, Milton Town Council will give consideration to the proposed bylaw. At this meeting, Milton Town Council will hear, in person, or by their counsel, any person who applies to be heard. Persons wishing to be heard must notify the Clerk’s Department in writing, no later than 10 a.m. September 24, 2012. Further information regarding this process can be found at www.milton.ca

You can also email me mike.cluett@milton.ca if you would like more information on how you can have your say.

Quick update on CKSS situation

Mike Cluett

Im just getting ready to head out to our council meeting tonight but I wanted to update those of you who have emailed or called me in the last few days regarding the situation on Louis St Laurent, the new high school and about 1,200 new students in town.

Here’s an update on the new Craig Kielburger School situation in Ward 6.  As many of you know there have been a few issues since the new school has opened up.

The cafeteria not being available for students has left them with few options and one of those options being walking up Louis St Laurent, hanging out at the Metro mall, and then making their way back to school….leaving a huge mess behind.  The principal will continue to let them know that behaviour should stop going forward, so lets hope the kids listen.

There are also a number of traffic issues we’re facing and town staff has informed me a number of counts for traffic, pedestrians etc will be done very soon to assess what can be done along that route (ie traffic stops, stop signs, lights, etc)  I’ll keep everyone posted when the results come in and this is now a top priority of staff!

Thanks to everyone who emailed/call me with their concerns.

Blue Bins With Lids? Could be coming soon.

Mike Cluett

Coming up at tomorrow’s Region of Halton Planning & Public Works meeting will be a report on the Blue Box Litter Containment Study.  As some might remember this past spring, there were a number of days that were very windy not only in ward 6 but everywhere in the town of Milton.

During these windy days of spring, a number of people came home daily to piles of recycled waste all over lawns, in parks and along the sides of many roads.  It almost came to be expected that whatever day your garbage was to be collected, the wind would blow it away.

I never really saw it as much of a problem since the Blue Box program began many moons ago, but this time it felt different.  Every week the number of email’s I received would increase.  “Why is the garbage all over the place?” “What is the town going to do with all the flying garbage?”

Garbage collection in Milton is handled by the Region of Halton and after a few windy weeks, it was brought up at Regional Council and hence this report was prepared.

From the report the recommendation is as follows:

RECOMMENDATION

1. THAT Council approve the 22 gallon Blue Box as the new standard Blue Box in Halton Region as outlined in Report No. PW-65-12 re: “Blue Box Litter Containment Study”.
 2. THAT Council authorize staff to issue a Request for Proposal for the manufacture and supply of a 22 gallon Blue Box with an affixed lid.

The report outlines a number of different options in order to handle the flying recycling debris problem that Milton has faced over since this past spring, including lids on the blue boxes, accepting recycled materials in clear plastic bags, or going to the “new standard” 22 gallon blue box.

Obviously there will be additional costs to the Region to order, produce and deliver these new 22 gallon Blue Boxes which will be subsidized by taxpayers.

Is this something you feel is needed at this point?  Can the Region provide better communications / instruction to homeowners to better pack their blue boxes in order to avoid this flying debris problem we’re just now facing?

To give you an idea, here’s the financial impact from the report:

FINANCIAL/PROGRAM IMPLICATIONS

Based on the annual average number of Blue Boxes distributed each year, the cost increase as a result of implementing the 22 gallon Blue Box as the new standard is an estimated $28,600 per year.

The annual purchase of 2,000 Blue Boxes with an affixed lid is estimated to be $30,000.

As a result, a total of $58,600 will be incorporated into the 2013 Budget and Business Plan for consideration.

Let me know what you think in the comments or email me mike@mikecluett.ca – on Twitter www.twitter.com/mike_cluettor Facebook!

 

AMO Coverage in Milton Champion

Mike Cluett

Milton politicians stress need for more schools at AMO – Key concerns discussed at provincial conference

Julia Le – Milton Canadian Champion:  A need for more schools was among the key concerns Mayor Gord Krantz and eight councillors raised last week during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference.

Krantz, councillors Sharon Barkley, Arnold Huffman, Mike Cluett, Rick Di Lorenzo, Cindy Lunau and Zeeshan Hamid, Tony Lambert and Local and Regional Councillor Colin Best were joined by Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr and Halton District School Board Trustee Donna Danielli as they met with Deputy Education Minister George Zegarac at the conference held in Ottawa to explain the challenging situation they are finding the Town in and the dire need from the Province to commit to building more schools to support the fast growing communities and the families and young children moving into them.

The meeting was originally schedule with Education Minister Laurel Broten, however likely due to the issues surrounding the current negotiations with teachers’ unions and school boards, Broten was unable to attend the conference, held each year to bring together municipal and provincial leaders and offer panels, discussions, and keynotes on a selection of municipal interest topics led by industry experts.

The group served as a united front in presenting Zegarac the reality Milton faces.

Danielli, the school trustee for the Milton 2, 3, 4 and 5 areas, said if it wasn’t for the repurposing of the old E.C. Drury High School, P.L. Robertson Public School was projected to have 40 portables by 2014. The old high school will now host a satellite location for P.L. Robertson as a temporary measure until a new school is built.

“It’s the best solution we have, but it certainly isn’t an ideal situation,” she said, adding that there’s no real place for full-day kindergarten and that families will have to be split up at different locations.

The group also lobbied for more funding to keep older schools up-to-date technologically and physically.

Danielli added the funding formula the province uses to dole out money to school boards needs to be revised.

“When you look at the 11 boards that are closest in area (to us), we’re at the bottom of the list in terms of per pupil funding,” she said.

The 56,000 students in Milton are receiving $1,000 to $1,500 when compared to surrounding school boards.

Krantz said he believes the group put its best case forward to the Ministry of Education and Zegarac, who seemed to be well versed in the town’s concerns.

“Was there anything ultimately resolved, well that’s hard to tell at this point, but I refer to it as keeping issues on the radar screen,” he said. “I think being in their face with your issues is just as important. (It shows) we’re not going away until we get some of this stuff sorted out.”

Danielli was more optimistic about the outcome of the meeting.

She said Zegarac seemed empathetic, even going as far as to say Milton was the “poster child of why we need capital funding.”

She doesn’t believe anything will be resolved until teacher negotiations have been settled, but hopes the Town will get the green light sooner rather than later to start construction before the end of the year.

Other issues Krantz and councillors discussed with the appropriate provincial ministers at the conference included making sure the hospital expansion was kept on the radar and the effect the Slots at the Racetracks program closure will have, not only on the horse racing industry but on the town.

The Province announced earlier this year that all payments made to the horse racing industry, including Mohawk Slots, through the Slots at the Racetracks program will end as of March 31, 2013.

Krantz and Lunau met with Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Ted McMeekin to discuss the importance of keeping the horse industry alive.