milton town hall report

To Race or Not To Race

Mike Cluett

That was the question last night at the Community Services Standing Committee meeting.

This item was the “barn burner” issue of the night as the committee discussed the upcoming Canadian Cycling Road Championship on June 25th, 2011.  The staff report along with the map of the route can be found here.  Area residents, including the owners of Springridge Farms had concerns of safety issues and lost revenue as the 25th of June is THE biggest day for the popular farm in town.

After lengthy discussions with the parties involved and the race organizers they will head back to table to find a solution that will meet everyones needs.  Councillor Huffman suggested that the starting times of each of the two races be spread further apart and begin earlier/later in order to accomodate Springridge Farms hours of operations and hopefully also address concerns raised for safety of the cyclists.

Councillor Lunau took some pictures of Bell School Line which showed some pretty heavy erosion of the road, with some patches here and there which causes a lot of concern seeing how these riders will be going anywhere from 80KM/HR to 90KM/HR (speed limit is 60…should we give them tickets?)  The organizers feel that given the experience level of the cyclists and the semi professional status, they will be able to handle it.  Time will have to see.

Committee deferred the report until we get an update which will hopefully come this week, and we can get this matter resolved to everyones satisfaction.  This is the biggest sales day for the Springridge Farms and it would be a shame to see their sales drop (as well as the frustration of their customers not being able to get in) and of couse, the safety of the cyclists involved.

Community Services Meeting May 9 2011

Mike Cluett

This coming Monday May 9th will be our Community Services Standing Committee meeting at Town Hall.  This Committee consists of five Councillors and the Mayor. Committee members review all reports, formulate policy and make recommendations to Council on matters over which Council has authority under the Municipal Act.  These matters are related to Community Services, Fire, Library, Transit and other operational programs.

The agenda can be found here at this link.  Some of the highlights will be discussion on whether or not the Canadian Road Cycling Championships should be re-routed due to some issues Springridge Farms have with road closures.  The race is slated for Saturday June 25th and this would mean the road in front of Springridge would have to be closed, meaning customers wouldn’t be able to get there.  There are also other issues about the road in general and there is one delegation slated to speak.

Another presentation to be given is the Transportation Projects update which gives updates on Ministry of Transportation’s projects, GO Transit, Halton Region, and the Britannia Road Environmental Assessment process.

If you would like to speak on any of the items listed you can email the Town Clerk before 10AM on Monday and get listed as a delegation.  You can also drop me an email mike@mikecluett.ca if you have any questions. 

As always the meetings are now streamed live and click here watch council in action.

Great Day for the Milton Mutt Strutt

Mike Cluett

The rain didnt damper anyone’s fun on Saturday at the Milton Fairgrounds for the 2nd Annual Milton Mutt Strutt.

The weather wasnt really cooperating with the events for the day but the dogs put on a great show and they made it a a really fun event.  Yannick Carter from the Hamilton Tigercats was the special guest and he opened up the days festivities with his story of adopting cats from the Oakville Milton Humane Society.  He along with a number of other dog owners braved the rain as he led them on a slightly abreviated walk.

Milton Mayor Gord Krantz, yours truly as well as other town councillors Rick Malboeuf (who brought his dog for the walk) and Rick Di Lorenzo joined other dignitaries Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh in the days events.  A number of federal candidates joined us as well including Liberal candidates Connie Laurin-Bowie, Conservative candidate Lisa Raitt, Green Party candidate Judi Remigio and NDP candidate Pat Heroux came out to cheer on the participants and see the shows these talented pets put on, despite the weather.

I dont know off hand what the final tally was in the fundraising efforts of the Oakville Milton Huname Society but it should be pretty close to last years total, if not more!  The organizing committee should be commended and congratulated for a great event and hopefully we can get better weather next year.  Thanks to everyone who came out with their dogs and supported this organization.  You can find out more about the Human Society by going to their website www.oakvillemiltonhumane.ca

A big TWO PAWS UP to everyone involved.

More Construction Notices – Hydro One

Mike Cluett

The town of Milton received a notice from Hydro One about some upcoming constrcution to the transmission corridor along James Snow Parkway from Steeles to Main Street.  As you will read the construction will take a number of weeks with the goal of being finished by mid-May.

Reisdents will see helicoptors flying around and there will be some loud bangs from the use of implosive devices to fuse wires together…so dont be alarmed.  The notice I’m posting here will be sent to area residents and businesses, sent to the local papers, and local police & fire services.

Here is a link to the notice & a copy of the letter to residents/businesses.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Bruce to Milton Project Construction Activities

April 28, 2011

Dear Residents,

Hydro One would like to inform you about some upcoming construction activities in the Town of Milton associated with our Bruce to Milton Transmission Reinforcement Project. 

Over the next several weeks our contractor, Valard Construction, will be installing conductor (wire) on the Hydro One right-of-way east of James Snow Parkway, between Main Street and north of Steeles Ave (see map on reverse). In order to string conductor onto the new towers, helicopters will be used and will be required to make short stops at each tower.

In order to fuse the conductor together, our contractor will be using implosive devices. This process makes a loud banging sound similar to that of a firearm discharging, so please do not be alarmed when you hear it.

These activities are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 30, and will continue periodically, throughout the area until mid May, 2011. Crews will be working seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We expect several implosive connections will be made each day.

Hydro One will be notifying residents and businesses within one kilometre of the work sites.  In addition, we will be notifying nearby schools, local police, ambulance and fire departments to ensure they are aware of the work.

We apologize in advance for the noise and any inconvenience this work may cause.  We thank you for your patience while Hydro One and its contractor complete this critical 500 kilovolt transmission line that will add 3000 megawatts of transmission capability to Ontario’s grid.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Marty Dendekker, Construction

Contact Officer at (519)873-0331, or our Community Relations Line toll-free at

1-877-345-6799, or by email at Community.Relations@HydroOne.com.

****

Dear Mayor Krantz,

This weekend, Hydro One’s contractor Valard Construction will begin stringing the conductor (wire) along the new Bruce to Milton transmission towers in the Town of Milton.  The area affected is along the transmission corridor, east of James Snow Parkway and between Main Street and north of Steeles Avenue (see attached notice and map). We expect this work will be completed by mid May.

Helicopters will be used to install the new wires.  Following this, implosive devices will be used to fuse the wires together. These implosive devises make a loud bang, similar to a firearm discharging.  The attached notice will be distributed to homes and businesses in the area through the Milton Canadian Champion and Georgetown Independent, so people are aware of the process and won’t be alarmed if they hear the occasional bang. We have also notified local Police and Fire Services.

In addition, to string this section of line,  helicopters will need to fly over Highway 401 at James Snow Parkway tentatively this weekend and next (May 7 and 8).  As a precautionary measure, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will slow down traffic on Highway 401 in the vicinity of James Snow Parkway to ensure that this work can be completed safely.  We expect there will be eight slow-downs of traffic over the two weekends for about 5 minutes each time.  The exact timing will be determined by Valard Construction and the OPP on site.

If weather conditions allow, this work could be completed in less time, and traffic slow downs may not be required on both weekends.  

Please do not hesitate to call me or Marylena Stea, Community Relations Officer at 416-345-5706 if you have any questions.

Regards,

Enza Cancilla
Manager, Public Affairs
Corporate Communications
Hydro One Networks

MCRC Fun Fair June 4th

Mike Cluett

One of the pleasures of my council job is to sit on the board of a number of organizations. Milton Community Resource Centre (MCRC) is one of them.

From the MCRC website:

Milton Community Resource Centre (MCRC) is a Not–for-profit, multi-service organization that provides services to children and families of Milton and the surrounding communities. Through our Ontario Early Years Centre and our Family Resource programs we provide early learning programs for children, their parents and caregivers at minimal or no cost to participants. MCRC’s parent resource library offers a variety resources and workshops including access to our parent educators.

Through our Licensed Child Care programs, MCRC provides quality early learning and care at an affordable cost and subsidy is available for eligible families. Collaboratively with Halton Region Children Services, MCRC operates The Halton Resource Connection, which provides training, support and resources to individuals and organizations working with children and youth.

This June 4th they will be holding their annual FUN FAIR day at Victoria Park (by Milton Town Hall) and they are looking for door prizes and silent auction items.  If you are a business owner or employee looking for a good organization to support and would like to donate some goods or services to the FUN FAIR day, please email me mike@mikecluett.ca

The FUN FAIR is held on the same day as the Downtown Milton Street Festival and Im sure there will be HUNDREDS of people attending and it will be a blast.  Bring your kids for a great morning of fun before the street festival starts. 

Thanks in advance everyone!

Trees For Watershed Health – Conservation Halton

Mike Cluett

At our last council meeting on Monday there was a report from the Halton Regional Police Service and they updated town council on their endeavours to keep the residents in the town informed of programs and initiatives.  I was very happy to hear this and I have been impressed by their communication plans and urged the Town of Milton to do what we can to help “spread the word” 

This not only goes for the Halton Police Services but for all aspects in the town’s business and programs.

In that light the Town of Milton has announced on its website some information about a Conservation Halton event called the “Trees for Watershed Health” where residents can get involved in planting trees.  Councillor Cindy Lunau also brought this up during the last council meeting and urged Miltonians to get involved in this venture.  This year they will be planting 4,000 trees by Kelso Park.

Here is some information from the Conservation Halton website that has details on how you can get involved on Saturday April 30th, rain or shine to help plant trees and help improve the area.

You can register by clicking HERE.

Each year Conservation Halton hosts a public tree planting event on or around Earth Day as part of its Trees for Watershed Health Program. All watershed residents regardless of age or skill level can participate and help our local environment. So whether you are a veteran tree planter or just starting out, this program has something for everyone.

The 2011 tree planting event is in partnership with the Town of Milton and takes place Saturday, April 30, 2011, starting at 9 a.m. at the Kelso Quarry Park, which is located in Milton. Conservation Halton needs over 400 volunteers to come out and plant approximately 4,000 trees, rain or shine.

Volunteers need to bring their own shovel and ensure they are dressed appropriately for the weather – hat, shoes or boots (no sandals),  sunscreen (if necessary). Following the planting a delicious barbecue lunch will be provided.

This is an excellent opportunity for you, as a volunteer, to see a unique and picturesque section of the Halton watershed and lend a hand in its renaturalization for the enjoyment of our children and grandchildren. Volunteer and community service hours are available for high school students who register and participate in the event. Volunteers are asked to register by Tuesday, April 26. 

Registration for the 2011 Tree Planting Event is now OPEN. 

Conservation Halton is partnering with the Town of Milton on Trees for Watershed Health for the next two years. The Town received a two-year grant through Hydro One’s Biodiversity Initiative to enhance Milton’s natural habitat. The Town of Milton chose to partner with Conservation Halton to hold a volunteer tree planting event as part of its focus on environmental and sustainability initiatives. Trees for Watershed Health supports the Town’s goal to provide a thriving natural environment that is a valued community asset to be protected, maintained and enjoyed.

The forests of Conservation Halton’s watershed provide habitat for a myriad of wildlife species. They also provide ecosystem functions such as cleaning the air, purifying water and storing carbon along with providing places of unparalleled beauty for us all to enjoy. Protecting existing forests and increasing forest cover is an important aspect of sustaining the health of the watershed. 

The Trees for Watershed Health planting event provides an opportunity for watershed residents to take part in the transformation of marginal parklands into an area with healthy and abundant forest cover. This will help to offset the negative impacts of climate change in our watershed, while increasing biodiversity in the park. The site is ideally located adjacent to Kelso Conservation Area. The Quarry is a fantastic location to continue our public tree planting program and provides important green space for both Conservation Halton and the Town of Milton.