Happy Be-lated Easter everyone!
Its been a great weekend with the weather (albeit a bit cool) and fun Milton events. There was an event being held on Good Friday courtesy of The Village in town at the Milton Fairgrounds.
It was advertised as a free event, a massive “egg drop” for the kids in town and the first of its kind anywhere. If you did get a chance to come out, you were one of the few who didn’t. Close to 2000 people came out with their children in tow to take part, throwing the organizers for a loop, as they only expected 1/2 of that.
The winds were high early in the morning and they were not allowed to set the balloon aloft to the bright sky. The Milton firefighters improvised and raised their crane in the air and dropped hundreds of plastic eggs, each one containing a ticket to be redeemed for easter candy and prizes, into a crowd of children below.
Despite the extra numbers that did come out, it was a pretty good event, once again showcasing Milton as a family friendly town. Despite a few kids getting bumped around and temporarily getting lost, everyone seemed to have fun. Of course, as with any event, things can get better. Anthony and Miranda also had a blast to say the least.
Some other council notes: the new ward boundaries have been officially approved and will be in effect for the next election in 2010. Yes its only a year away. Only two councillors voted against the changes (Regional Councillor Colin Best and Town Councillor Jan Mowbray) siting reasons that the boundaries wont be accurately divided and they recommended that town staff take a further look to make sure its the best job it can be.
This means Milton will go from a 4 ward/2 councillor per ward system to an 8 ward/1 councillor per ward system. This should help increase accountability for our town representatives which would be a drastic improvement from what we have now. You can read some details here from the Champion.
Also included in that update is councils decision to allow people to pave their driveways to have 2 car parking, even if it means paving part of your lawn.
Driveway expansions approved
Residents with a home that has at least a 26-foot frontage will now be able to expand their driveways to fit two cars, even if it means paving over a portion of their lawn.
Council approved the changes to the zoning by-law last week in an effort to accommodate the needs of residents with multiple cars, some of whom have resorted to parking on their lawn as the Town doesn’t allow street parking for more than three hours.
The Town still requires enough green space such as a lawn or garden to allow for water filtration.
This doesnt mean someone could pave their entire lawn for driving, as you do need enough room on the lawn to allow for the flow of water. For some time there has been a debate, especially in the new area of Milton, about people and their parking habits. Residents have been coming up with creative ways of parking which include on the road, in the driveways with the end of the car over the road (risking tickets and raising safety issues) and also parking perpendicular at the end of the driveway. All of the fault seems to be laid squarely at the towns feet…unfairly to say the least. They may not have taken this kind of growth into consideration but as one of my neighbours said to me recently “no one held a gun to their head to buy the house knowing they had 2 or 3 cars”.
True enough … and what about the garage?