New Fire Hall and EMS Station in operation

Last week the Halton Hills Fire Department made the big move across the parking lot from their very old Fire Hall on Maple Avenue to their modern operational building. The photos show the vast upgrading to our fire services. The lower picture shows the old building which was always intended to be a temporary home utilizing the town's old Public Works Garage.
The old building will be demolished after it has been used for some fire fighting training purposes.

The EMS (ambulance) will be moving in shortly as well. This is a cooperative venture with the Region of Halton. Currently our ambulances in Georgetown operate out of another old inadequate building at the corner of Chapel Street at Guelph Street.

In addition to this new operations fire hall we have also recently opened the new Fire Hall at the corner of Main Street South and 10th sideroad. You will note the striking similarity between the 2 new buildings as they were both designed by the same architect which was financially beneficial to the Town. The 2 fire halls were under construction simultaneously and it is much easier to be dealing with only 1 architect rather than 2.

There is much more that the public should know about these new facilities but I will leave all the rest of the good news to a future posting. However, congratulations are in order for Fire Chief Brent Marshall and his staff who were very involved in the design features of the buildings but also oversaw the construction and brought it to a successful conclusion.

Barber Mill New Proposal by Everlast

The historic Barber Mill, located in the beautiful Credit River Valley on River Drive in Georgetown has long been a topic of conversation and speculation. As the first photo illustrates, there is a proposal by the owner of the property, Everlast Group, to redevelop the site.

At last Monday's Council Meeting there was a public meeting on this application which is drastically changed from the original proposal that was brought forward in 2004. The old proposal was a very intense redevelopment and included a hotel and a 14 storey apartment building. Although Council was not asked to approve the application at that time, concern was expressed about the intensity proposed particularly around the apartment building. In addition there were concerns from Credit Valley Conservation about development in the floodplain. On the heritage side, the proposal did include adaptive reuse of some of the structures currently on the property.
Subsequent to the original proposal being presented, I attended a meeting with the developer and other town officials. The developer expressed distress at the length of time it was taking to deal with his proposal and the fact that vandalism and nature were taking a toll on the heritage structures. He told us that his engineer's advice was to demolish the buildings and rebuild using whatever materials could be salvaged.
A wholesale demolition of the buildings was not something that Council wished to see happen and so it was decided that we should go ahead and have the Barber Mill designated as a heritage site. It should be noted that the developer had always contemplated this happening but not until after his development had been built.

The new proposal from Everlast is quite different from the original. It no long includes any residential component. It does include a 65 room hotel, restaurant and specialty shops. The intent is for it to be a tourist destination that focuses on the spectacular views and the adaptive reuse of the heritage buildings.
In the 6 years since the original proposal was presented there has been much public interest in how this site is to be treated. A group called the Credit Valley Heritage Society was incorporated in 2008 to specifically deal with this site. Their position, as presented on Monday night was that the site should be purchased by the Town and converted into a museum, presumably operated by the Town as well.

One important aspect that should be emphasized is that the application is consistent with the zoning that currently exists on the site and therefore the property owner has a right to develop this property. It is more a question of how the property is developed than if the property can be developed. Therefore, purchase of the property by the Town would require either a change of heart by the developer or an expropriation at fair market value.
At this point there are many concerns with the application that have yet to be resolved. For example Credit Valley Conservation has many issues that must be addressed.
From my point of view, this is a site that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later as the buildings really are falling apart with each passing week. The heritage aspect of the Barber Mill is undeniable and every effort should be made to bring new life and public access to the buildings.

I would be interested in knowing your opinion on this issue. Do you support the private development of the site or would you prefer this to be undertaken using your tax dollars?

Big Daddy Festival is a Big Success

This past weekend was jammed with terrific things for anyone and everyone to enjoy whether you were in downtown Georgetown, Glen Williams, Cedarvale Park, Limehouse, Acton or Norval. It was all part of the first ever Big Daddy Festival, brain child of the new Halton Hills Cultural Round Table.
This turned out to be an enormous undertaking with so many venues to manage. However, with Beatrice Sharkey and Laurent Thibault at the helm of the organizing committee, it all came together and was a joy wherever events were happening.
The photos shown here are all of downtown Georgetown on Saturday afternoon. I was particularly impressed with the series of performers at the Chill Zone. This venue was organized by the B2C group (Business to Community). They are all local business people wishing to make a contribution back to the community and this would have been their first big event. They hooked up with Steam Whistle Breweries and McMaster's Meats to provide the refreshments. Then Don Ablett of Glen Williams fame organized the local talent to perform throughout the afternoon and evening and then again on Sunday afternoon.

The talent was exceptional. Just sitting outside on a gorgeous day while those talented people entertained was a wonderful experience.
The Big Daddy Festival was put on by local people for local people this year. The first year is always a learning experience and simply getting launched is a challenge. It seemed that every week new groups were coming on side as people began to realize the potential of a community-wide festival. In the future it is expected to grow and become more of a tourist attraction that will help to boost the local ecomony. It is for this reason that the Town is also involved as a partner.
If you attended any of the venues I would be interested in your comments about it.
If you didn't attend then I hope you will get a chance to take it in next year.

Crime Stoppers Gets their Man and their Woman

Things got a little dodgie in the Georgetown Marketplace today. There were criminals and cops everywhere. They must have run out of room at the local police station because a new holding cell was located in the mall and was in constant use.

Local shoppers were shocked to see several well known citizens caught up in the obvious sting operation. With fearful expressions some skirted the proceeding as they tried to avoid being caught up in the operation.
The judge was a curiousity all by himself. Look at the mean look on his face. And what self respecting judge has to wear a hockey helmet to protect himself?
The charges were scandalous and locking some of these characters up was simply the right thing to do.
Unfortunately bail was set ridiculously low by Judge Louie The Wig and many soft hearted citizens came forward with cash to get their chronies out of the brig. But maybe they coughed up the dough just to get the judge to quit harrassing them.
Curly Kentner seen here, had obviously just been in a scrap before being arrested. As typically happens, his wife showed up to bail him out again.
Pinky Fogal was crying for her mother, who failed to show up due to a more pressing appointment with her hair dresser. In the end a couple of real estate hot shots made bail for her nad she in now back out on the street.
Citizens beware!

Sun Opta recognized for 22 Minute Makeover

Today I was completing my delivery of certificates of appreciation to schools and businesses that participated in the Halton Hills 22 Minute Makeover. This photo is of Karen Gardner of Sun Opta, a local business that really got into the spirit of the 22 Minute Makeover in a big way. Virtually all of their employees, including senior management went out for a litter pick up along highway 7 in Norval. They collected truck loads of debris on the hill from the east side of Norval down to McNab Park.

Sun Opta's commitment was echoed at their Acton location Purity Life.

Although Sun Opta is technically in Brampton, we are very proud of them and consider them to be a part of our Norval community.

Georgetown Horticultural Society Celebrates 90th Anniversary

Today the Georgetown Horticultural Society celebrated its 90th anniversary by unveiling their latest community project, the redeveloped Mary Street Parkette.

The Society decided to celebrate by doing what they do best: gardening. Mary Street Parkette was chosen for their makeover project. Since getting approval from the Town they have been busy redesigning the parkette and finding sponsors to assist. The Town is also a partner in the project.

From the Town's point of view, this is a very beneficial partnership because ultimately it is the maintenance of gardens that is difficult for the Town to fund and do properly. The commitment of the Horticultural Society to look after the planting beds is a real bonus for the Town and the neighbourhood.

The Town was able to create the planting beds and then the volunteers went to work planting them. Now the Parkette is rejuvinated with colourful perennials, pathways and a lovely bench.

I was discussing with one of the attendees at today's celebration, the role of volunteers in keeping the Town looking lovely. Other municipalities usually have horticultural specialists on staff but that is not the case in Halton Hills. However, we have beautiful gardens at the Civic Centre, the Hospital Courtyard, the entrance to Greenwood Cemetary and now Mary Street Parkette courtesy of the Georgetown Horticultural Society. Interestingly, the Oakville Horticultural Society only maintains one very small public garden in comparison. We are certainly rich on the volunteers side of the balance sheet.


The Mary Street Parkette was rejuvinated once before by members of the Georgetown Canadian Federation of University Women. They worked with the neighbourhood to save the parkette from being sold for housing. The community worked together to get donations and then a mass planting day was held. The parkette was rejuvinated in one day.

Unfortunately the parkette maintenance was not kept up because there was no formal organization to take this on.

With the Horticultural Society in charge this time around the park is in very good hands.

Mary Street is located off of Princess Anne Drive near Park School.

Jump Starting the Cycling Master Plan

The photos above show bicycles at Silver Creek Public School and the new bike lanes on Danby Road in Georgetown South. You will find a similar new bike lane on Delrex Blvd. These are the first signs that Halton Hills is about to take cycling safety more seriously and comes as a result of the Cycling Master Plan which is being released for public comment today.

There is a report on our council agenda for Monday June 14th that authorizes staff to host a Public Information Centre on the Cycling Master Plan to be held on Tuesday June 29th from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at the Civic Centre, 1 Halton Hills Drive, Georgetown.

Public input is important as it allows council to see what the public reaction and support is for the plan. All changes to our roads require financial resources and if the public is either against it or complacent then progress will be slow. On the other hand if the public is enthusiastic and demands action then budget dollars usually follow.

The main thrust of the plan is to make cycling safer. Surveys show that many people would like to ride bikes but they believe that it is not safe enough. Making our roads safer is the most effective thing we can do to get more people cycling, especially children riding to school instead of being driven everyday.

The photo of the kids' bikes above shows that some kids do ride to school right now. However, if safety is improved this number could easily double or triple. Think of how much less gas would be burned if this happened at every school in the town.

You can review the draft Master Plan by going to the Town's website www.haltonhills.ca and find it on the home page.
Comments can also be left here.

Logo Launch in Downtown Georgetown

After months of design work and much discussion Downtown Georgetown has a new logo and tag line! As you can see above, this is a radical departure from the former logo and image projected by the Downtown Georgetown Business Improvement Area or BIA.

The development of a new brand was a stategy identified in the strategic planning exercise the BIA went through beginning in May 2007. With the help of a Rural Economic Development Grant and partnership with the Town, a new marketing strategy has been developed.

The Logo is fresh and projects a place that is both inviting and interesting. The tagline is: Your Treasure Awaits. Downtown Georgetown really is a treasure in itself, nestled in a hollow, off the main highway through town. The hidden nature of downtown is revealled when we hear of new people in town who have never been there.

At no time is the treasure more evident than on Farmer's Market mornings. It is hard to think of a happier place. People come not only for the fresh fuits and vegetables but also just to be there and experience it.

You can expect to see the logo on advertising, banners, the website and on new signage that is currently in the development stage.

Downtown Georgetown is a tremendous asset and just keeps getting better.

If you have comments on the logo or suggestions for improvements to the BIA please let me know.

Volunteers without Capes

The photo illustrates the crowd of local volunteers who were honoured last night by the Town for their tremendous contribution to the vitality of Halton Hills. Although all volunteers were invited to attend, most are too busy volunteering to actually take advantage of this special evening. However, approximately 275 volunteers were in attendance and they certainly represented a wide range of volunteer activities.

The theme of the evening was, You Don't Need A Cape to Change the World. In keeping with the theme, youth members of the Georgetown Little Theatre were dressed up as super heroes and helped add to the festive atmosphere. An array of finger foods were donated by our generous local businesses.

Council decided that we would like to host such an event once per council term, or every 4 years. The volunteers present seemed to really enjoy the reception. It is important that we make the effort to recognize their efforts. Our sincere thanks go out to all of our volunteers.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN TODAY?

Most people will be surprised to learn that this beautiful valley is in fact in the middle of Georgetown. It is a treasure that few have taken the opportunity to visit. The Town of Halton Hills purchased 300 acres in Hungry Hollow in 2001 in order to protect this environmentally sensitive area and to provide residents with an opportunity to experience nature close to where they live.

The award winning Hungry Hollow Management Plan was adopted in 2004 and has since guided staff in the development of a trail system on both sides of Silver Creek. Over that past 5 years we have been closing informal side trails and constructing trails in appropriate places.
It isn't finished but we are well on our way.

This photo is taken at the bottom of the trail leading down from Metcalfe Court, which is just off of Delrex east of Mountainview. Go to the very end of the street to find the trail. Within 5 steps onto the trail your jaw will drop if you have never walked the trail before.

Today we celebrated the partnerships that lead to the latest trail construction. The Town received infrastructure funding from the Federal Government and have partnered with POWER, Save Our Ravines and the Credit Valley Conservation to construct the latest secton of boardwalk.

If you have walked any of our trails, what did you think of them? What would you like to see us do next?

Power Plant Almost Ready To Fire Up

No one could miss the new Halton Hills natural gas fired power plant on Steeles/ 401. This photo does not do justice to the immenseness of this building. It is a 683 megawatt peaker plant meaning that it will operate when the need is the highest for electricity. It will likely run only during the daytime and evenings from Monday to Friday.

You may have heard about the fight happening in Oakville over a similar power plant proposed for beside the Ford Assembly Plant. The Halton Hills plant is about a third smaller. The Oakville plant is to be much closer to residential areas than the Halton Hills Plant. Both plants are projects of Transcanada Energy.

Commissioning of the Halton Hills Plant is underway. The pipes have been cleaned out which caused the massive steam plumes that were visible for miles.

I recently saw a resolution from the City of Guelph asking the provincial government to convert the new gas fired plants to full time in order to more quickly phase out the coal plants. What is your opinion of that initiative?

At this time Halton Hills Council has not supported the resolution.

Georgetown Water Tower Could be Interesting

Georgetown is getting a new water tower. It is under construction now beside the existing one behind Georgetown Toyota

The question is: would you like it to simply say Town of Halton Hills/Halton Region? Or would you like something a little more artistic like the Tilbury tower in this photo? The Halton Hills Cultural Round Table is proposing we use this great white canvas to project a more creative image of our town. I would be interested in your opinion. You can find many examples by googling " artistic water towers"

Goose Loses Its Head

This striking Goose Sculpture was recently installed in the Old Seed House Garden. Last weekend, just 2 weeks after installation, the poor goose lost its head. It is unknown if this was an act of senseless vandalism or just plain stupidity.

The volunteers who lovingly fund and maintain the Old Seed House Garden were sick at this occurrance. Likewise artist, Ken Hall, who donated his concrete sculpture just prior to moving away from Georgetown, was understandably upset. Ken immediately volunteered to return and see what could be done.

Yesterday, Ken performed corrective surgery with the help of a steel rod and adhesive. The Friends of the Old Seed House Garden quickly installed protective shrubs to help safe guard The Goose. The picture shows the temporary supports needed while the glue dried.

Personally, as one of the Friends of The Old Seed House Garden, I am very proud of the new works of art we have installed and you can be sure that we won't give up just because things like this happen. We hope that as more people discover this gem that less vandalism will occur.

You can spot the Goose as you drive along Maple Avenue just east of Guelph Street. But the best thing is to park and go for a stroll to really enjoy this gift to the community.