Environment Committee report
Environment Committee Report
for July 5, 2007 meeting
There has been one formal meeting of this committee since our last meeting. There was an informal information session hosted by Claude in two parts. One dealt with the SoundSorb issue at the Gun Club site on Madill Church Rd. It attended by members of the Gun Club and the Madill Community Group, MOE reps, Environment Cttee. members and the environmental consultant hired by Town, Gary Markotich of Church and Trought. The second issue was on the tannery site. KWH's president, VP of operations and Ton Mclelwain of Golder Associates replaced the Gun Club and Madill reps. Both meetings were very open and many concerns were dealt with.
At the regular meeting:
- Claude informed us that the ability of alternates to vote in place of delegates in their absence will be debated at the next meeting of council.
- It was reported that Town carefully chooses only environmentally-accepted cleaning products.
- Walt Schmid outlined, for information purposes, MNR's draft policy on the sale of Crown land on lake trout lakes. He will send MNR a letter requesting he be copied about any such proposed sales beforehand.
- I had some questions still about both the SoundSorb issue and the tannery site. Since discussion was limited, I will draft these for the environmental consultant as he gets down to his work. His further work for Town will include a review of groundwater monitoring tests at the Gun Club (due mid-July) and a cost analysis of a Phase 2 environmental assessment of the tannery site land (the firehall) owned by Town.
- There was no discussion of the agenda item dealing with review of the current idling by-law.
- Don Baker presented the idea of an environmental award to be given out by Town which the EC felt a good idea. The Ad-hoc EAC will draft terms of reference for this.
- Claude reported that the Alliance Church had held an environmental awareness session attended by Judi Brouse and Jamie Delaney from District. 75 folks eager to do something attended.
- The Ad-hoc EAC had sent in a letter requesting that the landscape architect hired by Town for fall planting be aware that plantings need to done in a sustainable way (right site for purpose of the planting, right species, ongoing maintenance etc.). The tender had closed but Claude said that such requirements were inherent in the proposal.
- Discussion time was spent on the dark-sky friendly lighting along Main Street which many citizens feel is too dark. Claude will bring more details to the next meeting.
