Latest news with #EssexCouncil
CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Essex council shelves decision on controversial wedding venue proposal
Essex town hall can be seen in this undated photo. (Town of Essex) After weeks of public meetings and debate, Essex council has tabled a decision on a proposed wedding venue in the Harrow area — leaving the file in limbo. The proposal, from Hearn Hunting and Fishing Lodge on Concession 6, seeks a temporary zoning amendment to allow up to 10 weddings or events a year between May and October. Town administration, the Essex Region Conservation Authority and other municipal departments had no objections to the plan, but the file has faced strong opposition from some neighbours concerned about noise and traffic. At a special meeting Tuesday night, councillors spent more than two hours discussing the application. Coun. Katie McGuire-Blais first moved to give the zoning bylaw amendment its first and second readings — a motion that failed. That's when former mayor Larry Snively, who was seated in the gallery, reacted angrily, pointing at some councillors who voted against and telling them they're 'done' next election before leaving the room. McGuire-Blais then tried a second motion to give the bylaw only its first reading, which also failed. She briefly moved to deny the application, but rescinded that motion before council went into a closed session for legal advice. When they returned, McGuire-Blais put forward the motion to table the matter — removing it from the agenda unless a councillor moves to bring it back. If that doesn't happen by Sept. 16, the property owners can appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal, which has the authority to make a ruling. Mayor Sherry Bondy acknowledged the tabling will frustrate many, adding, 'There's probably more to come on this file … stay tuned.' Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley called the outcome disappointing, noting the owners will now likely have to seek a decision from the tribunal. The property owners declined to comment Tuesday night.
Hamilton Spectator
01-08-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Engineering Services awarded for South Talbot Rd and Maidstone Ave reconstruction
Members of Essex Council awarded the Engineering Services for the South Talbot Road and Maidstone Avenue reconstruction to RC Spencer Associates Inc., in the amount of $138,078.15, including non-refundable Harmonized Sales Tax. The decision was made at the July 21 meeting. David McBeth, Manager of Capital Works and Asset Management, explained the earliest this project could be on the budget would be 2027, by the time the survey, detailed design, and other requirements are met. The project does include a multi-use pathway on South Talbot, from the greenway to Maidstone Avenue, and a multi-use pathway from Maidstone Avenue, from South Talbot to Allen Avenue. He added the section on Allen Avenue up to Talbot Street North is being designed by a different consultant as part of the storm sewer project that is ongoing. His report outlined the engineering design for the main part of the contract will include updating the South Talbot Road and Maidstone Avenue intersection with a dual left hand turn onto Maidstone Avenue, from South Talbot Road. This is expected to incorporate new traffic signal lighting, streetlighting, and a multi-use trail from Reed Street to Maidstone Avenue. In addition, it also details that South Talbot Road will be re-aligned to add a larger curve in the roadway, which will be used to eliminate the three-way stop that was instituted at Reed Street in 2023. Property for this work was acquired in 2024. Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais was very happy to see this project working forward. The 2025 Capital Budget had an approved amount of $300,000 for this project as a carry forward. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Essex's wastewater treatment facilities to require $11M over next five-years
Essex Council received a report regarding the condition and operational capacity of the Town's wastewater treatment facilities for information during the April 22 meeting. Through the report, members of Essex Council learned that between the municipality's four wastewater treatment plants, around $11M in capital expenses will be required over the next five-years. Rob Mackie, Manager of Environmental Services, created and presented the report, as Council directed Administration to provide a high-level report on the condition and operational capacity of the Town's sanitary treatment facilities back in February. 'All in all, our treatment facilities still have a significant portion of capacity available to service our communities,' Mackie told Council. 'However, the major capital investments are required.' The Town of Essex has four wastewater treatment facilities, two servicing Essex Centre, one for Colchester South, and one for Harrow. The Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) operates the facilities. McGregor is served through the Town of Amherstburg. Each treatment facility has its own environmental compliance approval, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks. That allows the facility to be operated with environmental controls that protect human health and natural environment. The largest facility in the municipality is the Essex Pollution Control Plant, located on North Malden Road. It has been in service since 2005. This plant, Mackie said, is a Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) plant, and also includes a temporary wet weather lagoon storage facility. The facility's current rated capacity is 4,590-cubic-meters per day. The average flow in 2024 was 1,983-cubic-meters. That is 43% of its rated capacity. It is estimated the facility will require $1.2M in capital expenses between 2025 and 2030, the majority of projects will replace equipment that are original to the building's construction. It has experienced two non-compliance events in the past two-years. Both were reported to the Ministry with corrective actions put in place. Both were later closed, Mackie noted. The North-East Lagoon is the second facility treating wastewater for Essex Centre. It is located on County Road 8 and has been in service since 1963. It has four cells that require Batch Allan dosing for phosphorus removal prior to discharge. The current rated capacity of the North-East Lagoon is 2,910-cublic-meters per day. In 2024, its average flow was 1,304-cublic-meters per day. That is 44% of its rated capacity. The facility is expected to require around $6.7M in capital expenses between 2025 and 2030. The majority of projects are due to the lagoon's cells requiring dredging, which will allow them to continue to function as designed, Mackie explained. There were no non-compliance or by-pass events with this facility in the past decade. The Harrow Lagoon facility is located on Roseborough Drive, and was established in 1974. It consists of five cells. There is one filtration building, consisting of two sand filters and phosphorous removal that discharges to the Richmond Drain. The Harrow facility's rated capacity is 2,106-cubic-meters per day. In 2024, its average flow was 1,034-cubic-meters per day. That is 49% of the rated capacity. Between 2025 and 2030, the Harrow Lagoon is anticipated to cost $1.7M in capital expenses, primarily for pump station upgrades to accommodate the future development at the former Harrow High School site, wet weather flows, and replacing equipment. There has been zero non-compliance issues or overflow events at the Harrow Lagoon in the past ten-years. The Colchester Lagoon is located on Cornwall Road, and has been in service since 1988. It has three sequentially operating cells with an aeration system. Its rated capacity is 1,861-cubic-meters per day. In 2024, the flow average was 953-cubic-meters per day. That is 51% of the rated capacity. Between 2025 and 2030, the Colchester Lagoon is estimated to require around $1.13M in capital expenses. A large majority of the expenses are contingent on the upgrade of the Colchester Lagoon into an SBR style plant, Mackie explained. Mackie noted that in April of 2024, Council committed $2.4M to complete a detailed design of the treatment plant, which is now around 60% complete. Essex Free Press files notes that last summer, Council applied for, and was not successful in earning, funding for the Colchester Water Pollution Control Plant under the Province's Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF). Previously, it was noted the total cost estimate for the phase one upgrades for the Colchester Water Pollution Control Plant was estimated at $42.8M. If the Town wanted to look at completing the project around 2031 or later, the municipal contribution would be around $63M, as it would have to fund the entirety of the project, with around $20M in interest. Essex Council decided not to apply for the second-round of applications. In the past decade, there have been two non-compliance matters and one bypass events with the Colchester Lagoon. Mackie noted the bypass event took place in 2030, due to excessive rain. Around 7,207-cublic-meters were partially treated and bypassed. In April and June of 2024, total suspended cells were exceeded, due to cell three being out-of-service, due to dredging and maintenance. The Ministry was notified of all events, with corrective measures in place, Mackie added. All events were later closed. In Answering Councillor Rodney Hammond's question on whether or not the expenses projected for the Colchester Lagoon included flood mitigation, Mackie noted that is being incorporated in the design for the mechanical plant. Councillor Jason Matyi asked if there are any opportunities to increase efficiency by combining a sewage treatment plant between Harrow and Colchester. Mackie noted that would be a tricky and costly investment. When completing the Colchester Lagoon expansion Environmental Assessment, that option was screened. Director of Infrastructure Services, Kevin Girard, noted the distance between the two communities would not make combining services feasible. He added it is more difficult and costly to expand on a pump station network to pump sewage to another plant than to expand an existing sewage treatment plant.
