Budget shortfalls at new WMC
Revenues are down and expenses up, but councillors aren’t pressing the panic button over the situation at the Woolwich Memorial Centre. Rather, they’re prepared to complete a full year of operations before reviewing the budget numbers, forecasts for which were partly guesswork, staff admits.
In a report to council Tuesday night, director of finance Richard Petherick noted the township’s overall …Read more
Region to review Woolwich’s wastewater needs
St. Jacobs is not flush with sewage capacity, but finding a solution for that will be part of a forthcoming Region of Waterloo wastewater master plan. In Elmira, where capacity issues were addressed a few years back, longer-term planning will be part of the process.
Work on the new plan is expected to get underway later this year, with a completion date in 2012. Work on …Read more
Woolwich surplus properties see some movement
Having sold only one of its larger surplus properties, Woolwich is now starting to see some movement on its real estate listings. The township has two offers on the old Woolwich Township hall in Conestogo and expression of intent on the former administration building on Arthur Street in Elmira.
If the two properties move, they’ll join the former Floradale fire hall on Ruggles Road, which sold for …Read more
Making a splash … but next year
It seems as though there will be no relief from this summer’s heat for kids in Wellesley, who were eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new splash pad set to arrive. Complications surrounding permits granted by the Ministry of the Environment and the Grand River Conservation Authority have slowed building progress; it now looks like it will be next summer before the fun can begin …Read more
Plans evolve for Elmira subdivision
A bit of juggling at a subdivision planned for Elmira’s north end would clear the way for the extension of Barnswallow Drive past Church Street.
The Official Plan and zoning changes introduced at a public meeting Aug. 3 also include a land swap between the developer, Lunor Group, and Elmira District Community Living (EDCL).
The proposed changes are the latest tweaking of a major development that could bring some 1,400 …Read more
No rest in fight against gravel pits
The summer holidays have not dulled the fight against a series of new gravel pits proposed for Woolwich Township. With councillors returning from a month-long hiatus Tuesday night, opponents wasted no time, using the first meeting back to bolster their position.
Residents of Conestogo, West Montrose and Winterbourne worry that plans for three gravel …Read more
Street dance organizers watching the sky
Hugh Weltz is hoping that the third time really is the charm. Weltz is the chairman of the dance committee for this weekend’s street dance that will finish off the three-day sidewalk sale in Elmira put on by the BIA. For the past two years he has spent weeks organizing musicians, getting sound equipment and acquiring permits to close Arthur Street, only to have the event cancelled at the last minute due to rain …Read more
St. Jacobs’ south end to remain unserviced
The development outlook got a little brighter in St. Jacobs this week, as the township freed up sewage capacity. With the move, 16 property owners in the south end of the village no longer face the prospect of paying up to $37,000 for hookups to municipal water and sewer systems. Instead, the affected homeowners will remain on private wells and septic systems …Read more
Giving song to the Underground Railroad
When Toronto born blues singer Diana Braithwaite was growing up, she found that the history she was learning in school to be not nearly as interesting as the history she learned at home from her mother: the story of her ancestors, the black pioneers of the Queen’s Bush Settlement. Now, she is returning to the area to host the second annual Underground Railroad Music Festival, which will feature a number of different musicians, all performing to honour the Underground Railroad and the pioneers who settled in the region …Read more
Pat McLean enters mayor race
A former township councillor has thrown her hat into the ring, becoming the third candidate in Woolwich’s mayoral race.
Pat McLean served on council for 18 years before losing her Ward 1 seat in the last election. She joins Todd Cowan in the bid to unseat incumbent Bill Strauss.
“A lot of people are feeling the need to see a change,” she said of her motivation for running. “I had a lot of …Read more
