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St. Marys Independent 36 Water St. S., St. Marys ON | 519.284.0041 | info@stmarysindependent.com | www.granthaven.com
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ADULT PROGRAMS
Regional Editor
MARCH BREAK A HOLE IN ONE!
(WENDY LAMOND PHOTO)
Micheline Webb, Lily Webb and Arielle Coatts had a fun time golfing together over March break. See the full story and photos on page 8.
Perthstone Kitchen opens in downtown St. Marys STEWART GRANT Publisher
GET FIT & STRONG STRESS RELIEF SELF-DEFENSE SKILLS COMMUNITY & FUN
St. Marys’ dining scene continues to evolve with the opening of Perthstone Kitchen last week by proprietors Jason Thorne and Jessica Kelly. At 159 Queen St. E, the restaurant is located downtown in the historic limestone McIntyre building most recently occupied by Tuttco. The couple is thrilled to open their own restaurant after years of gaining experience within the industry. Originally from Brantford, Thorne moved
to London as a teenager and got his start in the restaurant industry at an early age. “I started working in fast food and then moved into restaurants, eventually working at The Keg for several years in a variety of roles,” he said. “I later worked in other fine establishments throughout London.” Thorne eventually stepped away from kitchens to work as a contractor and carpenter before returning to the culinary world in his 40s. Now, at 50, he says opening a restaurant in St. Marys feels like the right place at the right time.
St. Marys councillors spent much of a strategic priorities committee meeting March 17 working through a wide-ranging update to the town’s zoning-bylaw review, a process that will shape how and where future housing, businesses and development can happen in the community. Representatives from NPG Planning Solutions, the consulting firm hired by the town to lead the review, presented council with a series of policy questions and possible changes for consideration before the project moves into the drafting phase. “The town has initiated a review and an update of the zoning bylaw,” said Grant Brouwer, the town’s director of building and planning. “The project team is here today. We have already talked to town staff, agencies and stakeholders, and some of the community as well through a survey and stuff like that, but there’s a number of items that we have in front of (the committee) that we kind of need a bit of direction on, and maybe to make sure we’re looking at things in the proper (context) that council wants to see in the zoning bylaw review.” The review is intended to update St. Marys’ existing zoning bylaw so it aligns with the town’s new official plan, recent provincial planning-policy changes and current best practices in land-use planning.
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