HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ~Marcel Proust (1871-1922)
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WORKSHOP - MAY 14
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Herb and Vegetable Workshop Starts at 11a.m.
HOURS: Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm Sunday 11am-4pm
04 | 28 | 2016 VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 16
AWARDS DOLED OUT FOR KINGS SEASON SEND OFF SPORTS PAGE 11
COMMENT PAGE 8
PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM USURIOUS PAYDAY LOANS
EDCL requests DC deferral from council WHITNEY NEILSON ELMIRA DISTRICT COMMUNITY LIVING is hoping Woolwich council can find it in their hearts – and their budget – to defer development charges on their affordable housing project currently under construction on McGuire Lane. The building will contain six onebedroom units and one two-bedroom unit. The development charge is $21,390. Greg Bechard, executive director of Elmira District Community Living told council as they met on Monday that since 2003 they’ve built $5 million worth of affordable supportive housing in Elmira. The housing provides affordable housing and support to 27 adults and has been created through the partnership of Elmira District Community Living, the housing corporation, and the region of Waterloo. They’ve received no money from the provincial government for any of the housing they created. Of the $5 million worth of the housing they built, about $1.4 million of that was provided by the region, and the rest was fundraised. “We’re a small group, a board of five and one employee and that’s me. We’re a busy and active group and $21,000 is a lot of money for us to raise,” Bechard said. He asked for a deferral of the development fees for the building and also the remaining two buildings that are DEFERRAL | 2
www.OBSERVERXTRA.com
Welcoming a new season: construction Traffic & parking issues in the core as tourist season ramps up in St. Jacobs
Accessing the St. Jacobs downtown is officially a mess as a two-year long re-construction on King Street started this week. Woolwich council is looking into ways to ease concerns by residents about the inevitable increased traffic on detour routes, such as adding temporary all-way stop signs and no parking in certain areas. [WHITNEY NEILSON / THE OBSERVER]
WHITNEY NEILSON WOOLWICH COUNCIL IS LOOKING to ease some of St. Jacobs residents’ concerns with traffic calming measures as King Street road work got underway this week. Meeting Monday night, council discussed how best to address safety concerns on streets now being used as a detour route around the construction that’s projected to take two years to complete. Coun. Mark Bauman raised numerous issues to staff regarding the detour.
“The detour started today and also the confusion started today. The weekend is going to be an adventure with tourist traffic. There’s no way around the downtown, it’s torn up, it’s closed,” Coun. Bauman said. He argued they could justify installing a stop sign at Water Street and Abner’s Lane, because of the projected increased traffic due to the detour and the number of children crossing there to go to St. Jacobs Public School. He also requested a stop sign at Queensway Drive and Princess Street. “Queensway and Princess, this
is after the kids cross at Water, they cross at King and Highcrest with a crossing guard, but then they need to get across Queensway to get to school and Queensway is a direct route of Home Hardware traffic. And specifically the 3 o’clock shift when it gets out interchanges with the school children getting out and going across,” Bauman explained. He says by default this will become a shortcut, despite not being an official detour route. He noted that at Young Street and Hachborn Street, the traffic on the detour will have to stop and this is halfway down the hill.
He requested a temporary four way stop there just for the duration of the detour. In terms of parking, Coun. Bauman asked for on Water Street, including Printery Road, out to King Street there be no parking on the southbound lanes. Also he asked for no parking on either side of Albert Street, Hachborn Street, and Abner’s Lane when they become part of the detour. Dan Kennaley, township director of Engineering & Planning Services, advised there will be CONSTRUCTION | 5
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