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The Observer | Saturday, February 23, 2008
Kings clinch first as regular season winds down........................................ »19 Catching up with mural models
»15 VOLUME 13, ISSUE 08
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2008
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» WOOLWICH COUNCIL
Ottawa comes up with cash for infrastructure
Plan eases development rules in the floodplain New policies would allow for construction in restricted areas STEVE KANNON
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See FLOOD page »02
GOING UNDERGROUND Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht (right) shares a laugh with Woolwich Mayor Bill Strauss while examining old water pipes removed from underneath Elmira’s Riverside Drive. The federal government promised Tuesday to cover a third of the $1.8-million estimated reconstruction cost.
PHOTO | STEVE KANNON
“When it comes to deleterious materials, we’ve got it all with this job. This is a good one to replace,” manager of engineering operations Rod Kruger said of the Riverside Drive project. The township had been seeking to cover two-thirds of the cost under the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF), applying for grants in the summer of 2006. While the provincial portion remains uncommitted, the federal government
Changes to floodplain regulations in Elmira may clear the way for redevelopment on the site of the old Steddick Hotel. A plan discussed Tuesday at Woolwich council would ease restrictions on a host of properties that sit on top of what’s known as the Weigel Drain, a 2.5-kilometre stretch of open and closed channels that flow into the Canagagigue Creek. Elmira is built over the lower section of the drain. Currently, every property within the meandering floodplain is subject to limitations on what can be done with the land – existing buildings are grandfathered, but if torn down cannot be replaced. Now, the township is proposing official plan and zoning bylaw amendments to create two designations for floodplain lands: floodway and flood fringe. Properties in the flood fringe would have some restraints lifted to allow for redevelopment, explained manager of planning John Scarfone. “Essentially, this provided flexibility for some core businesses. If we didn’t do this, we’d basically have no new building.” In his proposal, Scarfone makes specific exemptions for the Arthur Street
Feds chip in for Riverside project Up to $600,000 to be provided in support of watermain upgrades STEVE KANNON The burden of replacing the oldest water pipes in Woolwich got a little easier this week, as the federal government agreed to kick in up to $600,000. That represents a third of the estimated $1.8 million price tag for the reconstruction of Riverside Drive West in Elmira. Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht made the announcement in
Woolwich council chambers Tuesday morning on behalf of Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. The money will help pay to replace the aging, outdated watermains and associated infrastructure, the oldest still in the ground. Not only falling apart, the pipes include lead, cast iron and asbestos cement, all deemed undesirable by today’s standards. A new PVC system replaces the old materials.
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