NEWS |
THE OBSERVER | Saturday, September 12, 2009
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Eclectic mix kicks off Registry Theatre’s season..........................................»21 Wellesley pond home to fishing derby
»17 VOLUME 14, ISSUE 36
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2009
www.ObserverXtra.com
Woolwich moves to sell surplus properties Township pondering heritage designations for former township halls; holdings to be sold off through tender process STEVE KANNON The old township hall in Conestogo, and its newer but also redundant counterpart in Elmira have been declared surplus, but the buildings won’t be on the market anytime soon. Both are candidates for heritage designations. In the case of 69 Arthur St. S., the township is also looking at transferring some of the land to neighbouring Woolwich Community Services, and establishing a right-of-way to the property. “Although the properties may be declared surplus by council this evening, they won’t necessarily be sold immediately because there are some further things that are going to have to happen with respect to some of these properties,” director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley told councillors meeting Tuesday night. The township has declared as surplus five larger properties and six small pieces of land, mostly unused road allowances. All will be sold at some point. The properties up for grabs include the old Floradale fire station on Ruggles Road – replaced by a much larger facility on Florapine Road – the former administration building on Arthur Street in Elmira and the soonto-be vacant Elmira pool. Also on the See SURPLUS page »02
SERIOUS BUSINESS Competitor pam hammer gets her game face on before racing down nafziger Road at the fifth annual Wellesley soap Box Classic on Labour day.
Woolwich launches detailed roads study Survey to analyze condition of roads, aiding in maintenance and budgeting STEVE KANNON Hoping to spend a little now in order to save much more later on, Woolwich has hired an engineering firm to study the condition of its roads. A comprehensive inventory and detailed analysis of current conditions will allow the township to develop a maintenance program to extend the lifespan of its roads. As well, the study will let staff know just how long they can put off major reconstruction work, director of engineering and
planning Dan Kennaley told councillors meeting Tuesday night in Elmira. With that in mind, council awarded an $80,000 contract to AECOM Canada Ltd. Information gathered from the study, to be completed by year’s end, will assist the township with its long-range planning for major road work, he added. “It will allow us to stay on top of pavement problems and drainage problems that potentially affect the condition of the roads.” Greater maintenance today means putting off farther into the future big, expensive projects.
More than just a roads inventory, the study also comes with software and a database to that will allow the township to keep track of the condition of its roads going forward, Kennaley said in explaining the price tag. “A survey of what we have – does it really have to cost that much, $80,000?” Coun. Mark Bauman had asked. Given that the last roads study was carried out in 1990, the contract with AECOM should prove to be an investment with a big payoff. “It will allow us to stay on top of See ROADS page »02