NEWS |
THE OBSERVER | Saturday, September 26, 2009
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Kings skate to first win at Dan Snyder Memorial Arena............................»16 Floradale flowers going modern
»13 VOLUME 14, ISSUE 38
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2009
www.ObserverXtra.com
SOMETHING TASTY The sixth annual Taste Local! Taste Fresh! event showcasing local farms, restaurants and chefs was held Sunday in St. Jacobs’ Riverside Meadows Park. From left, Paul Globe of Liaison College in Kitchener PHOTOS | JONI MILTENBURG serves up delicacies to hungry participants. Shavone Doherty with samples from Divinely Raw in Waterloo. Mark Daalderop carefully adds herbs to morsels of goat cheese.
Public input to help determine Breslau servicing issue STEVE KANNON Public input is the last stage of Woolwich’s study into the need for municipal water and sewer services in Breslau. The process started two years ago when wells ran dry at dozens of homes in the village core. At the time, residents blamed grading and drainage activities at the nearby Riverland subdivision for causing shallow wells to stop recharging. Many still hold the developer, Empire Communities, responsible, although the township has absolved the company of any culpability, accepting reports that drought conditions
caused the water shortage. With that position, Woolwich will be looking at homeowners to pay the cost of running water lines and/or sanitary sewers to some 100 houses currently using wells and septic systems. The cost has been estimated at $15,000 per home for water and $30,000 for both municipal services. At a meeting held last week at Breslau Mennonite Church, the community appeared divided over the issue. Coun. Murray Martin noted the comments he heard were all over the place, from those who want to do nothing to those who want both water and sanitary sewers installed.
Many of the residents still draw a direct line between the subdivision and their water problems, saying they never experienced dry wells until work began on the 475-home project. But at a council meeting Tuesday night, chief administrative officer David Brenneman stressed residents should not expect Empire Communities to cover any of the costs associated with servicing the area. A study of the situation revealed dry weather, not the extensive grading at the site south of the village, caused wells to dry up. “Some people blame the [de-
sion to the north, will be contributing to the cost of looping the water lines and sewers, allowing for a continuous system throughout the village. The developers also had large expenses in bringing the services across the river from Kitchener, Kennaley added. Where last week’s meeting was meant as an information session – part of the servicing study the township is paying $89,000 to Stantec Consulting Ltd. to undertake – another meeting scheduled for next month will focus on feedback from the community. Kennaley said he hopes to see a good turnout at the Oct.
veloper]. We have not found that to be the case,” he said. Following the wells running dry in 2007, Empire was required to hire a hydrogeologist and do a study of the impact of its work at the site. That report was subsequently reviewed by another expert, who backed the initial findings, director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley said in a later interview. “Our position is that the developer doesn’t have any responsibility for paying for the extension of services in Breslau. That said, both Empire Communities and Thomasfield Homes, which is developing the Hopewell Heights subdivi-
See BRESLAU page »09
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