By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Port Hope council looks at advancing patio season
Last week’s Port Hope Council meeting – held electronically via videoconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic – was forced to take a brief recess for technical difficulties shortly after it began.
In its report on the council and committee-of-the-whole meetings of that evening, the municipality stated that staff were able to make the necessary changes to get it back on track and provided notice to members of the public to ensure everyone could attend. Once it resumed, the council meeting proceeded with approval of recommendations for the Town Park Recreation Centre expansion project.
Town Park Recreation Centre expansion
Council approved a final budget of $5,049,836 for the project, with a $4,167,072 contact awarded to Dalren Limited. Project funds will be drawn from the approved capital budget and Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. An additional $180,500 was authorized from the approved Council Initiatives Fund as well. As part of the 2023 budget, the future development of a funding strategy will be approved to address the remaining funding shortfall.
Wastewater and stormwater management funding
Council authorized a bylaw to enter into a letter of agreement to receive funds under the Wastewater and Stormwater Management funding program, ensuring the municipality is eligible to receive an allocation up to $534,173 to assist with improvements to wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
The committee-of-the-whole portion of the meeting was next on the evening’s agenda, starting with a report on the upcoming election.
Use of corporate resources for election purposes
A staff report outlined rules and procedures with respect to the use of municipal resources during the 2022 election campaign period. A number of parameters were set out in the policy statement that began with a reminder that existing legislation prohibits the municipality from making contributions in any for to a candidates or registered third party. The report included a lengthy terms-of-reference section to provide clarity.
Adoption of a draft Use of Corporate Resources for Election Purposes Policy will help ensure compliance with the Municipal Act, and establish standards to be followed by the municipality and all candidates during an election period. The draft policy won support, and a resolution will come to the April 5 meeting.
Sidewalk Patio Program update
Council considered a staff report regarding the extension of the sidewalk-patio licensing time frame to allow downtown businesses to begin installing patios on April 6 this year. The report from Director of Planning and Development Todd Davis noted that this adjustment will allow businesses to capitalize on the program in time for the first significant public event of the visitor season – Ganny Weekend on April 9. It will also support an industry that was hit hard from two years of pandemic, and help support on-going public-safety best practices from a COVID-19 perspective.
A resolution to consider these amendments will be brought to the April 4 meeting.
Choate Street extension cancelled
A staff report outlined the history of Cameco Corporation’s Vision In Motion project as it relates to the municipality As part of the overall VIM project, the corporation and the municipality entered into a road-construction agreement to create a new roadway known as the Choate Street Extension in 2014.
In 2020, staff were directed to negotiate an amending agreement with Cameco. Three agreements have been negotiated with the corporation and Cameco Property Holdings Inc. That will conclude the cancellation of the Choate Street Extension and transfer about one acre of waterfront land to the municipality.
After lengthy discussion, the committee of the whole moved to refer the issue back to staff, directing them to continue discussions with Cameco Corporation on the details of the agreement, especially related to the restrictive covenants and land ownership. The matter will be brought back for consideration at a later date.
Traffic and Parking Bylaw Amendment
A staff report recommended several speed-reduction measures, including speed-limit reductions within the municipality’s rural and urban areas as well as enhanced speeding awareness through social media and the municipal website. A broader campaign (including a webpage) on speed reduction will be launched later this year.
Proposed changes will also be advertised, and an amending bylaw with the new speed limits will be presented to council for consideration at a future meeting.
PHAI Information Update
A staff report was presented with an update on Port Hope Area Initiative work as it relates to 29 Thomas St. – the Lions Recreation Centre. This site is scheduled for remediation work to address 12,200 cubic metres of industrial waste and 2,500 cubic metres of low-level radioactive waste. This work will include the removal of trees – some individual trees and dense wooded areas. In spite of the tree loss, it was determined that upholding the terms of the legal agreement for the removal of the soil (including the loss of trees) was of paramount importance to ensuring the long-term protection and health of the community. A landscape plan will be implemented by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories to help make the site safe for public enjoyment over the long term. It was advised that work begin in late summer to avoid disruption to local migratory bird nesting season, with completion anticipated next year.
New mobile parking app
Director of Fire and Emergency Services Dan Smith reported on a multi-year project to add options, starting this year with a parking app for mobile devices called HotSpot. Features include notifying users when their paid-parking time is almost up and the option to save unused time to be applied against the next trip, Bylaw enforcement officers will use hand-held devices to scan license plates to determine if parking has been paid for.
Planned for next year is the installation of new pay-and-display parking consoles.
Agendas and staff reports from these meetings are available on the Agendas and Minutes page of the municipality’s website. Recordings of the meetings are also available at //porthope.ca/council.
Meeting minutes will be available pending approval at the next council meeting on April 5, at which point they will become the official record of the meeting.
