The theme of the regular meeting of Council on March 9 was Development. The township is facing unprecedented development, and a surge of applications for building permits. The demand for development land, permits, existing houses, or rental accommodations is extraordinary.
Deputy Mayor Al Armstrong notes, “It’s fantastic to see the interest people have in North Dundas.”
Since the interest in development in North Dundas has intensified, there has been an awful lot of discussion about the allocation of water and sewer units at Council meetings. Mayor Tony Fraser notes that “we were looking at 20 years out [then] all of a sudden, 20 years out became 2 years out. “The water and sewer capacity in North Dundas is limited. This is an ongoing discussion at Council. There is not enough water and sewer capacity to service a fraction of all the developments on the horizon. The plan is to accept applications on a case by case basis, approving a part now, and by the time the next stage of the development is approved, the solution to the water and sewer issues will be underway.
Wellings of Winchester is a 55 Plus housing development. Council is very happy to see that people will not have to leave the community when they reach that phase of their lives. There are now options. Phase one did better than expected, and outpaced all the other developments so far. Deputy Mayor Al Armstrong declared, “It’s a great day for North Dundas. “The second and third stage plans for 76 units and 80 units. Looking to 2023 and beyond, Wellings of Winchester, stage 4 will be 120 units, and stage 5 will be 114 units. Winfields Subdivision proposes approximately 150 units in 3 to 5 years. Woods Subdivision proposes 56 units. Dream Haven Subdivision sees phase 2 build 35 units.
The water and sewer systems in Winchester and Chesterville cannot be pushed past their limits. The lagoons need repairs as they are releasing ammonia. The wells cannot be pushed past a certain capacity, because there has to be a bit of reserved capacity in the event of a fire or drought. There is going to be some talk in the future of ways to conserve water, and there was mention of bringing some of the big players to the table, such as Lactalis, to get their input on water conservation.
Council received the results of a Bridge Inspection & Needs Study. Bridges and culverts were assessed and assigned a ranking. Of all the bridges and culverts in North Dundas, 15 % are ranked as Poor, and 22% as Fair. Council is committed to making sure the excellent and very good ones remain that way.
It takes less money to maintain than it does to repair.
