Council briefs: Youth recreation fees reduced as organized sports resume

Feb. 8: Clearview council has authorized the reduction of recreation fees for youth until August 31, if and when facilities are able to re-open.
Terry Vachon, general manager of parks, culture and recreation proposed the 50 per cent reduction in fees to further support youth using recreation facilities during the pandemic.
“The impact of COVID-19 has presented many challenges to all Clearview Township’s users and most importantly the youth and adolescence recreation programs,” reported Vachon.
“Many organizations have been and are presently struggling with their enrolment number as well as being reduced to the amount of users that may be on an ice pad, cement pad or in a baseball/soccer field,” reported Vachon. “It is anticipated that the COVID-19 pandemic and its facility restrictions will continue to impact our users in the very near future as well as throughout the spring and summer months of 2021, it will equally have a negative impact on the summer programs.”

Duntroon speed limit

Ian MacGregor was before council asking for support for a request directed to the County of Simcoe to reduce the speed limit on County Road 91 in Duntroon.
He presented a petition signed by 34 concerned residents living on County Road 91 and Browns Boulevard, and 18 staff and parents at Duntroon Daycare calling for the speed limit to be lowered from 80 km/h to 50 km/h, beginning 400 metres east of Browns Boulevard.
The addition of homes, the presence of the daycare centre, school bus stops and gravel trucks are all factors in the request.
“Simcoe County needs to prioritize the safety concerns of our full-time residents, including children and taxpayers vs. the minor inconvenience to commercial trucks and motor vehicles en route elsewhere,” states the petition by the Duntroon citizen group.
“We are asking that the speed limit change shift to the natural boundary of our community, rather than its current location, which sits right in the middle of our neighbourhood. The difference is only about half a kilometre, but the margin of safety would be huge.”
Councillors acknowledged that it is a problem area and agreed to support the request at county council.

Agreements updated

Clearview is entering into formal agreements with The Creemore Horticultural Society and the Clearview Chamber of Commerce.
The Creemore Horticultural Society’s agreement was with the former Corporation of the Village of Creemore and had lapsed back in June 1976 and no other agreement has been enacted since.
With the new Village Green being built by the Creemore Community Foundation, both organizations felt it was prudent to develop and execute a new 10-year agreement, reported staff.
The agreement states that the Creemore Horticultural Society shall be granted full and unhindered use of the designated location, known as the Creemore Horticultural Gardens, in the said lands known as the Creemore Village Green for horticultural purposes only, during the life of this agreement and that the Creemore Horticultural Society will have ownership of all the plants and corresponding materials on the site.
The Hort Society will execute a separate operational agreement with the Creemore Community Foundation.
The Stayner Chamber of Commerce recently changed their mandate and name to the Clearview Chamber of Commerce.
Both Clearview Township staff and the Chamber of Commerce over the years have worked hand-in-hand without a formal agreement, said staff. As both organizations are growing together and taking on more and more projects and events, it has become prudent that an agreement be agreed upon to distant clear lines of communications and responsibility over township facilities, parks, lands and events.

Regional Mayors and CAOs Roundtable

Mayor Doug Measures and Clearview’s yet-to-be-hired new CAO have been invited by Collingwood Mayor Brian Saunderson to join a Regional Mayors and CAO’s Roundtable to discuss local and regional issues.
The goal is that mayors and CAOs from Clearview, Wasaga Beach, The Blue Mountains, and Grey Highlands will discuss and work collaboratively to address local and regional issues
An inaugural meeting is being scheduled to discuss the format and a Terms of Reference.

Economic Development Advisory Committee

Council approved three appointees to the township’s new Economic Development Advisory Committee during an in-camera session at the beginning of Monday’s meeting.
Committee members include Judith Crawford, Jennifer White and Bill Roskar, with Deputy Mayor Barry Burton as council rep and Mayor Doug Measures as chair. The committee will also include a representative of the Clearview Chamber of Commerce and/or the Creemore BIA.

Township fleet

Clearview will be switching to a division of Enterprise to replace all of its light and medium duty fleet vehicles on a regular schedule.
The plan is to cycle vehicles on a two-year schedule in order to maximize resale value, fuel efficiency, reduce maintenance costs and keep up with the latest safety standards.
Fleet consultant Jonathan Segal said the Township of Clearview will be able to replace all its vehicles over the course of two years while coming out with an estimated annual savings of $19,614.
“The way we get there is by essentially leveraging the government purchasing power that the Township of Clearview has…” said Segal, and leveraging the resale market through Enterprise.