Big infrastructure decision to be made Monday night
Next Monday evening, my colleagues and I will make what will be by far the most important decision of this term of Council. Our choice could lead to the expenditure of tens of millions of dollars and fundamentally alter the character of our community for a generation to come. The choice we face is not an easy one. It is vital that as many people in our community as possible make their views heard and contribute to this decision before or during Monday’s meeting, despite the very short notice given to the public.
The sewage works that serve the town of Stayner are nearing capacity. Without a way to treat sewage, Stayner cannot grow. Several years ago, Clearview Township decided that the most economical and environmentally responsible way to increase sewage capacity for Stayner would be to hook up to the treatment plant in Wasaga Beach, an option that would eventually cost our Township a grand total of close to $30 million. Clearview staff, Council and the Mayor explained very clearly that it was developers, through the payment of development charges, or DCs, who would ultimately pay for this infrastructure, as they do everywhere in Ontario. Since that time, the Township has aggressively pursued funding from other levels of government and has repeatedly assured residents that we won’t go ahead without government grants or contributions from developers.
Wasaga Beach is getting ready to start building a pumping station that is a key component in our plans to hook into their system. We have a deadline of December 1 to put up our share of the money for this station, or we forever lose our ability to send Stayner’s sewage to the Beach. Over the past months, there have been intense negotiations with developers who plan to build houses in Stayner. The Township has asked them contribute their fair share to the costs of this sewage infrastructure. The developers have been offered what I think is a very good deal, but they have all turned it down. These negotiations had to be conducted behind closed doors, but Council has been involved every step of the way. Our attempts to secure grants from the federal and provincial governments are yet to bear fruit. We are hopeful that these grants will still be forthcoming, but we have no guarantees.
We, as a community, are now faced with a choice. We have no up-front contributions from developers. We have no guarantee of federal or provincial funding. We must pay Wasaga Beach $616,000 by December 1 and another $2,284,000 by July 2014 or our deal with them is dead. Do we borrow the money and pay those costs ourselves? Or do we walk away from the deal?
Clearview Council and staff are clearly leaning toward the first option. If we go it alone, we would expect to recover all the eventual costs of the infrastructure from developers through the payment of development charges. But if development does not occur, if the developers continue to sit on their hands, it could eventually be the taxpayers who foot the bill. And once we pay this initial $2.9 million, I think it is almost certain that we will carry out the entire $30 million project. We now have an almost $600,000 deficit in our Stayner sewer DC account. We need the equivalent of 122 new houses built in Stayner just to get out of the hole we are already in. How much growth can we realistically expect in Stayner in the near future, especially when none of our developers are willing to front a dollar of their own money to build the necessary infrastructure? If we walk away from the deal, we have enough capacity left in the system to build about 500 new houses. After that, it is very difficult to see how any growth could occur for a very long time. We would also lose our ability to service our industrial and commercial lands, which could severely limit our ability to attract new businesses and create jobs.
As I said at the outset, this is not an easy decision. Forging ahead means the opportunity for substantial growth and new jobs, but it carries what I think are very worrying risks. Walking away means Stayner stays much as it is for a long time to come. I honestly don’t know what is best for our community, and I am asking residents of Ward 3 and all of Clearview to lend me their thoughts, opinions and expertise. Council needs to hear from you. This decision is too important for us to make on our own.
bpreston@clearview.ca
705-466-6302
Brent Preston is Clearview Township’s Ward 3 Councillor
