Clearview Township financial news
Old library property sold
The financial picture for the new Clearview Library in Stayner is good. A business plan presented to Clearview Council in 2016 estimated that the annual cost of the facility would be approximately $175,000. CAO Steve Sage reported at this week’s council meeting that due to better than expected revenues from development charges and low interest rates, that number is now pegged at closer to $136,000. During construction of the new library, planned landscaping was deferred to keep costs in line. Now that a buyer has been found for the former library building on Huron Street, a portion of the proceeds can be used to fund the landscaping.
New grader
Council approved the purchase of a 2018 grader for the Works Department. Mayor Doug Measures praised the negotiating skills of township staff noting that when Grader #6 broke down last December, a replacement was rented. The purchase price of the replacement grader is $485,000, but the vendor has agreed to apply the rental payments of approximately $100,000 to reduce that amount.
Proposed food bank donation
Councillor Phyllis Dineen suggested that council make a $10,000 donation to the Clearview/Stayner Foodbank. Treasurer Kelly McDonald advises that there is roughly $4,000 remaining from a COVID recovery grant, and that the balance could be funded through the township’s 2020 Community Assistance Grants. A report will be presented to council at the next meeting for a vote.
McDonald says COVID related loss of revenue remains a big item for the township, and requested council’s approval to apply for Safe Restart Phase II funding.
Public washrooms
A motion before Clearview Township Council calling on township staff to reopen washrooms at Station on the Green was withdrawn. The washrooms have been closed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting health concerns from downtown Creemore businesses.
Councillor Doug McKechnie, council’s representative on the Creemore BIA, says he believes the concern has been addressed by the location of porta-potties in the parking lot of Station on the Green.
