Residents oppose brushing practise
Clearview is focussing its routine road maintenance on seasonal roads in the west side of the township, much to the chagrin of some residents.
Residents have been opposed to the manner in which the “brushing” is done, out of concern for the health of the remaining trees and the jagged appearance.
Paul Eprile said he felt sickened when he came upon the Garden of Eden Road a few weeks ago and saw the jagged trees and debris left from the maintenance work.
He was one of the residents to cry foul when the County of Simcoe did the same thing to County Road 9 last summer.
The Garden of Eden Road borders on Noisy River Provincial Park, is a popular place for walkers, and people do drive on it in the summer.
Eprile, one of the motorists who use the road, said conservation and aesthetics should be taken into consideration when this type of work is done.
“When you look at what the township has done, it’s a complete desecration of what I think any sensible person would consider to be parkland value,” he said.
Director of public works Dan Perreault said the goal is to open up the road so it is exposed to sunlight to help dry them out in the springtime.
He said the maintenance on the seasonal roads has not been done in many years.
Perreault said crews do not open the roads to the full 20-metre road allowance, but do clear a one- to one- and-a-half lane width.
He said the work is done in the late summer and early fall to avoid interfering with nesting birds.
“Someone has had to cut those trees in the past,” said Perreault. “We do our best not to kill the trees, that’s not the purpose of this.”
He said staff will go in and clean up after the brushing is done to remove hazards, and there will be new growth in the spring.
In last year’s budget council approved a new piece of brushing equipment which Perreault said will hopefully do a better job than the flail mowers currently being used.
