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THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, APRIL 16 2009 10 Holly Silzer Dance at the Rockmosa Community Hall 10 Week Spring Session Class & Registration starting April 20 Dance Development Ages 2 - Adult Registration rates $70 - $90 More info at: http://web.mac.com/hollysilzer or 519-993-6827 Briellas Healing Touch Reflexology and Tibetan Massage Now at Village Beauty Boutique 155 Main St. S., Rockwood Call for an appointment 519-856-0803 brieleh@rogers.com www.briellashealingtouch.com EASTER TREAT: The Everton Church held its Easter Pancake Breakfast last Sunday morning. Win Braun is shown cooking up the goods.- Submitted Photo More tree coverage for Guelph/Eramosa approved By Rebecca Ring At their meeting last week, Guelph/Eramosa Council unanimously committed to increasing the overall tree cov- erage in the Township to 30% from its current 21%, with a 40% tree canopy for settle- ment areas, within the next 50 years or less. The proposal was presented by Township Environmen- tal Stewardship Committee members Mike Nagy and Libby Little. GRCA forest experts Martin Neuman and Tracey Ryan were on hand to answer questions. They con- firmed that 30% coverage is the minimum recommended by Environment Canada to maintain a healthy watershed. This target was adopted by the GRCA in A Watershed Forest Plan for the Grand River. Nagy and Little highlight- ed the legacy of tree planting in the Township. More than 10,000 saplings were plant- ed between 1981 and 1992, thanks to the vision and drive of Bob Hamilton, for- mer roads superintendent of Eramosa Township. They described the benefits and urgent need to increase tree coverage, such as miti- gating the effects of climate change by sequestering car- bon. These effects include a trend towards increased win- ter precipitation, which makes roads dangerous with blowing snow, more run-off in spring, which increases flooding risks, more frequent and intense heat waves and drought in summer, which seriously threatens ag- riculture. More tree coverage can also add moisture for ag- ricultural lands and protect against soil erosion. More Benefits Other benefits listed in- clude improving water quality and aquatic habitat, cooling streams, moderating stream flow, providing a snow pack reservoir during spring fresh- et, retaining soil, rebuilding damaged soil, cleansing the air, moderating local climate, counteracting urban heat is- land effect, shading homes Continued on page 11 Township budget includes $14.93 hike in taxes By Rebecca Ring Guelph/Eramosa Council unanimously ap- proved the 2009 Township budget last week, which includes a 1.73% increase in its por- tion of the property tax bill. In real dollars, this represents about $14.93 per year for a $300,000 home. Of a total property tax bill, 20% goes to the Township, 56% goes to the County, and 24% goes to the Province to fund education. The actual rate of taxation decreased from 0.271% in 2008 to 0.259% in 2009. Manager of Finance Linda Cheyne explains that the 1.73% increase that property owners will see is due to increased property values as deter- mined by MPAC. Council and staff have worked together to continue to provide the services people expect and invest in our future, while keeping the tax rate increases below inflation, says Mayor Chris White. The budget includes a wage freeze for the mayor and councillors. Total expenditures and revenues for 2009 are estimated to be $16,991,457, with $3,958,934 of that raised through taxation. The largest expenditure this year will be $7,734,689 for Recreation and Culture Ser- vices. Of that, about $6.2 million is set aside for the development of Marden Park, which includes a 50,000 square foot sports facility with an indoor sports field, running track and an outdoor football field. The Township will get about $4 million back in federal and provincial grants, cover- ing two-thirds the cost. The Township portion will be paid with $350,000 from develop- ment charges and a $1.71 million debenture that should be repaid through user fees. Also in the Recreation and Culture services budget are: $40,000 for well decommissioning and washroom accessibility improvements at Lloyd Dyer Park; $10,000 to expand the Rockwood Cem- etery: $29,260 for an enabling garden at Marden Park: $9000 to improve ball diamonds at Lloyd Dyer and Rockmosa Parks: and $49,065 for a wide area mower. Other budget highlights include: $500,000 for leasehold improvements at the new Rockwood medical centre, which will be repaid through East Wellington Family Health Team fundraising: $990,000 for 2nd Line East reconstruc- tion: $47,700 for a municipal parking lot at Sta- tion Street: $20,000 for the Commercial Corridor Improvement Committee to prepare for Hwy. 7 improvements, scheduled for 2011: $32,000 for sidewalks on Inkerman and Alma Streets: $34,000 for the demolition of the old fire hall to clear the site for construction of the Rockwood medical centre: $25,000 for a site plan for the proposed expansion of the administration centre in Brucedale: $44,100 for construction of two bridges. The budget was developed in three meet- ings in March, which included one for public input on March 30, for which only one resi- dent showed up. Copies of the budget are available at the Township office or at www. get.on.ca. Earth Day in Eden Mills celebrated this Saturday By Rebecca Ring The Eden Mills Going Carbon Neutral Youth Group is once again host- ing a plethora of green activities to celebrate Earth Day, which falls on Wednesday, April 22. The celebrations will take place in Eden Mills on Saturday, April 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day begins at the park at 9 a.m., where everyone who ordered trees can pick them up for planting. To order trees, contact Bill Allen at bill.allen@wragroup. ca. All are invited to join in picking up garbage in the park. At 12 noon at the park, enjoy a potluck lunch. Veggie burgers and veg- gie dogs will be provided. Bring a potluck contribu- tion. Pre-register for one of the many interesting and inspiring workshops held in the afternoon, including kite making, pottery, bicycle safety and skills, vegetable garden- ing, sketching, canoeing, a bio-diversity hike, digital photography, earth friend- ly home products, and art from nature. For a sched- ule and registration form, contact emmpca@sentex. net. New this year is a Big Tree Contest for All. Measure the circumfer- ence of the largest tree you know in Eden Mills or sur- rounding district. Measure it 50 cm or M from the ground and include spe- cies if known. Submit your entry to Eden Mills Carbon Neutral Youth Group, c/o Robin and Kit Bresnahan, 48 Ash St., Eden Mills, On. or em- mpca@sentex.net. The winner will be an- nounced on Earth Day.