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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2012 Rockwood quarry application filed with Township Crewsons Corners could be home to a new limestone quarry. James Dick Construction Ltd. has applied for zoning changes to develop the quarry on the northeast corner of Highway 7 and the Sixth Line. Township contract planner, Mike Davis of Questa Planning Consultants released few details when he briefed Guelph/Eramosa Township Council on the application on Monday night. He said the proposed quarry would encompass 62 acres of a 100-acre property on the Township's eastern boundary, and produce up to 700,000-tones of aggregate a year, with extraction taking place below the water table. The application is to rezone the property from Agricultural and Hazard to M3 Extractive Industrial, and to provide relief from provisions to acquired surface water excavation setbacks. THE NEW TANNER 13 WELLINGTON FIREPLACE & LEISURE GAS · WOOD · PELLET Horse Pellet/Shaving · Bedding HyGreen Factory Depot 8351 Hwy 7 · Rockwood, ON · 519-856-0498 www.wellingtonfireplace.ca , Within the Wellington County Official plan, the land is designated as Prime Agricultural land and Core Greenlands, but it is also within a mineral aggregate area, so the application would not require an OP amendment. Councillor Corey Woods asked about noise and blasting impacts, and Davis said the applicant has been asked to do additional blast impact studies. Davis said there is a series of standards and guidelines when it comes to blasting, but that information would come later, that he was just there to "introduce" the application to Township Council. The Township will now notify the public of the application and circulate it to commenting agencies. Questa Consulting will do a detailed review and then provide a preliminary planning report for Council. "There will be a full public process," said Mayor Chris White. FIT concerns darkens solar projects support `Good politics but bad business' The prospect of "100 ground-mount (solar panels) beside somebody's house," led to Guelph/ Eramosa Township councillors to refuse to give blanket approval to all solar projects, anywhere in the Township. Instead, Council recently deferred the issue until it can get more information. Solar project applicants with municipal endorsement get extra points in the Ontario Power Authority's Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) program approval system, and although Council gave its support on principle, in August, to the Coldpoint Properties Ltd. plan to generate and sell 330-kW of electricity to the grid with roof-top mounted panels, the OPA now requires a blanket support resolution. Asking for blanket approval rankled Councillor Doug Breen. "No one is giving blanket approval for anything, ever. They (OPA) are out of their minds if they think any township is going to pass a blanket..." Breen said. Councillor Corey Woods criticised the province's handling of green energy initiatives, on one hand supporting solar and windpowered generation, but then imposing more and more "hoops." "They want you to do it, but they're making it so difficult you can't do it," Woods said. Councillor Breen called the FIT program "good politics but bad business." "They want the public to believe they want you to do it, but they don't actually want to do with it, and Hydro One wants nothing to do with it," Breen said. Mayor Chris White said the FIT requirements mean the "solar power project in Eden Mills is as good as dead." Eden Mills Community Hall officials applied to the FIT program for two ground-mounted panels, but the "community" category under which they applied has since been eliminated. White said the concern is not so much with rooftop-mounted solar panels, but with ground-mounted ones because some of the rules are still changing as to buffers and distances from houses. He said they still support the Coldpoint application, but added, "this is crazy...this is unacceptable." Check out our FREE workshops this fall to help improve the health and quality of life of those living in East Wellington Erin: Monday, Dec. 3 ­ 6:30 - 8:30 pm STOP WORRYING Rockwood: Tuesday. Nov. 20, 27, Dec. 4, 11 Erin: Thursday Nov. 22, 29, Dec. 6, 13 ­ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm CRAVING CHANGE - 4 WEEK SERIES HEART HEALTH NUTRITION What's Your Beef? Rockwood: Friday Dec 7 ­ Nov. 6 ­ 9:30 am - 11:30 am LIVING WELL WITH DIABETES SESSION 1 Erin: Tuesday Dec. 4 ­ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm PRE-DIABETES: YOUR CHANCE TO CHANGE THE FUTURE Session 2 Erin: Tuesday Dec. 11 ­ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Erin Location: Erin WEllnEss CEntrE - 6 thompson CrEsCEnt Rockwood Location: roCkWood CliniC - 175 AlmA To register please go to www.ewfht.ca and click on workshops or call Leah at 519-833-9396 Ext 362 Put it in a letter to the Editor! Deadline is Tuesday at noon