Town's focus in 2007 is on the future : Three projects under way

Three projects under way

Town's focus in 2007 is on the future

of which will be financed by a provincial government grants that the consultants themselves will have to seek out to be paid. Phase 1 involves finding funding to develop an overall Planning the future will be front and centre for the CIP strategy that would guide specific CIPs in the future, Town of Halton Hills in 2007. The Town is working on three projects focused on such as the redevelopment of the Georgetown GO lands or the Maple Leaf (Beardmore) lands in Acton. Also shaping the future of this community. First, council recently confirmed a corporate affairs included in the 2007 capital plan was $120,000 for a committee decision to proceed with the development of a Georgetown GO station area secondary plan. In future phases, the town-wide CIP will crenew Town Strategic Plan. ate strategies on potential infill development, resSecond, council approved the hiring of two idential and business intensification, affordable consultant companies to seek out government housing, improvements to Acton and funding to initiate a Community Improvement Georgetown water and wastewater services, Plan (CIP). downtown redevelopment, and improvements to Third, between January 29 and February 16, a farm businesses and rural area. random phone survey of residents will be done Perlin said CIPs are being successfully used in asking for opinions on the future of recreation in other Ontario communities by generating signifithis town. A draft report of the Recreation and cant amounts of investment from the private secParks Department's Strategic Action Plan-- not DENNIS tor in both business and residential areas. to be confused with the Strategic Plan-- will be PERLIIN "In terms of brownfields, we have some signifipresented to the public at two meetings in April. The town-wide Strategic Plan will set the community's cant sites in various parts of the town that are dirty, that priorities up to 2031. It must respond to new issues such have soil issues (contaminated), and need to be cleaned as the Province's Places to Grow requirement to take up," said Perlin. "One needs to develop an appropriate more population and developers, pressures to expand the strategy and there are certain tools that the Province urban boundaries. Council has hired Performance makes available under the Planning Act that can only be Concepts Consulting Ltd. to lead the process, which will taken advantage of by having a CIP." In an argument against using town staff to lead the include public input. The Town will also seek out alternative funding for its CIP, he said those plans are "put together by people whose whole lives are about dealing with putting these other strategic project, Community Improvement Plan. "It's a very major program," said Chief Administrative strategies together with investment plans that would Officer Dennis Perlin. "... to reinvigorate the various attract the private sector to take a site that is dirty and brownfields, underutilized sites, agricultural areas and make it happen." Mayor Rick Bonnette noted this could be a way to the downtowns." The Town has hired Marshall Macklin Monaghan Ltd. keep Acton vibrant (through intensification, infill and and RCI Consulting for $47,000 to seek out more fund- brownfield cleanup) while the expansion of that commuing from other levels of government and other sources to nity is locked by the Greenbelt legislation. (Cynthia Gamble can be reached at finance the CIP process. Council did set aside $50,000 in cgamble@independentfreepress.com) the 2007 capital budget to hire these consultants-- half

CYNTHIA GAMBLE Staff Writer