The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

10 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2013 Two new schools for Rockwood Monday was a gold star kind of day for Rockwood as the province approved plans for two elementary schools ­ a public and a Catholic school ­ in the village. The $6.1-million public school proposed for southwest Rockwood by the Upper Grand District School Board would accommodate 308 students and ease the severe overcrowding at Rockwood Centennial School. The proposed six-acre site is prime agricultural land between Wellington Road 44 and Rockwood's western boundary at the ends of MacLennan Street and Parkinson Drive. UGDSB officials said they need to put shovels in the ground this summer to be ready to open in September 2014. Township planner Bernie Hermsen said while the County requires justification to take prime agricultural land out of production for development, the school is a "needed pubic facility" and is supported by the Township. He said he school board had attempted to find an alternate site within the Rockwood urban boundary. Anticipated for decades, the new Wellington Catholic District School Board School is budgeted for $5.9-million, $400,000 of that for full-day Junior and Senior Kindergarten. The Board said the school would have capacity for 250 students to open as early as September 2015. The Board said development in Rockwood, and increase in the number of Catholic students now being bussed to St. Patrick School in Guelph, and population growth in east Guelph make a "sound business proposal" for building a new Catholic elementary school. Mayor Chris White said the announcements were "fantastic for the community" for families and the quality of life. "This keeps kids in our community and all the spin-offs like shopping, sports," White said, thanking both Boards for their "capital foresight." After the meeting Mayor White said he did not know if a site had been selected for the Catholic school, although the Board owns land on Main Street North across from the OPP detachment. Proposed School Site Check out our FREE workshops this fall to help improve the health and quality of life of those living in East Wellington A group weight management approach that focuses on lifestyle changes HEALTHY YOU - 6WK SERIES Rockwood: Starts Tuesday February 5th ~ 9:30 am - 11:30 am Erin: Starts Thursday February 7th ~ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Session 3 of 3 Advanced Self-management skills Erin: Tuesday Feburary 5th ~ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Session 1: Understanding Pre-Diabetes Rockwood: Thursday Jan. 24th ~ 10:00 am - 12:00 Noon Session 2 of 3 Meal Planning for Diabetes and Heart Health Rockwood: Thursday February. 14th ~ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm LIVING WELL WITH DIABETES LIVING WELL WITH DIABETES PRE-DIABETES: YOUR CHANCE TO CHANGE THE FUTURE Session 1 of 2 Erin: Tuesday, February 12th, 3:30-5:30pm Rockwood: Friday. February 8th 9:30-11:30am HEART HEALTH NUTRITION Erin Location: Erin WEllnEss CEntrE - 6 thompson CrEsCEnt Rockwood Location: roCkWood CliniC - 175 AlmA You MUST be registered to attend these events to avoid disappointment To register or for more information on other events call 519-833-7575 ext 341 or go to www.ewfht.ca under "workshops" Guelph/Eramosa Township Council will not give blanket approval to solar applications in the Township, but it will endorse individual projects it sees fit so they can earn points needed to move ahead of other applicants to the Ontario Power Authority (OPA). "We just don't want to get caught up in something that the province is doing where we end up being responsible for the (solar) panels," Mayor Chris White said last week as Council debated a request for support from the Guelph Solar Community Co-operative, which wants to install solar panels on the roof of St. Ignatius Jesuit College. The OPA will accept FIT (feed-in-tariff) applications for renewable energy projects with a proposed capacity of more than 10 kilowatts, up to 500 kilowatts. The OPA will award up to 200 megawatts (MW) worth of contracts to applicants who filed before January 18, and 25 MW are set aside for community-owned projects. Under the new rules, projects will be prioritized according to the number of "points" they earn, and one way to earn points is to get support of the council of the municipality where the project is located Although the Guelph Solar Community Cooperative filed a similar Solar support from Guelph / Eramosa Township Council request for support last May, since then the OPA closed the window on applications, re-opening it prior to Christmas and giving one month to refile their applications on new forms. When initially asked for their endorsement of the Ignatious Jesuit project last spring, Council balked at giving blanket approval to any project. While the resolution approved by Council last Monday states the Township supports the construction and operation of the project, it also states that the sole purpose of the resolution is to enable the applicant to received priority points under FIT program, and may not be used for the purpose of any other form of municipal approval in relation to the project. Describing the new and more complicated FIT application process, Guelph Solar Community Cooperative project manager Dorothy Remmer said they are "hog-tied" by the OPA and must complete the forms as required, without any changes. The province's Green Energy Act promotes renewable energy sources like wind and water power and solar photovoltaic, and removes Planning Act Authority from local councils, although the Building Code Act remains applicable. Remmer said they understood clearly that the group still had to file all of the required planning and/or zoning applications with the Township or County. When several councillors suggested the OPA process was being made more onerous because the province really doesn't want to get into green power, Remmer offered praise for the provincial feed-in-tariff program, saying it is the only one of its kind in North America, and noting that any time there is change and innovation, there is "craziness." While leery of the province's handling of the green energy program, several councillors said if there is provincial money to be spent on alternate energy projects ­ like solar panels ­ then the municipality should make sure some of that money is spent in the Township to benefit local residents. Council also approved similar resolutions for three additional solar applications in the Township including: · Ontario Solar Provider Inc. for 480 flush-mounted solar panels on the roof of buildings on Township Road 3 · Kruegar Solar for a 100kW project for Wellington Road 51 · KW Power Logic for a 250 kilowatt rooftop solar installation at Rockwood Self Storage on Highway 7