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Vol. 75 · # 19 Wednesday, May 16, 2012 GST Included $1.35 Serving Kendal, Kirby, Leskard, Newcastle, Newtonville, Orono, Starkville and Tyrone since 1937 Council rages over firehall by Christopher W. Brown After almost two years, numerous environmental studies and a raucous debate Monday night, the Newcastle Firehall has finally landed a new home. Monday night's council voted in a 5-2 decision to move the fire hall from 1733 Rudell Road to 3333 Hwy #2. In a meeting largely dedicated to the firehall, Councillors Joe Neal and Corinna Traill both tried to stop the movement of the Hall. The future location of the firehall on Rudell Road became uncertain after Rudell Road area resident Gord Lee presented Council a petition in February 2011, stating the residents of Newcastle would like the firehall to be moved to a new location. Lee said he couldn't be happier about what had happened at council on Monday night. "We were very pleased that council took our petition and made the proper changes." He said that he didn't expect it to take council this long though. "Since my first delegation back in Cops for Cancer rode into Kirby Centennial Public School midday Thursday, where they were 12 students who got theirheads shaved and raised $1,272.26 to support children with cancer and their families. February of 2011, we thought it would of taken half the time." Ward 1 Councillor Joe Neal explained at Monday's meeting that he understood the concerns of the residents near the current ( and his preferred) site, but cited the Courtice fire-hall, located on Trulls Road directly across from a subdivision, and up the road from a school, saying that residents haven't had many major problems. In a last ditch effort to stop the firehall move, Traill tried to introduce several unsuccessful motions and additional reviews relating to adding an access road from Rudell Road. Foster said that, "the council was not going to look at the issue until the final decision on where the new hall would be located." Councillor Joe Neal maintained he could not support the motion to move the firehall to Highway 2 due to the additional cost. "We already have services on the current location and the extra costs of the lane reconfiguration and additional services is one of the reasons I could not support this motion." He also added that the, "new cost of the fire hall should not rest on FIRE HALL see page 4 Enjoy a safe and happy Victoria Day Long Weekend New permit for fill site looming Operators of the Morgans Road commercial fill site submitted their 3rd fill permit application on April 26, much to the surprise of neighbouring residents. At their April 26th Board Meeting , the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (GRCA) dealt with the permit from Richard Rondeau's company to dump 24,500 cubic metres of soil at property he owns at 2505 Morgans Road. This is the third permit application received by GRCA to this individual for commercial fill activity on Morgans Road. The first permit issued in June 2010 was for stockpiling soil at their 95 acre abandoned gravel pit site. When that permit expired a year later, Rondeau applied for and was granted a second permit for the placement of 40,000 cubic metres of fill at the same site. This third permit is for a smaller landlocked parcel of land abutting the north end of the gravel pit site. As the Morgans Road site is within an area regulated by GRCA due to the presence of a provincially significant wetland on the site, Clarington's newly adopted site alteration by-law with stringent requirements does not apply. The municipality has now banned fill from other jurisdictions from being dumped in Clarington, a move applauded by the opponents to commercial fill operations, the Clarington Citizens for Clear Air and Soil (CCCAS) group, formed in opposition to Morgans Road fill activity. It would be very difficult under the GRCA regulations to incorporate Clarington's restrictions to bringing in soil from other jurisdictions, according to Mark Peacock, Director of Watershed Services for the GRCA. While there may be some FILL see page 3 Don't Drink and Drive!