ST C ' YVA' -n · 2 - The Oakville Beayer Weekend, ^un^ay November 18, 2001 m Heightened interest at fence by-law review By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF PO M E TH EATRE re n t & A N and w n e e r o v e m b e r S a le D - a y s 2 4 2 2 - -1 V Pioneer Elite VSX-49TX Receiver THX ultra 2 certifi cation, built-in 7 channel amplification, DTS-ES matrix and discrete, Dolby digital THX EX, Dolby Prologic II., 32 bit DSP, pure copper chassis. Pioneer Elite DVR-7000 DVD Recorder/Player records DVD/R and DVD/RW media, plays DVD/R/ RW, VCD, SVCD, CD. CDR/RW, built-in 181 channel tuner, fire wire input and digital time-base corrector. Is your fence legal? That question drew a large audience to Tuesday's Administrative Services Committee meeting which was reviewing Oakville's five-year-old fence by-law. They were there to complain about unsightly fences in their neighbourhoods or to see if their own fence will be safe in case it doesn't meet the requirements of the new by-law. Assistant Town solicitor Jennifer Huctwith said that any fence built in compliance with the fence by-law at the time it was built, can stay. "If it was erected legally before, it gets to stay. If it complied with the by-law at the time it was put in, people get to keep it," said Huctwith. However, when the fence in question gets replaced, it must meet the new rules. Eventually, that should bring all fences up-todate throughout town, said Huctwith. The lawyer said the fence by law "runs a thin line of catching all the silly things people do to annoy their neighbours" and not catching things that are good for the com munity. "We're not trying to move peo ple's fences or take them down. This by-law would be for fences being put up in the future," said Huctwith. No one needs a permit to con struct a fence, but they are expect ed to be familiar with the Town rules. If a fence does not comply with the by-law, it can be taken down at the owner's expense. Should they refuse to pay, the cost can be tacked onto their property tax bill, said Huctwith. There are currently some 400 illegal fences in Oakville, but the town usually only investigates if a complaint is filed. And to the annoyance of the fence owners, the complainant's name isn't revealed, under Municipal Freedom of Information Act rules, unless the case goes to court. Oakville resident Pat Pleich is one such resident who is having a fence dispute with the Town based on a neighbour's complaint. She was at Tuesday's meeting to add her voice. "Even murderers are allowed to face their accusers," said Pleich, annoyed that so many fences are in non-compliance, but have not been the targets of complaints. Among the proposed new rules is a reduction in the maximum height of privacy fences (which do not completely surround yards) from 12-feet to 9-feet six-inches. Fence heights can be 6-feet fl inches on decks and around the back yards. The maximum 5-feet height of front yard fences could be lowered to 3-feet Trellis' and arbours will be exempted from the by-law. The Town will also take a sec ond look at requirements for front yard fences to be one-third open, rendering them picket or wrought iron styles rather than solid board. That's the rule in neighbouring Mississauga. South Iroquois Ridge resident Cheri Bain spoke of a neighbour hood fence that's been nicknamed "Fort Knox." "It scares me, when properties are getting much smaller, to see these walls going up," she said. Bain also asked councillors to look at limiting the length of priva cy fences. "A privacy screen should not be allowed to be 80-ft. long," said Bain and councillors agreed. Residents heard that while a fence can be left in disrepair and the Town can't go after the proper ty owner under the fence by-law, a new fence erected six inches over its limit could be destroyed. Huctwith said the fence by-law review was prompted by a need to address complaints. It will likely be early January before the proposed fence by-law comes back to the committee for review before heading onto Council for final approval. Progressive Scan 3:2 Pull Down Elite Pro 520 HDTV featuring Pure Cinema II. fo r quick 3:2 pull down film detection. Dual 181 NTSC tuners w ith auto matic preset, 5 screen modes for progressive scan DVD, New 4 element lens system and 72 point digital convergence. W S o r ld i m F a m o u s P ioneer will introduce their new line of Elite Home Theatre products for 2001 - 2002 on Thursday, November 22 - Saturday, November 24. This exciting event will demonstrate Pioneer's ability to continue their lead ing role in the research and development of sound and vision technology. O A H S 2 S LaserLand is proud to continue our tradition of outstanding sales and serv ice to our current and potential customers. 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