Archive

Delegates get action on Hyland track, dust control

June 27, 2013   ·   0 Comments

As a result of a presentation by a Grade 7 Hyland Heights Elementary School pupil, the Town of Shelburne and Upper Grand District School Board might jointly draft an agreement for management of jointly owned Hyland Park.

And, as a result of a second delegation Monday night, town council is likely to establish a formal policy for dust control on roadways under the Town’s control.

The pupil, Nicholas Bannon, might not have expected the response he evoked when he attended the council meeting. His interest was essentially confined to the track at the park, and did not extend to the ball diamond and other features.

His three concerns with respect to the track were its length and its width along with the topping of it which, he said, left something to be desired.

According to Nicholas’s information, regulation tracks should be 400 metres such that four laps would approximate one mile. But the Hyland track is about 380 metres, which would be considerably less than a quarter mile.

(In fact, four laps, or 1600 metres on a regulation 400-metre track, would be 1749.8 yards, and still short of a mile by about 11 yards.)

Mayor Ed Crewson confirmed, from his own experience, that the track is short of a quarter mile, and Councillor Randy Chambers said Hyland Heights does have a track team – which would suggest it would need to have a regulation track.

But the question arose about who would be responsible for the track – the Town or the Board?

Upper Grand trustee, who had come to the meeting at the request of the mayor to hear the student’s presentation and “to act as his advocate at the board” quietly agreed with a Councillor Walter Benotto motion to the effect that a sub-committee be formed to discuss the park with the board and to create a formal agreement for its maintenance.

But CAO John Telfer pointed out that there is more than one shared property “on the table,” and the Benotto motion was amended to have the CAO and town staff contact the Board to review ways to deal on a partnership basis.

The discussions might extend beyond the various parks. Councillor Benotto said there are residents who would like to play basketball. He said the Board has agreements in other municipalities for shared use of gymnasia so the discussions should cover both “inside and outside.”

On Tuesday, Upper Grand communications director Maggie McFadyen confirmed that arrangements can be made for “community use of schools” upon application either on a one-time or regularly scheduled basis but also said that the needs of the schools would trump community use.

Also on Tuesday, Trustee Topping said she agreed that there should be a written agreement covering Hyland Park rather than the informal one that has been in operation for as long as anyone remembers.

The park, in fact, had been used for Fiddleville camping every August from the first event until approximately 1980.

Oddly, in about 1980 there was a letter to the editor from a high school student complaining about the use of school board property by persons consuming alcohol and things not appropriate for students to do.

In other representations Monday, George Meunier of Main Street West said there needs to be dust control in his area because of three businesses operating there. The street at that point, west of the rail corridor, is within the town boundary but appears to be beyond.

Mr. Meunier said he had discussed the dust problem with MTO but learned that not only is it within the town’s jurisdiction but, in any event, that MTO does not perform dust control on provincial highways.

Public Works Director Scott Wheeldon confirmed that he had discussed the situation with Mr. Meunier and had arranged for liquid calcium to be used in the area but each scheduled time of application had to be postponed because of the weather.

The liquid can be spread only in dry weather, and not ahead of another rain as it could be washed off the shoulders of the road if it rains right after it has been spread.

Mr. Wheeldon said Shelburne is not alone in the problem. Other municipalities have had to delay or cancel applications of the liquid.

The dust control problem, although limited to Main Street for the issue at hand, was viewed as something that should be subject to a standing policy. Council, therefore, directed Mr. Wheeldon to complete a report on dust control and measures to be finalized in a policy on the issue.

By Wes Keller

 

         

Facebooktwittermail


Readers Comments (0)


Sorry, comments are closed on this post.

Page Reader Press Enter to Read Page Content Out Loud Press Enter to Pause or Restart Reading Page Content Out Loud Press Enter to Stop Reading Page Content Out Loud Screen Reader Support