City council has agreed to reconsider constructing a controversial sewage pumping station beside a creek and near the popular Lightfoot Trail on Cedar Island Road.
In the face of growing opposition from residents of the neighbourhood, council decided Thursday night to postpone a decision on the site – a move applauded by about two-dozen neighbourhood residents who sat through an almost three-hour-long meeting to witness the decision.
“I think the members of council came to realize what a poor location this is for a sewage pumping station,” said Tom Griffiths, a vocal opponent of the site.
He told OrilliaMatters he was initially concerned about the site due to its proximity to a nearby creek that flows into Lake Couchiching.
“The more I got into it, other factors surfaced: the location is on a flood plain and on reclaimed land (comprised of) lots of sawdust from old sawmills that used to occupy the site,” he said, noting costly piles would likely have to be used to support the building.
“Another negative for this site is the proximity to the single-lane bridge and 90-degree corner on Cedar Island Road,” said Griffiths. “A building at that location will mean drivers approaching the bridge from the north will not see vehicles coming from the island until they meet on the bridge.”
Those were the primary reasons, he said, that residents lobbied councillors to re-think their plan.
However, for council to do that, two-thirds of them had to agree to the idea. When councillors Tim Lauer and Pat Hehn asked their colleagues to reconsider, they agreed – unanimously.
Once that hurdle was cleared, councillors agreed to ask staff to investigate the “logistics, timelines and costs” of alternative sites. Staff will report back on potential alternatives at the Aug. 16 council meeting.
“Hopefully, city staff can find a more suitable location for the facility,” said Griffiths.
Council received several letters opposed to the site that were included in the agenda package Thursday night.
In one, resident Shawna Allinson wrote: “The thought of a sewage plant beside me is revolting. I often see otters in the creek, numerous birds, geese and only this weekend a fox was in the … area. I can't imagine losing this. The wetlands should be protected. Less important is the impact on my property value.”
Brian Adams also wrote to council, asking them to reconsider.
“There are many elements of the redevelopment (of Centennial Drive) project that are immensely appealing, and I applaud your vision and commitment to move forward on this initiative which will clearly blend the city's downtown core with the waterfront,” he wrote. “However, there are a number of environmental and aesthetic concerns related to the proposed location of the pump station on the Lightfoot Trail, and these have been identified and well-articulated by others with considerable expertise on the topic already … the concerns and risks are significant.”
He added that it was clear “that the primary and compelling reason for the proposed location of the pump station is because the city already owns the land, thus avoiding additional costs of purchasing another property for this purpose.
“Therefore, as an alternative, I recommend that you look at the location of the former railway station (currently being used as a bus terminal and Service Ontario offices) on Front Street for the sewage pump station. It is already city-owned land, the primary criterion for choice of location, and is far removed from the Lightfoot Trail and Lake Couchiching. The location is also more obscured from sight and will therefore be less of a visual obstacle than the proposed location on the Lightfoot Trail.”
Lauer said council heard what the neighbours were saying.
“The (decision to reconsider) is based on feedback we have got since we actually made this (decision) in January,” he said. “As everybody knows there’s been considerable discussion and several meetings … we’ve had quite a bit of discourse with the people that live down around the proposed site, namely Elgin Bay, Davey Drive and Cedar Island.”
City CAO Gayle Jackson said council’s decision to reconsider the site of the sewage pumping station at its August meeting will not delay the larger Centennial Drive project.
