By Chad Ingram
Published May 4 2017
The following are brief reports of items discussed during an April 26 meeting of Haliburton County council.
Since March 31 2016 just fewer than 6000 acres of forest have been harvested in Haliburton County an annual report from forestry officer and weed inspector James Rogers showed. Rogers said most of the cutting was done within regulations and that only one stop-work order was issued during the past year.
He said more residents are calling for pre-consultation before they remove trees from their properties.
The county’s shoreline tree bylaw prohibits the cutting of trees within 30 metres of shorelines. When residents cut down trees they are not supposed to they must plant new ones to replace them. Algonquin Highlands Deputy-reeve Liz Danielsen asked how it was determined how many trees must be planted. If a large tree was cut down by someone what would happen then she asked.
“Depending on the size of the tree it would require a number of trees to be planted to replace it” Rogers responded adding that size of the canopy of the tree that had been cut down would need to be considered.
Transportation project extended
The Ministry of Transportation will fund the extension of the community transportation pilot project an initiative of Rural Transportation Options (RTO) and Haliburton County that has been ongoing for the past two years.
The goal of the project is to address transportation needs in local municipalities assist community agencies in meeting the demand for transportation and helping to fill transportation gaps in the community.
With the hiring of a project co-ordinator it has included a transportation summit survey the creation of a community transportation hub and ride-sharing website and 1-800 hotline.
The $50000 in funding from the ministry along with more than $20000 in in-kind contributions from partner organizations will extend the project for a year.
Making Cty Rd 21 part of town
An active neighbourhood plan from the Communities in Action committee calls for changes that would more greatly incorporate the stretch of County Road 21 heading into Haliburton Village into the village itself. That stretch of roadway which turns into Highland Street includes the area around Independent Grocer Tim Hortons and the affordable housing complex.
“Traffic calming is a way of slowing down traffic through environmental design” said committee member and local health promoter Sue Shikaze as she presented the plan to councillors.
One suggestion is to make that area a community safety zone with a speed limit of 40 km/h. The plan also suggests that pedestrian walkways could be created for businesses in the area since most are accessible only by driveways designed for vehicles.
Tying in some aesthetics from the street-scaping efforts in downtown Haliburton could also help emphasize that the stretch of road is in fact a well-frequented part of the village the plan suggests.
While the road is owned by the county Haliburton County Warden and Minden Hills Reeve Brent Devolin said any major changes in the area should really be the decision of the council for Dysart et al in which most of the village sits.
“I look to be principally led by Dysart council” Devolin said.
