By Chad Ingram
The following are brief items discussed during a Sept. 3 meeting of Algonquin Highlands council.
The township’s lookout tower at Dorset has no major structural issues an inspection by Tulloch Engineering conducted this spring has found.
“Upon completion of both the visual inspection and structural analysis Tulloch Engineering has reached the conclusion that the Dorset scenic lookout tower is adequate to continue its current use” the report reads emphasizing the structure built in 1967 meets criteria under the Canada Building Code.
There are a number of recommendations including the installation of drain decks on the intermediate observation deck to avoid ponding water new lighting and the brushing off of corroded metal as well as more general repairs work that will be done as part of regular tower upkeep as the budget allows.
“A pleasant surprise” Councillor Brian Lynch said of the report. “We were all looking for the worst-case scenario so it’s a good worst case.”
Another recommendation was the installation of some kind of barrier to prevent people from the climbing the tower at night when it is technically closed.
As Reeve Carol Moffatt noted if social media is any indication people are climbing the tower after dark.
Council passed a support resolution for Coalition for Equitable Water Flow in the organization’s quest to create an organization that would speak in a single voice on behalf of Haliburton County residents and stakeholders on the feeder lakes of the Trent-Severn Waterway.
“Municipal partners have been a piece that’s missing” Moffatt said of the conversation around more equitable flow of water through the feeder system. “I think we really really need it.”
Moffatt also said she didn’t think some stakeholders south of the county realized the vast number of residents here who are affected by fluctuating levels as water is drawn to feed the Trent-Severn canal.
“The folks in the south cannot be given control of the system” she said.
Minden Hills passed a similar resolution the week prior.
