By Chad Ingram

The following are brief reports of items discussed during an Aug. 27 meeting of Minden Hills council.

Council is sending a franchise precedent agreement from Niagara-area natural gas company Northeast Midstream LP to township solicitors for review.

The company approached council earlier this year about setting up a natural gas system in Minden and has done the same with Dysart et al council.

“Is there an interdependency between the Dysart and Minden applications?” Reeve Brent Devolin asked rep John Wolnik.

“Not necessarily” Wolnik said.

“Could you have between the two communities one plant to serve us both?” Devolin asked explaining Minden and Haliburton Village were 24 kilometres apart and that there may be sales opportunities in between.

Wolnik said he wouldn’t rule it out.

Liquefied natural gas would be transported to the communities by truck and then vaporized into gas prior to delivery at local distribution systems and would give residents another energy option.

The agreement would allow the company to proceed with a feasibility study to measure the appetite for natural gas in the community.

“In principle I’m in favour of this” Devolin said adding there was a need for alternatives to electricity.

The agreement will be reviewed by township legal counsel.

HCSA requests support for bridge project

Minden Hills council is supporting the Haliburton County Snowmobile Association’s application for a grant from the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs to reconstruct a bridge near the Minden cemetery that was damaged in the 2013 flood.

The lack of bridge has caused the closure of a key trail into Minden.

“It’s forced snowmobilers to ride on the road” rep Mark Lester said as well as decreasing snowmobile traffic into town.

Support of the application has no financial implication for the township.