Friday, October 23, 2009

Facts say where delays were

http://www.kingsentinel.com/news/2009-10-21/Letters/Facts_say_where_delays_were.html
Facts say where delays were


Re: Delays drove up the cost of sewers by June MacIntyre, Oct. 14 edition of the Sentinel.

MacIntyre blames Councillor Jeff Laidlaw and Nobleton Alert (specifically me) for the delay of Nobleton’s sewers and the increased costs. Is she just trying to discredit us (I was Jeff's campaign manager in 2006)?

Let’s review the facts.

September 1995 — The Environmental Assessment for Nobleton's sanitary sewers began.

May 1997 — Nobleton Alert canvassed the entire village of Nobleton and more than 60 per cent of the households signed the petition stating that they did not want to be connected to the York — Durham Sewage System (YDSS).

Oct. 20, 1997 — King Council adopted Nobleton’s Community Plan, which provided for an increase of population from approximately 3,150 in 1996 to approximately 6,000 to 6,500 by 2016.

Oct. 4, 1999 — King Council unanimously approved the recommendation for a local treatment plant since it was cheaper and since that was what the Nobleton people wanted. The local treatment plant cost ranged from $26.7 million to $29.9 million. YDSS was listed as $28.1 million.

July 2003 — The Region of York finally approved the local treatment plant after almost four years had elapsed.

March 26, 2004 — Nobleton’s major developer, Slokker Canada Corps., took the Region to the Ontario Municipal Board because the Region had still not approved the 1997 Nobleton Community Plan. Slokker was assured that a final decision by the Region was forthcoming.

May 19, 2004 — In the Region’s Finance and Administration Committee report, Nobleton’s Sewage Treatment Plant was still not in the Region’s 10-year capital budget. The estimate for the sewage treatment plant, pumping station, forcemain and trunk sewer totaled $12.7million, with $5.9 million for the existing development and $6.8 million for future development. The Nobleton development group (mainly Slokker Canada) proposed to pay the entire $12.7 million.

June 15, 2004 — The Region finally approved Nobleton’s Community Plan, seven years after King council had done so.

These are the hard facts. In view of the above, MacIntyre’s claim that Councillor Jeff Laidlaw and Nobleton Alert (specifically me) are responsible for the delay of the sewers and added costs, is ludicrous. As far as I can tell, residents’ input, although “encouraged,” has had minimal, if any, effect on the process after the decision to have a local plant.

If the town of Nobleton really does need to have sewers to protect the wells, then York Region should take the money that the developer paid for the non-growth part of the plant ($5.9 million) and give it to King Township to help pay for the sewers on our streets. That would lower the cost for the 845 residents from the latest estimate of $19,451 (which assumed that the Region would give $1.3 million) to $14,007. After all, the Region delayed our Community Plan and the sanitary sewer EA in the first place and should have paid to build the plant.

Nancy Hopkinson,

Nobleton

Laidlaw not responsible for higher costs

http://www.kingsentinel.com/news/2009-10-21/Letters/Laidlaw_not_responsible_for_higher_costs.html
Laidlaw not responsible for higher costs


I will only make two points in response to June MacIntyre’s letter in the Oct. 14 edition of the Sentinel.

A survey conducted and assessed by King Township staff in 2008 garnered 450 responses and approximately 55 per cent of those responding were against sewer installations in Nobleton. In the science of statistics, this is a very large response rate with corresponding reliability of results.

The council of King Township voted 4-3 to install sewers in about twothirds of Nobleton in September 2009. King Township council could easily have voted three or more years ago to install sewers in Nobleton, and I would have had as much influence over that decision as the one which occurred last month.

Contrary to Ms. MacIntyre’s claims, the increasing costs of this project are not something for which I can be blamed.

Jeff Laidlaw,

Councillor, Ward 2,
Township of King