TIMMINS - From selling parks to make way for more development to passing the water and wastewater hikes, Timmins council is back in action tonight.
The Nov. 26 meeting starts with Cochrane District Services Board (CDSB) talking about the proposed Wellness Centre of Excellence. It's a presentation that council members asked for months ago, after the "botched" rollout of the mental health and addictions treatment facility/
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Other highlights of the agenda are:
- Parkland could be up for sale to allow for more new houses. Twelve city-owned properties could be sold through public tenders, direct land sale or request for proposal processes. The properties being considered are Dwyer Avenue Park, Graham Lane Park, Randall Drive Park, Timcor Park on Gatineau Boulevard, Antonio Gauthier Park on Hudson Crescent, Crawford Street, Simone Court Park, Frontenac Park, Nadine Avenue Park, and Florence Street. Read the full report here.
- Storage containers are back up for discussion. Staff is recommending that the maximum number of storage containers be removed from the proposed bylaw, though the containers would still have to factored into all calculations to determine lot coverage and setback requirements. People who already have storage containers on their properties would be brought into compliance through a complaint basis. The report is available here. The proposed updated bylaw is available here.
- Plans are starting to take shape for a Porcupine park. There's a recommendation to give a $201,935 contract to Openspace Solutions to design and install Earthscape play structures at Melview Park, which is on Michener Boulevard behind the Porcupine Mall. Earlier this year, two lots were sold in the park, with the money raised from the sale going to the redevelopment of the space. The total budget for the park is $420,000, with the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) providing 50 per cent. The staff report says the remaining park ot the cash will be used to install an accessible parking lot, trail, small gazebos, tables and benches, as well as plant trees, flowers and plants. Read the full report here.
- A bylaw to approve the the 2025 water and wastewater rates is on the agenda, it simply lists all of the rates that could be approved based on the number of rooms in a house. The scenarios presented at an earlier meeting were to stick with the long-term financial plan increases — which would see the fee for a five-room home increase by 4.45 per cent this year to $14,78.92 for water and sewer — or to add an additional one per cent levy to generate cash for capital projects. That would see the water and wastewater rate for a five-room home at $1,493.71 in 2025.
None of the items have been approved.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at city hall. Read the full agenda here. Watch the meeting live online here.
