ACLA Coordinators Meeting

May 15, 2004
St.Joseph's Church, Kingsbridge

Present

ACLA Business Session

  1. Minutes of 2003-09-06 meeting approved.
  2. Treasurer's Report (Carolyn Carter) -- Financial statement distributed. Program expenses are depleting the fund balance. Will seek $15/member contribution for 2005 from each cottage association.
  3. Steering Committee (Dave Cooper) -- Could use a few more volunteers to distribute the work.
  4. Next meeting -- tentatively set for August 28.

Information Session

  1. Guests from ACW Council: Ben VanDiepenbeck (Reeve), Doug Fines (Colborne ward), Marilyn Miltenberg (Ashfield ward)
  2. Source Water Protection (Nigel Bellchamber) -- A commission has been formed as a consequence of the O'Connor "Walkerton" inquiry, to make recommendations to the Minister of the Environment. There are three committees (technical, nutrient management, implementation). It is expected that it will take 2 to 3 years to develop the plan, and 5 to 10 years to implement all aspects of it.
  3. Beach Water Testing (Harry Cieslar) -- Huron County Health Unit says the data from the past 10 years indicates no major changes. The Unit has hired two students for this summer's testing program, which is the most extensive ever done in Ontario ... it will do all 20 public-area beaches, at least 2 times and as much as 5 times a week. Plans also include use of information from satellite maps of pollution outflows.
  4. Taxes (Dave Cooper) -- County and Township spending has increased significantly over the last 4 years. Due to the increasing selling prices of cottage properties, the tax base is shifting to the lakefront.
  5. ACW garbage collection -- Changes have been made to transfer points in Horizon View, Huron Shores, Port Albert, and Sharpes Creek.
  6. Stream and DNA testing (Mike McElhone) -- The 2003 stream-testing report will be added to the ACLA website; testing will continue this summer. The DNA-testing news release got local, provincial, and national coverage; will have a proposal for the September meeting as to how best to continue.
  7. Wind turbines (Heinz Puhlmann) -- Canadian Renewable Energy Corporation is preparing to construct about 40 wind turbines at 500m intervals along a N-S line through Ashfield and Colborne wars about 500m inland of the lake.
  8. Gas Storage (Heinz Puhlmann) -- The Port Albert natural-gas well is depleted and the site will be used as underground storage.
  9. ACW Council update (Ben VanDiepenbeck) -- This year's 3% tax increase was necessary to meet costs. The trend to increasing lakefront property-assessment values is not something Council can control. The cost to cottagers to pay ACW for maintenance on unassumed roads may be more than the cost of upgrading the road in order to have ACW assume maintenance. Those interested in receiving a cost estimate are invited to contact the ACW office.

Recorded by: Roger Watt. Last updated: 2004-05-31.