It’s that time of year again Milton.  No, not the long lines at the shopping malls, the honing of Christmas lists of your kids and the never ending list of holiday parties to attend.  Its budget time at the Town of Milton.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is a fun time for your local councillor as well.  Over the last year I have talked with you on what your budget priorities are.  This past summer myself along with a number of other councillors sat down with you to discuss the issues you found to be important.  I have received close to 100 emails over the course of the year of you letting me know what you would like to see.

All of the comments received were sent to staff and what you will see here is a list of the budget documents.  This budget will come before council on December 12 and 13th for review/debate/approval.  Members of the public are more than welcome, and encouraged to take part in this process as well.  If you’d like to know how you can be a part of this important process, please email me mike@mikecluett.ca for more details.

Over the course of the next week or so as I dive into these documents, drink lots of coffee and find more dark circles under my eyes due to lack of sleep, I will be posting more details, my thoughts and attempt to get as many of your comments ready for the budget committee meeting on the 12th.  If you want a hard copy of the budget, they can be purchased at Milton Town Hall as well.  Email me for details.

A quick overview of the budget will find that it recommends at 4.18% increase in the tax rate.  That doesn’t mean your taxes will go up by that amount, its the rate of increase in budget spending.  In the past I have stated I wouldn’t support a budget with an increase over the rate of inflation and I look to keep that same commitment here.  That rate doesn’t include education, the Region of Halton, the Library levy or DBIA. 

I’ll post more details on what can be done to reduce the impact of the tax increase in the coming days.  Again, if you have any questions at all, please email or call me anytime.  With over 400 pages in the budget document, odds are I will be up late reading it.

Here are the links online from www.milton.ca for the 2012 Budget Documents

Operating and Capital Budgets

The Town’s annual budget is developed by staff in consideration of the guidelines approved by Council in July and input received from the public. Council deliberates and approves the budget in December of each year ensuring an approved budget is in place for the start of the new year.

2012 Proposed Budget Documents

• Foreword & Introduction
• Capital Budget Summary
• Operating Budget Summary
• Departmental Details
• 2013-2021 Capital Budget Forecast
• 2013-2014 Operating Budget Forecast
• Reserve & Reserve Funds
• Supplementary Information

Every year the upper lips of many men become darker with the beginning of the annual MOVEMBER campaign to raise awareness of mens issues and prostate cancer. 

If you are participating in Movember this year, send me the link to your page and I’ll post it here.

The first one belongs to a good friend of mine Mike Heenan who is letting his face be an experiment in facial hair growth.  He along with some collegues at Credit Valley Hospital are doing what they can to raise money and see if they can help change the face of men’s health.

Heres the link to his page http://ca.movember.com/mospace/1518190/

Michael’s Motivation

I’m helping change the face of men’s health by changing mine! Just think what a mo will do to this short, bald, glasses wearing guy’s face! Nice!

Please visit and donate as much as you can.

Going old school wrestling…here’s my promo for Tigerfest 2011 this coming Saturday at Miltons Downtown Street Festival!

Does anyone remember the movie BIG? Tom Hanks and the famous giant piano scene?

Would you like to see those similar piano keys on the steps of the Milton Arts Centre? Councillor Huffman asked staff for a report on the viability, cost, etc of installing these piano keys on the steps of the Arts Centre. That report can be found here.

The picture here is of something similar, but not to the spec’s of the Milton Centre for the Arts.  The cost is approximately $92,000. The staff recommendation is to approve the project once there is a sponsor available to pay for it.

After speaking with some people around town, some feel it will look tacky and cheapen the look of the Arts Centre that we just spent MILLIONS of dollars on and its not even open yet and we will have to tear up the steps removing the tile and replace it with this.

Do you think this would be a draw for tourism? Would you come from out of town to see this? This installation is apparently popular overseas and this would be the first one in North America.

Feedback?

There has been a lot of feedback on the Hawthorne Villager Forum (which is administered by ward 7 Councillor Rick Di Lorenzo) and you can find the comments on that thread here.

Here are some of MY comments:

This process is backwards as far as Im concerned. We have the approximate costs for the stairs done, which is fine. Council can receive the report for information.mike@mikecluett.ca with your comments/input for Monday’s meeting.Any other comments?

Next part of the process should be feedback from the Arts Centre. Does this “fit” into the vision of the MAC or does it take away from the feel of the building. For those who havent been inside, despite the outside appearance, its really well done and elegant on the inside. If I can get in or if anyone has any pics we should show them for sure.

After feedback has been received and given an “OK” that the MAC would support something like this, THEN we go out to the business community and search for a sponsor. That way we have the approx cost of the stairs AND the thumbs up from those who will be running it.

If we cant find a sponsor or sponsors for the full amount then the project should be shelved. Im not comfortable as a CSAC member and as a councillor suggesting these sponsor(s) make an application to the community fun for the difference. I’d hate to be on CSAC and have to deny funding for someone who qualifies under the Community Fund guidelines because $X was given for the piano steps.

If the private sector cant come up with the funding for this, I think we should pass. That wont be known until we hear from that business/arts community which is the reason why council (IMO) should wait before giving the project the green light.

We can receive the report for information, consult the people involved and address any maintenance issues/safety issues etc that might be on peoples minds, then go to the business community and get the full cost.

There are more important things for council to be considering right now like the 2012 budget call reports, hospital expansion funding, building/maintaining our roads and traffic calming policies.

Feel free to post here or email me mike@mikecluett.ca

Here is an article from Christina Commisso from the Milton Canadian Champion about last Monday nights Community Services Standing Committee Meeting.

Farmer fears race will hurt business

Plans for Milton to host the premier race during June’s Canadian Road Cycling Championships are in jeopardy, following opposition from a local strawberry farm.Saturday, June 25 is the date elite riders are to take to Milton streets for grueling 157 and 180-km races that could very well determine which Canadians will be heading to the 2012 Summer Games. Among these cyclists will be Canada’s golden girl Clara Hughes, a two-sport Olympic medalist.

June 25 is also one of the busiest days for business for Springridge Farm on Bell School Line.

With road closures planned for throughout the day and a route that runs on Bell School Line — Springridge’s home for more than 50 years — owner John Hughes is worried the race will have serious implications on his business.

During Monday’s community services meeting, Hughes asked the committee to say no to the race.  “This is not a charity race, but an elite race with talk of the Olympics down the road for some. For Springridge, the strawberry season is our Olympic season.”

Hughes said the hundreds of bikes that will hit Milton streets combined with the 1,000 to 1,800 cars and anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 strawberry pickers expected to make their way to the family-owned farm don’t make for a good mix.

“The liability exposure for all concerned is huge,” said Hughes, pointing to the poor visibility issues and crumbling infrastructure on Bell School Line.

Race Director Craig Fagan of Midweek Cycling said scrapping the Milton event all together will be “disastrously difficult.” 

“This is by far the most prestigious event. It is what determines who is going to be selected to represent Canada at the Olympics.”   He said Appleby Line is the circuit’s “key climb.”

“That’s what really sets the national champion apart. The women will be climbing that hill eight times and it really determines who’s the strongest.”

He added that riders from as far as Quebec have been spending their weekends in Milton to train for the race. The event is considered a primer for the Canadian Olympic qualifier.

Currently, the women’s race (nine circuits) is set for 10 a.m. to noon and the men’s race (14 circuits) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The route begins at Rattlesnake Point, travels northbound on Appleby Line, east on No. 14 Side Road, south on Bell School Line, and west on Britannia Road.

Fagan said about 5,000 racers and spectators will descend on Milton to watch the race. With major artillery roads being closed to traffic on and off throughout the day, the committee said traffic snarls are certain. 

During the meeting, Councillor Colin Best suggested the race times be changed — the women’s 2.5-hour race in the early morning and the men’s 4.5-hour race in the evening.  “I have no problem with riders starting at 7 a.m. or earlier if that’s what we need to do to get things done,” said Fagan.

However, he added that four hours of prep time would be needed prior to each race, which could cause noise concerns for neighbours.

Insp. Ivan L’Ortye of Halton police, who’s coordinating police during the paid-duty event, said traffic will be moving in the same direction of the race with left turns on the circuit prohibited.

“The underlying theme is we don’t want to mix cyclists and cars. We want this to be well-choreographed,” he said. “Obviously I think there will be significant delays, but we don’t feel it’s safe to have northbound traffic on the course.”

Mayor Gord Krantz asked Fagan about possibly compensating Springridge for the potential loss of business due to the race.

However, Fagan pointed out that with events of this scale, in many cases municipalities pay for the event to come to town.

“These events tend to turn around and deliver. In Halton, that will be one-point-something million dollars coming back to the community, which we don’t get a piece of. We haven’t asked the municipality for any financial aid.”

The committee delayed voting on the cycling championships until Town staff work with organizers and Springridge to determine if a new time for the race is possible. The report will have to go council for approval before the June 25 race is permitted. 

So with the committee’s decision to delay the vote, it will provide the parties involved with the opportunity to come to a compromise with the start time to accommodate Springridge Farms regular business hours.  As John Hughes stated, that day is the farms busiest day in revenue terms and it would have a severe hit on their business.

I hope that they can come to a resolution, but still there is no doubt the traffic issues will be intense.  Other concerns brought up at the meeting by Councillor Lunau was the condition of the road.  Bell School Line hasn’t undergone a major repair since the last race in 2007.  The race organizer assured council that these are “semi-pro’s” and they know how to handle themselves on rougher terrain.  With cyclists flying down the road at speeds of “80-90 km/hr” the risk is still there for a disaster to happen.

Another issue that came up was the fact local residents were not informed of the race route during the planning stages of the event.  One area resident spoke up during the meeting letting their concerns be known and as far as I know, they plan on speaking again when the report comes before committee.

How should these “world class” races be planned in the future?  Should their routes be approved by the local municipality before they are advertised around the world?  As Mr Fagan said, people from all over will “descend” upon Milton to practice for the race, which will bring in revenue for the town.  Whether this race goes through or not, I would make a suggestion to the race organizers to pay closer attention to the local residents and possibly submit their race plans/routes BEFORE they begin their advertising campaigns.  This way it wont look like the municipality is backed into a corner to approve a race mere weeks before it begins.

I will await the updated report on negotiations and council will make its decision at that point.

Although Milton Today TV was’nt there all day covering McHappy Day in Milton, they did get a chance to speak with Allan Halls from Milton District Hospital, Mayor Gord Krantz and the owner of the McDonalds Steve Antolin and the importance of this event. Thousands of dollars are raise for both Milton District Hospital but also Ronald McDonald House for kids.

It was a great day and we had a blast speaking with people in the store and in the drive thru. The employees of McDonalds should be commended on their enthusiasm for the event as well as their day was much longer than ours and they kept it going.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the organization of the day. The weather was amazing and the spirits were high all throughout the day.

BIG SHOUT OUT to Milton’s own Scott Fox from BPM TV (Twitter @scottfoxonair) who did his part in getting everyone going through the drive thru to put on some smiles and open their wallets to add more to the total.

Please join me and other Milton dignitaries, such as fellow council members Mayor Gord Krantz (12pm-1pm) councillors Zeeshan Hamid (3pm-5pm) Rick Di Lorenzo (4pm-6pm) and Colin Best (4pm-6pm) and Milton’s own SCOTT FOX at McDonalds today (4:30pm-5:30pm)and support McHappy Day.

One dollar from every Big Mac, Coffee or Tea and Happy Meal sold in McDonalds Milton will be donated to Milton District Hospital Foundation and to Ronald McDonald’s House in Toronto.  

I will be there from 3pm to 5pm supporting these great organizations.  If you drop by to say HI, and please don’t laugh at me.  Growing up I never held a job at McDonalds, but I promise to do my best NOT to embarrass myself.

Many thanks to McDonalds staff and volunteers who give so freely of their time and to the residents of Milton who come out in droves every year to McDonald’s to support Milton District Hospital Foundation!

If you are interested in making a donation to the Milton District Hospital Foundation, you can click here for a one time donation.  Our hospital needs the support of the community and every dollar counts.  From the MDHF website….

Your single gift donation is an important way to become a part of Milton District Hospital Foundation and to have an impact on patient care for you, your family and our community.

Every gift to Milton District Hospital Foundation, regardless of amount will make a difference. Your contribution will help us pay for essential equipment purchases and help ensure a strong future for Milton District Hospital Foundation – one that our children and grandchildren will benefit from in the decades to come. 

So please, take some time to go to McDonalds today or if you cant, make a donation to the MDHF and / or Ronald McDonald House.  It all goes a very long way.

That was the question last night at the Community Services Standing Committee meeting.

This item was the “barn burner” issue of the night as the committee discussed the upcoming Canadian Cycling Road Championship on June 25th, 2011.  The staff report along with the map of the route can be found here.  Area residents, including the owners of Springridge Farms had concerns of safety issues and lost revenue as the 25th of June is THE biggest day for the popular farm in town.

After lengthy discussions with the parties involved and the race organizers they will head back to table to find a solution that will meet everyones needs.  Councillor Huffman suggested that the starting times of each of the two races be spread further apart and begin earlier/later in order to accomodate Springridge Farms hours of operations and hopefully also address concerns raised for safety of the cyclists.

Councillor Lunau took some pictures of Bell School Line which showed some pretty heavy erosion of the road, with some patches here and there which causes a lot of concern seeing how these riders will be going anywhere from 80KM/HR to 90KM/HR (speed limit is 60…should we give them tickets?)  The organizers feel that given the experience level of the cyclists and the semi professional status, they will be able to handle it.  Time will have to see.

Committee deferred the report until we get an update which will hopefully come this week, and we can get this matter resolved to everyones satisfaction.  This is the biggest sales day for the Springridge Farms and it would be a shame to see their sales drop (as well as the frustration of their customers not being able to get in) and of couse, the safety of the cyclists involved.

This coming Monday May 9th will be our Community Services Standing Committee meeting at Town Hall.  This Committee consists of five Councillors and the Mayor. Committee members review all reports, formulate policy and make recommendations to Council on matters over which Council has authority under the Municipal Act.  These matters are related to Community Services, Fire, Library, Transit and other operational programs.

The agenda can be found here at this link.  Some of the highlights will be discussion on whether or not the Canadian Road Cycling Championships should be re-routed due to some issues Springridge Farms have with road closures.  The race is slated for Saturday June 25th and this would mean the road in front of Springridge would have to be closed, meaning customers wouldn’t be able to get there.  There are also other issues about the road in general and there is one delegation slated to speak.

Another presentation to be given is the Transportation Projects update which gives updates on Ministry of Transportation’s projects, GO Transit, Halton Region, and the Britannia Road Environmental Assessment process.

If you would like to speak on any of the items listed you can email the Town Clerk before 10AM on Monday and get listed as a delegation.  You can also drop me an email mike@mikecluett.ca if you have any questions. 

As always the meetings are now streamed live and click here watch council in action.

The town of Milton received a notice from Hydro One about some upcoming constrcution to the transmission corridor along James Snow Parkway from Steeles to Main Street.  As you will read the construction will take a number of weeks with the goal of being finished by mid-May.

Reisdents will see helicoptors flying around and there will be some loud bangs from the use of implosive devices to fuse wires together…so dont be alarmed.  The notice I’m posting here will be sent to area residents and businesses, sent to the local papers, and local police & fire services.

Here is a link to the notice & a copy of the letter to residents/businesses.

Dear Residents,

Hydro One would like to inform you about some upcoming construction activities in the Town of Milton associated with our Bruce to Milton Transmission Reinforcement Project. 

Over the next several weeks our contractor, Valard Construction, will be installing conductor (wire) on the Hydro One right-of-way east of James Snow Parkway, between Main Street and north of Steeles Ave (see map on reverse). In order to string conductor onto the new towers, helicopters will be used and will be required to make short stops at each tower.

In order to fuse the conductor together, our contractor will be using implosive devices. This process makes a loud banging sound similar to that of a firearm discharging, so please do not be alarmed when you hear it.

These activities are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 30, and will continue periodically, throughout the area until mid May, 2011. Crews will be working seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We expect several implosive connections will be made each day.

Hydro One will be notifying residents and businesses within one kilometre of the work sites.  In addition, we will be notifying nearby schools, local police, ambulance and fire departments to ensure they are aware of the work.

We apologize in advance for the noise and any inconvenience this work may cause.  We thank you for your patience while Hydro One and its contractor complete this critical 500 kilovolt transmission line that will add 3000 megawatts of transmission capability to Ontario’s grid.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Marty Dendekker, Construction

Contact Officer at (519)873-0331, or our Community Relations Line toll-free at

1-877-345-6799, or by email at Community.Relations@HydroOne.com.

****

Dear Mayor Krantz,

This weekend, Hydro One’s contractor Valard Construction will begin stringing the conductor (wire) along the new Bruce to Milton transmission towers in the Town of Milton.  The area affected is along the transmission corridor, east of James Snow Parkway and between Main Street and north of Steeles Avenue (see attached notice and map). We expect this work will be completed by mid May.

Helicopters will be used to install the new wires.  Following this, implosive devices will be used to fuse the wires together. These implosive devises make a loud bang, similar to a firearm discharging.  The attached notice will be distributed to homes and businesses in the area through the Milton Canadian Champion and Georgetown Independent, so people are aware of the process and won’t be alarmed if they hear the occasional bang. We have also notified local Police and Fire Services.

In addition, to string this section of line,  helicopters will need to fly over Highway 401 at James Snow Parkway tentatively this weekend and next (May 7 and 8).  As a precautionary measure, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will slow down traffic on Highway 401 in the vicinity of James Snow Parkway to ensure that this work can be completed safely.  We expect there will be eight slow-downs of traffic over the two weekends for about 5 minutes each time.  The exact timing will be determined by Valard Construction and the OPP on site.

If weather conditions allow, this work could be completed in less time, and traffic slow downs may not be required on both weekends.  

Please do not hesitate to call me or Marylena Stea, Community Relations Officer at 416-345-5706 if you have any questions.

Regards,

Enza Cancilla
Manager, Public Affairs
Corporate Communications
Hydro One Networks