Tecumseh Town Council met electronically this evening and here are the highlights:

Public Council Meeting

5648 North Talbot Road: Council held a meeting to hear public comment on a proposed zoning by-law amendment for a property situated on the north side of North Talbot Road approximately 110 metres west of its intersection with 9^th Concession Road. The request is to have the subject property rezoned from “Agricultural Zone (A-33)” to “Hamlet Residential Zone (RH)” in order to facilitate the creation of one new residential lot and the future construction of one single-unit dwelling.

Regular Meeting of Council

July 16, 2021 Rain Event: Council received a presentation from Phil Bartnik, Director Public Works and Environmental Services on the July 16, 2021 rainfall event. Mr. Bartnik outlined that the Town received almost 90mm (~3.5 inches) in 27 hours with 71mm (2.8 inches) falling in six hours between 10 am and 4 pm. At the peak of the storm, it registered at just under a 1:50 year storm event. The presentation outlined that the rainfall exceeded the capacity of the storm sewer system which resulted in surface and road flooding throughout Town. Storm water flows did enter the sanitary system which caused the system to surcharge. All pump stations were operational and pumping at capacity and there were no blockages in the system, the system was simply overwhelmed by the amount of rain falling in a short period of time. The Town posted a survey on the website following the event and received 91 responses related to basement flooding. Of those, 34 were sump pump failures or walls leaking, 52 were from floor drains or plumbing fixtures and five were an unknown cause. The Town continues to offer a subsidy for the installation of a backwater valve and/or disconnection of foundation drains. Property owners can learn more about how to apply for the subsidy and how to protect from basement flooding.

Noise By-Law Exemption: Council approved a noise by-law exemption for Tabouli by Eddys Restaurant at 1614 Lesperance Road for Saturdays during the months of July, August and September to permit musical entertainment from 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. The approval is granted on the condition that the events be held in accordance with Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopening. The OPP will monitor for complaints and noise outside the designated hours.

2022 Business Plan and Budget Timetable: Financial Services presented the schedule for the 2022 Business Plan and Budget consultation and delivery. As part of the schedule, Council consultation will occur on September 14, 2021 with public consultation to follow September 16 to 29. The proposed business plan and budget will be tabled November 9, 2021 with Council deliberation to follow. Council will consider the draft plan and budget for adoption at the December 14, 2021 meeting. Full details on the schedule and opportunities for consultation will be shared publicly on the Town’s website and social media.

Arena Boiler Replacement: Council approved adding the replacement of the Arena Boiler to the Arena and Pool 5 Year Capital Works Plan, with the project funded out of the Arena Lifecycle Reserve fund. In early July, the boiler was leaking and in need of service. Two companies inspected the boiler and determined the internal portion of the boiler had failed and it needed to be replaced. The contract has been awarded to Vollmer Mechanical Contractors Limited and the expected cost is $30,000.

Lacasse Pickleball Complex: Council approved the award of the Lacasse Pickleball Complex to Front Construction, in the amount of $711,506. Council also approved an increase of $155,000 to project budget as the originally approved budget of $600,000 fell short of the bids received. The increase in materials and labour over the past year has contributed to an overall increase in project construction costs. The project includes a 10 court playing surface, drainage, fencing, a walkway and an accessory building. Provision will be made to enable court lighting at a later date, if deemed necessary. The Tecumseh Pickleball Association is contributing an additional $50,000, bringing their total contribution to the project to $150,000. The remaining $105,000 lift will be covered from Town reserves. The revised project budget will cover all costs, including those incurred for design and soil analysis.

Tecumseh Transit On-Demand Pilot Project: Council received a report on the successful award of $27,150 from the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative (CHCI) program towards the On-Demand Transit Pilot Project and approved the initiation of the project. Council had endorsed submission to the CHCI program at the Regular Meeting of Council on February 23, 2021. The Town will move forward with securing a service provider to begin implementation. Establishing the service is expected to take approximately 12 weeks with the pilot project to be in place for 12 months. The service will launch later this fall and there will be no impact to fares. A report to Council evaluating the pilot program will be provided after the one year project, at which time consideration could be given to it being implemented permanently. Full details on the service will be provided once it is operational.

5074 North Talbot Road: Council authorized the holding of a public meeting on September 14, 2021 to consider a Zoning By-Law amendment for 5074 North Talbot Road. The owner of the property is seeking to change the zoning of the 1.09 hectare (2.7 acre) property situated at the north side of North Talbot Road, abutting the west side of Weston Park from “Agricultural Zone (A-33)” to “Hamlet Residential Zone (RH)” to facilitate the creation of one new residential lot and future construction of one single unit dwelling.

5250 Walker Road: Council approved the Site Plan Control Agreement for improvements to the property at 5250 Walker Road operating as Tim Horton’s. The improvements include new signage and ordering stations, a second lane at the pickup portion of the drive-thru, installation of a new overhead conveyor delivery system to provide drinks/food to vehicles in the second lane, removal of curbing and asphalted areas to accommodate this work and reconfiguring of parking area and landscaping.

12305 County Road 34: Council authorized the holding of a public meeting on September 14, 2021 to consider a Zoning By-Law amendment for 12305 County Road 34. The owner of the property is seeking to change the zoning of the 0.57 hectare (1.4 acre) property on the south side of County Road 34, approximately 500 metres west of the intersection with Manning Road from “Hamlet Residential Zone (RH)” to a site specific “Hamlet Residential Zone (RH-6)” to facilitate construction of one additional residential unit on the property.

Canada Community Revitalization Fund: Council endorsed the Town’s application to the Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF) for the Riverside Drive Trail project. CCRF aims to help communities build and improve infrastructure projects. The maximum contribution under the fund is up to $750,000 with funding to cover up to 75% of the total project costs. Should the Town be successful, the Town’s portion of the project would be less than $500,000.

The next Regular Meeting of Council is Tuesday, September 14, 2021. The meeting is scheduled to be held electronically. The live stream will be available on our website at www.tecumseh.ca. The agenda for the Regular meeting will be made available on Thursday, September 9, 2021.

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Media Contact: Lesley Reeves, Manager Strategic Initiatives, 519-735-2184 Ext. 150