Council moves toward sale of Site 41

SDS41 — June 22 2010 — Slowly, Simcoe County is moving to sell Site 41.

In the background, Springwater Mayor Tony Guergis continues to push the idea of turning the property into a solar farm. He has been approached by someone who feels this is an “opportunity” under the Green Energy Act for the county to recover the millions of dollars spent on developing it as a landfill site.
Today, Guergis suggested that Site 41 would be a good location, despite the fact that it is Class 1 and 2 farmland, because it has been disturbed
Councillors did not pick up on Guergis’s proposal.
Many councillors seemed to be of the opinion expressed by Clearview Deputy Mayor Alicia Savage – sell it “as is” and move on. But in the end they voted for Option 4 in a staff report – to get an appraisal of the property that would tell them whether it might be worth re-aligning lot lines or completing site works such as removal of the roads, storm water management pond and berms.
They also voted to proceed with the transfer of involved roads back to Tiny Township.
It was revealed that the owner who was expropriated (Wayne Johnston) signed a release so the County does not have to offer him first right of refusal. However, councillors seemed inclined to offer it back at fair market value to the six original owners, whether they were expropriated or sold “freely.”
There was no discussion of a letter included in the corporate services committee report from Dr. William Shotyk of the Elmvale Foundation suggesting the site be used for a world-class centre for environmental education.