New council gives resident high hopes

By NATHAN TAYLOR, THE PACKET & TIMES January 8 2010
The concerns of residents in a south-end Severn Township neighbourhood will not be ignored, the mayor says.
Lawrence Shaw has been on the township’s case for four years about addressing the “disgraceful” road conditions and flooding situation in the area of Wilson Point Road and Cunningham Crescent, just north of Orillia, along Lake Couchiching.

The residents are concerned about flooding and stumps protruding from the road.
“It’s been a long road,” Shaw said, “but this new council seems to have forward-looking people.”
Shaw and many other residents from that area were at Thursday night’s township council meeting, when the new council was brought up to speed on the situation.
“We definitely are going to help these people out. It’s been a long, slow process for them,” Severn Mayor Mike Burkett said.
In the past, the township has patched over the protruding logs, which were originally put there to stabilize the road. Shaw has been critical of the previous council, saying their attention to the matter was insufficient.
Now, Shaw is confident “a fix is in the works.”
“More confident than I’ve been for the last three-and-a-half years.”
Ward 3 Coun. Ian Crichton said testing is expected to be done in the spring to look at both the lake level and the base of the road.
“It’s at the point now where they are in a position to possibly go ahead,” Crichton said.
However, he did not share Shaw’s views about the previous council.
“The council before did not ignore them. It’s just that it’s going to take a lot of money to put a base in for that road.”
Shaw said addressing flooding concerns should be the main priority.
Burkett, who said the ratepayers “are quite justified in being upset,” isn’t sure what work the township will be able to complete this year until they get a look at the budget.