Wednesday May 13: Horseshoe Valley Valley truck lane issue

from Horseshoe Valley Road Project Committee

Please attend Tomorrow’s Meeting – WEDNESDAY, MAY 13th at 10:00 a.m. at the Oro Medonte Township Building on 7th Line South. Our Township Council will be deciding whether they will provide a formal response to the Horseshoe Valley Property Owners Associations requests with respect to the Truck Lane Project.

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! PLEASE PLAN ON ATTENDING!

More information below……

Residents and stakeholders,

The attached letter was sent to Township Council this week in an effort to encourage Council to become more involved in the project to upgrade County Road 22 now, rather than waiting until the completion of the County Consultant’s work. Mayor Hughes has advised that this letter will be discussed at the May 13th Council Meeting in order to formally provide a response to our requests. Please consider attending the Council meeting at 10 am to show that the truck lanes are a safety concern for this community.

Specifically, the HVPOA requested:

Of Oro-Medonte Council, as a stakeholder in this Class Environmental Assessment we ask you:

1. To become as involved as the community in Phase 3 not 4;

2. To proactively reach out to the consultant, Ms. Korolnek, the CAO, County Council and Staff with documented input into the designs that will improve safety and mitigate impacts on the settlement context at intersections from existing and future development plans, growth on Line 4, important demographics, traffic concerns on the neighbouring streets, school bus stop challenges on County Road 22, the existing excessive speed issues along County Road 22, the deplorable condition of County Road 22;

3. Echo the concerns of your constituents by requesting that the County, when presenting the alternative designs at Phase 3, definitively show that safety will be significantly improved for all who use Horseshoe Valley Road and that environmental impact is acceptable, such that the cost is justified.

4. Ensure due diligence by supporting our request that CIMA be retained to do a full safety assessment and peer review, and to provide their expert opinion – given all the data and residents’ input – if truck lanes are the preferred solution, considering safety, justification, the community, and cost/benefits analysis.

Thank you,

Shauna Tozser, President

HVPOA

LETTER TO THE ORO-MEDONTE TOWNSHIP COUNCIL

May 4th, 2015

Mayor Harry Hughes, Deputy Mayor Ralph Hough; All Members of Council

Proposed changes to Horseshoe Valley Road – Update

The HVPOA met with the Warden Gerry Marshall, Deputy Warden Terry Dowdall, CAO Mark Aitken and Debbie Korolnek at the County offices on April 7th, 2015 where they announced Phase 2 completion. The Preferred Solution has been selected and the designs to follow in Phase 3 will all include truck lanes.

As you are aware, our presentation focused around safety, speed, justification and community context in these areas:

1. Why is the community opposed to truck lanes?

2. What is the community context?

3. Why does the community deem the EA Process flawed?

4. What road improvements does the community support?

One recommendation from that meeting I draw your attention to:

For the County to join a Public Liaison Committee comprised of public, businesses, developers, OPP, and Oro-Medonte Council in an effort to explore concerns and recommend solutions.

Please review my letter to you on January 16th, 2014. Not much has changed since that date; in fact, the community’s fears are rapidly becoming reality.

To quote Simcoe County Warden Marshall in correspondence sent to our Committee Chair, Terry Ruffell on April 10th, 2015:

“It is correct that I see the Township Council as a critical input component, they are elected to represent Oro’s citizens.”

At the recent OMB PIC at Simcoe County regarding their Official Plan, it was stressed

that municipalities are expected to set the “roles of settlements” including growth and development. Municipalities are expected to determine “character of the community” and to take ownership for “identification and protection of natural heritage”. Furthermore, the “rural policies” addressed as part of Official Plans include “resource-based recreational uses”.

At the Oro-Medonte Council meeting on April 22nd, it was clear that safety is everyone’s focus, and encouraging that you will be engaging sooner than the filing of the Environmental Study Report. I look forward to your formal response to the Warden.

Of Oro-Medonte Council, as a stakeholder in this Class Environmental Assessment we ask you:

1. To become as involved as the community in Phase 3 not 4;

2. To proactively reach out to the consultant, Ms. Korolnek, the CAO, County Council and Staff

with documented input into the designs that will improve safety and mitigate impacts on the settlement context at intersections from existing and future development plans, growth on Line 4, important demographics, traffic concerns on the neighbouring streets, school bus stop challenges on County Road 22, the existing excessive speed issues along County Road 22, the deplorable condition of County Road 22;

3. Echo the concerns of your constituents by requesting that the County, when presenting the alternative designs at Phase 3, definitively show that safety will be significantly improved for all who use Horseshoe Valley Road and that environmental impact is acceptable, such that the cost is justified.

4. Ensure due diligence by supporting our request that CIMA be retained to do a full safety assessment and peer review, and to provide their expert opinion – given all the data and residents’ input – if truck lanes are the preferred solution, considering safety, justification, the community, and cost/benefits analysis.

We look forward to your response to this letter and your continued support.

Shauna Tozser, President, HVPOA.