Back to Nature at Maplewood

"Based on the information presented on this report, it is recommended that the Maplewood Facility be demolished and the area naturalized"

We wholehearteldy agree. However....

The Hamilton Conservation Authority is flirting with the idea of upgrading the facility for use by a private school. Read the report - there are plenty of reasons in there why ignoring the staff recommendation is a bad idea - here they are:

1. The Maplewood facility is in need of $560,500 revenue for immediate upgrades due to its age and requirements to meet regulatory standards.

2. Due to its location on the end of steep winding gravel road with limited water service and on-site sewage system and no access to natural gas, the facilities annual operation and maintenance costs are high.

3. The return on investment if the required upgrades are implemented will be low or nonexistent. This will negatively impact the HCA budget and will also limit the attractiveness of the facility to a private operator.

4. Previous attempts to change the facility to another more financially stable operation under a private operator have met with substantial public opposition resulting in the withdrawal or denial of the changes.

5. The location of the facility is in the midst of one of the great natural assets in Hamilton, namely the Dundas Valley. Continued use of this facility means continued negative impact of the surrounding natural heritage area including but not limited to, silting of the Sulphur Creek, adverse effects on flora and fauna due to road maintenance and use.

Please join me at the Public Information Centre since I suspect the private school will be calling their supporters to pack the meeting. We will be putting a word in for naturalizing the site, as recommended in the HCA report.

WHEN : Tuesday 5th November, 2013 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm

WHERE: Ancaster Town Hall 310 Wilson Street East, Ancaster ON

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