MINUTES OF THE FOURTH MEETING OF THE
York Room - Civic Centre
Members Regrets
Dave Adams David
Black
Frankie
Rose Keith
Thirgood
Peter Ross Amy
Pialagitis
Jonathan Mingay Marie
Jones
Dianne More Morley
Lem
Mark
Champion Iggy Natoli
Corina Sallaberger Elizabeth
Plashkes
Councillor
John Webster Helen
Walter
Councillor
George McKelvey Niki Burns
C. Raynor,
Committee Clerk
I. James, Landscape Planner
S. Heaslip,
Senior Project Co-ordinator
The Main
Street Markham Committee meeting convened at the hour of
There was initial
discussion surrounding the attendance records of some members. It was noted
that absenteeism creates difficulty in achieving quorum. Councillor J. Webster
agreed to review the attendance records of members during the last twelve (12)
months and to contact certain members in order to determine their commitment to
attending future meetings. He will report back to the Committee at its next
meeting.
1.
ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES OF THE THIRD
MEETING OF THE
THE
That the minutes of the Third
Meeting of the Main Street Markham Committee held on
CARRIED
2. UPDATES:
a)
Ms.
I. James gave a brief update on the development in the greenbelt area. She
noted that a retaining wall with a height of approximately ten (10) feet, will be topped by a sound-proofing barrier of a
further seven (7) feet. This is in accordance with Ministry of the Environment
guidelines. The wall will be constructed from pre-cast concrete, and the
sound-proofing of solid cedar.
It
was noted that it may be possible to get the developer to reconsider the choice
of building materials. Councillor J. Webster agreed to examine this possibility
and report back at the next meeting.
Staff
noted that there will be a detailed examination of the trees in the area, with
a view to preserving as many as possible. Following the assumption of the
sub-division by the Town, a final inspection will be carried out, and
compensation to the Town for damaged and/or destroyed trees will be calculated.
It is estimated that this will occur approximately five (5) years after
completion of the development. There are also plans to plant Virginia Creepers
at the base of the wall in order to mitigate its visual impact.
There
was considerable discussion surrounding the development of the parkland in the
area. Staff advised that there should be funds available in 2005 to carry out
pre-design work, although it was stated that funds will not be available until
after building permits have been issued. It was agreed that at that time, the
matter would be brought back to the Committee for further consideration.
However, it was noted that in the meantime plans might be made to acquire, and
store, fill from the developer so that it may be used for any necessary
re-grading works.
b) Wismer
Commercial Design Guidelines
Mr. S. Heaslip
advised that there would be a report on the matter available shortly. He stated
that there was an outstanding issue with respect to a woodlot on the west side
of Highway 48, north of the museum, and that once this was resolved, the report
would be finalized.
He advised that there was a
current planning application for a commercial plaza which would incorporate a
heritage property currently in use as a daycare. There may also be an
application for an apartment complex at
c) Public
Space Recycling Containers On
No update was provided.
d)
An update, if available, will be
provided at the next meeting.
e) Master Plan
Environmental Sub-Committee
Mr. J. Mingay
provided details of a meeting between himself, Ms. A. Pialagitis,
Ms. N. Burns, and members of the Operations Department of the Town of
He advised that the Committee
members and Town staff will conduct a walk-through of the area to examine
potential locations for planting additional trees and placing benches. Staff
had advised that the Committee should hold back some of their tree-planting
budget in order to have a contingency fund in the event that
trees require maintenance or replacement. He also noted that benches are
required to have five (5) feet clearance from the road so as not to hinder snow
removal. This limits the potential locations for new benches. He agreed to
examine alternatives such as placing benches in parkettes,
or the use of benches that could be removed in winter. He advised that staff
will provide cost estimates for the new trees and benches once the walk-through
has occurred. The Committee suggested that Ms. F. Rose join the group for the
walk-through.
There was brief discussion
concerning the selection of flora within the parkettes.
There was also some discussion
concerning the outside utility outlets that are utilized during festivals.
Councillor G. McKelvey agreed to contact staff to
find out whether these outlets will be considered in the bumpouts.
f) Master
Plan Sub-Committee
There was no discussion of this matter.
g) Mural -
There
was brief discussion of this matter. The Committee noted that the new tenant of
the building appears to support the idea of the mural. Councillor J. Webster
stated that in Anacosta, Wa., they had commissioned
life-sized portraits of the original owners on the exterior of heritage
buildings on the main street of the town. He advised that this had become a
tourist attraction and agreed to bring pictures to the next meeting if they
could be obtained.
h) Tannery Pond
There was some discussion of
the signage and ‘meander’ projects planned for the area. Councillor G. McKelvey agreed to contact staff regarding the signage, and
will provide an update at the next meeting. He stated he will also endeavour to
have the ‘meander’ included in the 2005 budget.
i) Official
Plan and Zoning Review Subcommittee
There was brief discussion
surrounding the outstanding issues. It was noted that staff are speaking with a
consultant on the matter. Mr. P. Ross agreed to contact staff and will provide
an update at the next meeting.
j) Farmers’
Market
It was noted that the Farmers’ Market is scheduled to open on
k) Expansion
of the
An update, if available, will be provided at the next meeting.
l) Trees
The planting of trees was discussed during consideration of Item 2 (e),
the report of the Environmental Sub-Committee.
The Committee requested this item be
removed from the agenda pending the outcome of the appeal hearing for this
matter.
n) Heritage Signs
There
was no discussion of this matter.
o) Morgan
Park
There was general discussion
regarding the recent incident where a vehicle was driven into the pond. It was
stated that there had been considerable damage to the landscaping and that the
pond will require extensive cleaning.
p)
The Committee requested that Mr. R.
Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning attend the next meeting to provide
further information relating to this matter.
Councillor J. Webster agreed to
speak to Ms. S. Birrell, Town Clerk regarding the possibility of reducing the
number of newsstands on
q)
The Committee requested that this
item be removed from the agenda.
r) Signage on
Mr. P. Ross briefly outlined that he had met with staff
from York Region and they had witnessed the situation in the area. Ideally,
they would install signage on the nearby bridge, but since this is the property
of 407 ETR it may not be possible. In the meantime, they have agreed to install
signage further down the road in order to alert drivers of the narrowing road.
He agreed to provide a further update at the next meeting.
4. NEW BUSINESS
Event
signage indicating road closures
The Committee noted that the Town is often placing “Road
Closed” signs three (3) or more days in advance of events that entail the
closure of
It was suggested that the Town develop new signage that
highlights the dates of the road closure at the top of the sign. Also a
removable plaque, which could be changed depending on the event in question,
could be used to specify the scheduled event. This would serve the dual purpose
of alerting drivers to the future closure, and also providing further
advertising of the event ahead of time.
Councillor G. McKelvey agreed to
contact staff to discuss the matter.
Quick Start transit stops
Councillor J. Webster briefly described the proposed Quick
Start transit stops for Thornhill. He advised that
they had been modified to resemble a post and beam design that better
integrated into the area. The Committee suggested that this design might not be
appropriate for the
Councillor G. McKelvey agreed to
pass on the Committee’s concerns regarding the design of the transit stops and
will provide an update at the next meeting.
Anti-whistling
Councillor G. McKelvey briefly
outlined the Town’s ongoing project to eliminate train whistling at rail
crossings. He advised that safety precautions at the affected stops would need
to be upgraded by installing barriers, and similar. It is estimated that the
total cost of the upgrades will be in the region of $250,000.
5. ADJOURNMENT
The Main
Street Markham Committee meeting adjourned at
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Main Street
Markham Committee is on