A new board of 15 directors was duly elected at the BCO’s Feb. 19, 2014 Annual General Meeting. They met Saturday to name the following BCO officers for the coming year:
– President, Jenni LeForestier, 519-927-5558 president@belfountain.ca
– External Vice-President, Judy Mabee, 519-316-0222 externalvp@belfountain.ca
– Internal Vice-President, Ian MacCallum, 519-927-7729 internalvp@belfountain.ca
– Treasurer, Robert Burr, 519-927-5359 treasurer@belfountain.ca
– Secretary, Darryl Mabee, 519-316-0222 secretary@belfountain.ca
BCO members in attendance expressed their appreciation for the years of dedication of the former officers: David Jobe, Alan Seymour, Sarah Bohan and former directors; Linda and Brian Moorcroft and Carole Bellamy.
The meeting officially absorbed into the BCO the Belfountain Task Force (BTF), a group of BCO members and supporters set up last year to oppose the proposed ORB development of 70-odd houses on the south side of Belfountain. Henceforth the BCO will represent the community with a single united voice. While there will be considerable focus on stopping the ORB development, the BCO stressed that its numerous other traditional dutiesranging from heritage issues to the Salamander Festivalwill retain high priority.
The new BCO board discussed an upcoming meeting between the BCOs water committee and the hydrologist who represented the Coalition of Concerned Citizens in their successful fight to stop the Rockfort Quarry.
It also heard growth projections for the Town of Caledon that were disclosed at a standing-room-only Caledon Council meeting last Thursday evening (Feb. 20). The population of all of Caledon in the year 2016 is estimated to reach 70,000. By the year 2031 it is to hit 108,000. And a decade later, in 2041, it will range between 132,000 and 167,000 depending on which of five growth options are chosen. Under Option 5the middle option with a total population of 146,000 in 2041Bolton and Mayfield West (a new city already under construction at Hurontario and Mayfield) will each be 47,700 people. By way of comparison, Orangeville in 2011 totaled 28,000 residents.
The directors stressed the need for regular communication with the community through bulletin boards in the village and local establishments as well as our website. Contact is to be initiated with Caledon councillors, the NEC, the CVC, other hamlets and towns of Caledon, and organizations such as Green Belt Action Plan and Eco Justice.
We look forward to hearing your advice and concerns.
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I, too, have lived in Belfountain for over 30 years and agree completely that there is no need to alter the Village’s roads to include sidewalks. There is not now, nor has there ever been, a problem with the roads as they are currently. I raised three children while most of the time living on the corner of Bush and Main Streets. My children all reached adulthood negotiating the Village and surrounding area without incident, including biking to primary school. In my recollection, the only traffic accidents were the result of drunk drivers: one who went through the centre of town and into the gas station and the other who came crashing into the side of the general store. In both cases, sidewalks would not have made any difference. I have not seen any evidence of pedestrian incidents resulting from the current configuration of the Village.
Like Nicola Ross, I have also been involved in the fiasco with parking on Scott Street and seen how the Town can create a problem where none existed, spend an enormous amount of time and money on the issue, and then claim to solve it. On our little laneway where speeding has become a serious concern, the Town’s response has been to remove the speed limit sign in place and replace it with one at double the speed against the united wishes of the residents.
I would question any claims made by the Region, the Town or our elected representatives. In our case on Scott Street when we pushed for evidence to support their position, they refused to provide the same. They continually ignore the wishes of the residents who live in and pay for their communities.
I have signed the petition and encourage everyone else to do the same before the Town and Region destroy our small Village the way they have destroyed many of the other Caledon communities.