Good Afternoon Muskoka Bay,
I know I am overdue for an update so here goes! First off, you are receiving this email because you are a paid member of Muskoka Bay Property Owners Association. The annual expiry for all memberships is on August 1, 2019. (However, I will be bothering you long before that for your renewal!) Our numbers are currently the largest since my involvement so thank you for that! We just keep getting stronger.
We may need all of your annual dues as Gravenhurst and the Province of Ontario have once again raised the prospects of selling the Muskoka Regional Centre. The Property is still owned by the Ontario Government but has changed hands in terms of who controls the file. It is now run by Bill Walker MPP who is in charge of the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. The Mayor and Senior Staff from the Town have met with the Province on three separate occasions during the past few months including bringing along Maple Leaf Schools. Here is a bit of the article that went out to the press on December 18, 2018.
“We had a very constructive conversation with the Ministers in which we stated our case and they revealed more insight into where the file currently rests,” said Glen Davies. “What we’ve learned is that another interested party exists and that negotiations are ongoing exclusively with the Province. No further detail was provided. However, we are very pleased to hear that the Province fully understands our desire to ensure that any potential development should become an economic/employment driver for the Town.
“I believe this to be a positive step forward none the less,” said Mayor Kelly. “We’ve reaffirmed our position, helped to keep the Maple Leaf School proposal on the radar and strengthened our relationship with the Province and will continue to do so in an effort to bring a mutually beneficial outcome. I’m confident that dialogue between the Province and our economic development team will continue to move forward,” said Mayor Kelly.”Paul.kelly2@gravenhurst.ca
Should we wish to launch a letter writing/email campaign with the other twenty-seven Lake Associations who have already offered their help, I will let you know.
An exciting development at the Wharf has been the possibility of restoring a third ship to our waterfront. “She’s the largest private steam yacht in Canada and one of the finest examples anywhere of the private steam yacht era. She’s also a marvellous piece of machinery,” John Miller of Muskoka Steamships went before Council with a plan to raise funds to restore the Wanda 3 and build a new state of the art boathouse to house her which would attach to the Discovery Centre. I believe an Eco Walking trail is also in the mix. Good luck John!
Keeping at the Wharf, Boston Pizza is once again up and running. As always, they continue to make huge charitable contributions towards our Community. They are providing the food free of charge for the next two big Community events both taking place on February 23rd. The Chamber of Commerce After Hours Meet and Greet and the Coldest night of the Year walk through town in support of GAP. (Gravenhurst Against Poverty). Go tohttps://cnoy.org/location/gravenhurst if you want to take a look. Full Disclosure, I was appointed to this Committee by Council and all I can say is that it has opened up my eyes to the “other” side of Gravenhurst.
Another interesting addition is the installation of the first “Mobipad” at the Gull Lake Swimming area with more to come. I can see the look on your faces. What is a Mobipad? It is a wheelchair/walker friendly pad that allows these apparatuses to enter right down into the water. I’ve never seen one in use but they seem to be quite popular and helpful.
On a more political note, Council did vote to “opt in” to having retail Cannabis Stores in Gravenhurst. There really wasn’t much of a choice for a Town our size. The April 1stdeadline of acquiring a retail location only applied to Cities with a population greater than 50,000 which we do not have. If the Town opted out, they would not qualify for the tax rebates from the Province yet would still have to deal with enforcement.
Onto some more Regional news from our Friends of Muskoka:
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Major Changes in Village of Minett Plans
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We are very pleased to let you know that Mitchell Goldhar, a long-time resident on Lake Rosseau and an active participant in our organization, has recently entered into a contract to purchase the Clevelands House Resort and associated properties from its previous purchaser and will soon close on the property. This change in events has given us some reason for optimism that Cleves will be developed in a less impactful way than is permitted under the Official Plan or as earlier depicted in other schemes we have seen from previous proposals. We will keep you posted as this project proceeds.
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Another tidbit from our partners at the MLA:
Upgrades to Muskoka Beach Water Treatment Plant -District council has approved a budget amendment to allow needed upgrades to the 1983 Muskoka Beach Water Treatment Plant. The project was originally budgeted at $4 million in 2017, but additional recommended upgrades and higher U.S. tariffs have increased the project cost to $6.7 million dollars. The project includes rebuilding existing filter under-drains, reconstruction of the current building and installing new sedimentation tanks. Construction is slated to begin January 2019 with an estimated completion date of June 2020.
In closing I should let you know that the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival runs from Feb 14th to Feb 18th this year. It’s always a good time if you can make it up for the long weekend. As Skokie says “You Otter join us!”http://skokie.wixsite.com/gravenhurst
For an entire list of events this year, please go to:.http://experiencegravenhurst.com/experience/
Cheers Everyone,
Jo
