What's the plan for our gravel roads?

At the regular council meeting on November 23rd Wilmot Council had one of the most rigorous debates and discussions on the condition and future of our gravel roads in the last 6 years.

A delegation from the Bean Rd. (west) area made a very well researched presentation highlighting the concerns they have with the condition of their road. We heard and saw issues about the quality of the road materials and base as well as the future plans Wilmot has for the road itself. Currently, Bean Rd. (west) is identified on our 10-year capital plan for tar & chipping in seven years.

For the past four years, Wilmot has been working off of a 10-year plan for all of our capital projects, including road work. This allows us to properly and responsibly plan and budget for projects for subsequent years. In addition to the 10-year plan, Council also adopted a standardized matrix that is used to rate and compare each of our roads against the other - which is designed to help eliminate a level of arbitrariness in deciding when to tar & chip any specific road. I remember quite well that when I joined council the existing road-work plan had most of the roadwork taking place in the north of the Township and moving south. The matrix and the plan have eliminated this and we now are better equipped to pave a road with better data and reasons before us.

Having said that, something just isn't right on Bean Rd. and it is incumbent on us to find out what that is and have it fixed. I look forward to working with my colleagues and my neighbours to solve this problem once and for all - as a follow up to the council meeting we are meeting with the delegation in the next week to figure this all out.

Frequently Asked Questions: New Dundee Parks Improvement Project: Part II

"Will there be a Public Meeting to discuss the features of the project?"


A few people have asked committee members about a public meeting to formally collect feedback on the park and ball diamond designs - I think an opportunity to have formal public input would be beneficial and welcomed by many; we are currently discussing the logistics of holding a Public Information Centre (PIC) in the New Year to collect feedback and enhancements. More information will certainly follow on this.


"I have sent emails to the contacts on the fundraising brochure but have had no response."

It came to my attention this morning that in addition to some of the contact information on the community fundraising brochures being incorrect, my own address was incorrect. This mistake is extremely unfortunate. Please note that my correct email address is elliot.fung@wilmot.ca. If you have sent me an email and I have not responded, please forward it to the address mentioned above.

"Are the features and design on the "Concept Diagrams" final, can they be changed? "

Everyone's comments and feedback are welcomed and encouraged. Please either pass them on to any member of the committee (list located on the back of the brochure) or contact myself or Rick Berry directly. For example, the "Concept Diagram" for the community park includes the features that I and the Township felt were potential enhancements; feedback and comments from user groups had been received in the past which helped to generate these ideas. For instance, is the placement and size of the pathway and playground set in stone? Not at all! While the total amount of funding is static, the placement, size etc. of feature enhancements are certainly open to consideration.

Fire Services in rural communities

With the recent tragedy on the Wilmot Line, the issue of a more unified fire and emergency services response in the Region of Waterloo is being discussed.

The response time (19 minutes) for the Baden Fire Department to get from their homes, to the station, and to the property on the Wilmot line was amazing and the volunteers should be proud.

At issue is not our emergency services response times, but the decision on who is the most appropriate "first responder" to a 911 call. Does anyone agree that it makes sense that just because you live in one Municipality the emergency services from that Municipality should be dispatched, even if the emergency services from a neighboring community could be mere minutes away? Of course not; the safety of our community, citizens and property is paramount to defined borders.

Wilmot Council has initiated a discussion to redefine the emergency response agreements between our neighboring Municipalities for the increased safety of our residents...which of course is the most responsible and reasonable thing to do.