I can only be honest when I say that I am continually frustrated with the situation we face with the site of the former New Dundee Creamery at the corner of Bridge St. and Queen St.'s. I would never have guessed that seven years after first taking on the challenge of cleaning up the site we would still be looking at a vacant and underdeveloped lot.
Many people have asked me over the years what is going on with the site. It is good to point out a few things;
- contrary to some thoughts, the property is not owned by the Township of Wilmot and never has been. It is still owned entirely by Parmalat Corp. based out of Italy.
- The site is currently zoned "Light Industrial"
- I and the Township are not privy to any information regarding the environmental situation of the site, however I understand the site to be up to environmental standards for its' current use.
A group of concerned citizens met with staff and members of Council, along with our MPP and MP over a year ago to see what could be done to clean up the site. Since then, I have personally been in contact with senior executives from Parmalat Canada through phone and email conversations as well as meetings that I have personally chaired. Progress has been slow, yet Parmalat has shown a sincere interest in seeing the property off of their books and potentially into the hands of the Township. Everyone recognizes that even though the building is down, it remains a scar on the community; the site has much more potential than what it is currently being used for, it is a large open space in the centre of town which could be put to much better use as a green space, arboretum, the possibilities are many.
As a gesture of goodwill, Parmalat did do a good job of keeping the site clean of debris and maintaining the weeds and grass over the past season. I passed on my thanks to them yet encouraged them to continue to work towards a more permanent solution to my concerns.
I will continue to work with all parties to fix the problem once and for all. I sincerely appreciate the patience that many of you have shown over the years and the persistence that some concerned residents have shown in working to get the site in a more desireable state.
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Serving Wilmot Township, this blog contains information and updates about Ward 1 (including New Dundee, Mannheim, Haysville, Shingletown and surrounding area). This blog is maintained by Councillor Elliot Fung in an effort to communicate with the community at large and to encourage increased civic participation.
