Written By Alan Good
MIDDLESEX CENTRE - Council met twice in February. On a February 11 morning meeting amid the business before them, council was asked to give the green light to an “Arva Sanitary Servicing Utilization and Optimization Study”, to be carried out by municipal staff to look at, among other things, the current capacity of the system and any required improvements and repairs of its infrastructure.
The need for this study derives from four occasions when the system was over capacity. Currently, an agreement with the City of London could be in jeopardy should this issue not be remedied. Flows will be researched as well as cracks in the pipes.
Rob Cascaden, municipal engineer, informed that the origins of the extra flow would be included in their search, and municipal usage. The study was said to take a year, perhaps longer.
In the interim, council was required to implement an “interim control of all development within the geographic area”.
“Will there be pushback from developers?” council wanted to know. Perhaps, came the reply from staff, however the agreement with the city takes precedence as the overflow could cause a breach in the contract.
Meanwhile York Developments president, Ali Soufan, sent a letter to the township stressing their “serious concerns regarding the proposed interim control by-law”. A 23.7-hectare assembly of property, located at Richmond Street and Medway, is proposed for building 890 homes, plus high-rise buildings.
Bridle Path North has been in the “advanced stage” since April 2024, and Soufan is “alarmed” by the municipality’s by-law that will put the brakes on their development, urging staff to act quickly to identify the source of the increased flows. The letter suggests illegal connections be found, if any, and included in the rapid solutions.
Manager of Planning & Development, Stephanie Bergman, stated during the meeting that staff would continue talking with developers during the freeze.
