Parties anxious to see Mayfield West process move on
By Bill Rea

The various sides agree they want Mayfield West plans to proceed as quickly as possible, but the reality is things can only go so fast.

That was the conclusion last week of Caledon councillors. After a lengthy debate, they accepted the recommendations from Town staff, which also addressed matters of timing. Council authorized retaining Philips Engineering Ltd. to conduct a comprehensive environmental impact study and management plan for the Mayfield West Phase Two Secondary Plan, based on terms of reference, which should be completed in April. That will happen after an agreement has been executed between the Mayfield Station Developers Group (MSDG) and Glen Schnarr and Associates Inc. regarding the costs of the secondary plan.

The staff report, which was considered by council last week, stated a request for proposals for the study was issued in January. It stressed expanding the rural service centre of Mayfield West is going to require a comprehensive planning exercise.

The report recommended the consulting team headed by Philips be retained for the study. There had been six consulting firms invited to submit proposals. The Philips bid was for $451,886, more than $151,000 over the bid of Aquafor-Beech, but the staff report stated the team evaluating the bids thought Aquafor-Beech relied too much on existing data in its field work.

In addition, their report stated the estimated cost for the studies related to the secondary plan will come to about $900,000. MSDG will put up a series of certified cheques, the first one being submitted when the agreement with the Town is executed.

Glen Schnarr, representing MSDG, expressed his concerns about the timing. He told council he had understood work on the study was to start in the winter, but noted it was in fact to start in the spring. He also asked for a report on how to expedite things.

He expressed concerns about the cost, stating they had understood it would be about $250,000, not $900,000. Schnarr wasn't complaining much about the money, but said that MSDG would like to have a reasonable level of participation. He asked clauses covering participation and timing be included in the agreement.

"We look forward to working with the Town," he remarked.

Councillor Annette Groves was also interested in seeing things progress. "It's been a long time coming," she observed.

Schnarr told Councillor Richard Paterak that he would "absolutely" be willing to meet with the Caledon Environmental Advisory Committee on these matters.

Councillor Allan Thompson agreed the costs are higher than anticipated, but stressed the Town seeks environmentally green ideas. He said that would make a great sales pitch down the road, but added if MSDG is hit too hard, it might be difficult to get them to buy in.

Schnarr told him the costs aren't as big a concern as the timing issues. Considering what the group has invested, time is money, he remarked.

He also told Councillor Richard Whitehead he would like to see staff come back with a schedule that addresses their concerns, with details on how components of the environmental study and formation of the secondary plan could be done concurrently, to save time.

Schnarr told Thompson he thought the secondary plan could be prepared by June 2009, although he said that would require will and commitment. "It fits in with our participation idea," he added.

He also told Councillor Nick DeBoer they support the selection of Philips as the consulting firm, although it would have been nice to have been contacted for input.

As well, Schnarr told DeBoer if they get started, the study could complete the necessary winter work while the snow remains.

Senior Policy Planner Tim Manley, one of the authors of the staff report, said they are still working on the terms of reference for the study, adding the hope is to have them before council in April. A draft will be going to a council workshop prior to that, he said.

Manley also stressed staff is looking for any opportunities for concurrent work to be done.

He also justified the $900,000 cost, stating it was an estimate, based on staff experience. He added this will be a major exercise, costing a lot to prepare. He added it shouldn't have been expected that a study like this would come in for something like $250,000, commenting he couldn't imagine it being that cheap. "That's our best, good-faith estimate," he declared.

Manley said those costs can't be recouped from development charges, although there are other participating landowners who will benefit and can contribute to the costs.

As far as the timing was concerned, Manley said both Toronto Region Conservation Authority and Credit Valley Conservation had been contacted, and it was decided that spring would be the key target. He added it's expected to take two years to collect all the necessary data over the four seasons and get other factors, like monitoring, in place. It will take the first year to get the base-line data in place. It will take another six months to come up with the land-use scenario and six more months to finalize that study, based on the scenario.

Although Manley stressed staff was doing all it could to find work that could be done concurrently, Whitehead thought there was more that could be done in that area. He pointed out if a certain timeline is presented to consultants, they will stick to it, and not try to get things done sooner.

He also argued the conservation authorities have already compiled a lot of this data, Manley said Philips already has a lot of data, based on previous work it has done in northwest Brampton. He added the two years is to finish the environmental study. The secondary plan will take longer.

He also told Councillor Doug Beffort that getting the secondary plan ready by June 2009 is not what staff sees happening. He said they were looking at a 30-month scenario to get a secondary plan before council, meaning they are looking at August 2010.