Page 9 - May 11, 2017

Thursday, May 11, 2017 The Independent Museum at Lamrecton gets another look
Lamrecton Beach may have a new neighbour, the na onal museum from the Presbyterian Church.
haven’t really talked about what we wanted to do with it.”
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“The Museum Advisory Committee feels that the contribution of 50% of the cost of renovation to the former Lamrecton dining hall and a lease amount that allows the Town to recoup its share of renovations within a 12-15 year time frame demonstrates that we are committed to adding a cultural asset to the municipality,” wrote Museum Committee Spokesman Ian Mason.
The Independent
There may be a museum at Plympton-Wyoming’s newest park after all.
The Presbyterian Church
of Canada approached the municipality last year asking if the municipality would consider allowing the National Museum to move to Lamrecton Park. The church felt the former dining hall could be converted into museum space, providing a tenant for the park and bringing visitors to the area.
Really? I’d love to go to
But earlier this year, council decided against the move saying the hall needed $60,000 in repairs and it would be too costly.
Councillor Don Nelson
was also interested but was concerned about the length of the lease and wanted the yearly fee increased.
But Mayor Lonny Napper says having someone on site might a good idea. “I wonder if there is any bene t to having people there for security.”
But when of cials from the church museum heard about the decision, they asked if the municipality would be willing to take another look at the idea. It offered to pay half of the renovations and a $2,000 a year lease for 20 years.
But others were not convinced. “It’s going to tie that building up forever,” says Councillor Bob Woolvett. “We
Councillors decided to make a counter-proposal to the church, which would include a 10-year, renewable lease for $5,000 a year which staff says would help the municipality recoup its share of the renovation costs in about 10 years.
Recently, a package containing postcards from Lambton County residents asking for the local site
to be included on Parks Canada’s tentative list of sites. It also contained 55 letters of support from three levels of government, heritage experts, academics, tourism and economic
For the past eight months, the committee has been preparing the detailed application. The Canadian government opened the Tentative
List in August last year and all documentation had to be completed by April 30. The minister will make an announcement of the tentative list in December. After that the committee will have two years to put together its case for UNESCO in Paris, France.
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The offer interested Councillor Netty McEwen who says it may be a good use of the building. “If we can get some use out of the building and have it repaired it might be a good idea,” she says.
ActoR’s
UNESCO bid gains widespread support
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna should soon know where in the world Oil Springs is.
development professionals and leaders in the art sector. The package also included the postcards and all ve public presentations made by Charlie Fairbank.
The County of Lambton and Fairbank Oil Fields launched a campaign to gain public support for the bid to have the working oil elds become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Union Gas may expand again for greenhouses
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So Union Gas is asking farmers to
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The Independent
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Union Gas wants to give farmers in North Kent a chance to hook into their new, expanded pipeline possibly for large greenhouse projects.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is also behind the push. Mayor Randy Hope sees this as a real opportunity for the region adding he has received inquiries from about 12 different investors and the municipality also know of about “six or seven” more who have shown interest.
The utility company has asked
for expressions of interest for the proposed pipeline. Union Gas is currently working on the Panhandle Transmission Project in Dawn- Euphemia to expand the current pipeline which feeds the fast-growing greenhouse market of Essex and Chatham-Kent. That new line would allow for expansion, so Union Gas is considering that now.
“One of the major hurdles for the developments that we are working on is the cost of getting a natural gas pipeline to the area,” says Hope.
But Spokesperson Barb Petek says the expansion won’t be possible without a grant from the province. The province recently set aside $150 million in the Natural Gas Grant program to bring natural gas to areas where it would not be feasible. Petek says an expansion in North Kent along the border with Lambton is a good example of that. “Without the funding from the grant program, the revenue generated by the additional demand wouldn’t cover the cost of the pipeline,” she says. “It would not be economically viable without the
The municipality has been one of many pushing the province to invest in natural gas because “if the investment is made, (there is) increasing and escalating opportunity for agriculture.
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“If we can rally the agriculture community and identify their intentions, especially the high users of natural gas, it builds our case that this pipeline should get funding,” Hope says.
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“People see this... it just puts us in the prime spot for these investments.” The expressions of interest should
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be submitted by May 23 according to Union Gas. If the province approves, the pipeline could be built in 2018.
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