GPL and Mason Homes Developments Approved

John Draper

At Monday’s C.O.W. Council meeting, as well as the Coast Guard re-development, two other projects were also approved: the Golden Plough Lodge (GPL) and the 27 Townhomes by Mason Homes at 425 King East (pre-servicing and sub-division agreement).  Mr. Mason was there to suggest that a chain link fence would be better than a wooden one but was otherwise happy and thought that construction would start next Spring.  He said that chain link blends better with trees and lasts longer but neighbours wanted privacy and wood is better for that so wood will be used.  (See links below for the full Planning report and earlier articles).  The GPL project was first initiated in 2016 and residents should move in during… Read complete articleGPL and Mason Homes Developments Approved

New Coast Guard Building Approved

John Draper

At the Committee of the Whole Meeting on Monday night, the development agreement for the new Coast Guard building on the east pier was approved. That means that work can start soon: two months are needed to award contracts then demolition of the existing buildings would be done in November/December. Construction of the new building would be done over the winter so that the new facility would be ready for the boating season. Weather permitting, this would be April/May but could stretch into summer. Directors Glenn McGlashon and Dean Hustwick said that this work would not clash with other work on the east Pier.  Dean clarified that East Pier work would be in two parts – repairs and enhancements –… Read complete articleNew Coast Guard Building Approved

Welcome to Cobourg’s New CAO

John Draper

Today Mayor John Henderson announced that Tracey Vaughan will be Cobourg’s new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), effective Monday, October 5, 2020.  Her current position is Director of Recreation and Culture at Ajax which she has held for 8 years.  She also currently lives in Ajax.  From her resume on Linked-In (see link below), she has been working since 1998 after graduating from York University with degrees in Sociology and Psychology.  Her experience includes “nearly two decades of senior management experience within the municipal and public sectors”. The Mayor’s announcement continues with: In her current role as the Director of Recreation, Culture and Community Development with the Town of Ajax she designed and implemented several key strategic plans including the Diversity… Read complete articleWelcome to Cobourg’s New CAO

Victoria Hall Restoration Work gets another Contribution

John Draper

In June this year, Council approved a tender for the work from Colonial Building Restoration Ltd in the amount of $275,000 (plus HST) to restore the sandstone at the front of Victoria hall including the speakers’ balcony.  In July, the Victoria Hall Heritage Maintenance Trust Fund contributed $10,000 to this work and today, at 3:00 pm, the Victoria Hall Volunteers (VHV) contributed another $20,000.  In accepting the cheque, Mayor John Henderson said:  “I don’t know of another Town with this kind of support for heritage projects”.   The Victoria Hall Volunteers have a long history of supporting Victoria Hall with a total contribution to date of over $356,000. Today is the closest available to the 160th anniversary of the opening of… Read complete articleVictoria Hall Restoration Work gets another Contribution

East Pier – Public Meeting (Virtual)

John Draper

The next step in Cobourg’s plan to re-vitalize the waterfront is to fix and enhance the East Pier.  This requires extensive public consultation and this started last year (see links below) and now there is another consultation although this time it’s virtual and hosted on Engage Cobourg. This includes a presentation in two versions – a pdf and/or a video – a survey with the first question “have you watched the presentation?” and a forum for free form comments.  The presentation starts with some background information then divides the area into zones and discusses options.  Then the discussion moves into three “design approaches” then finally talks about design palettes  – Contemporary, Heritage or hybrid.  The survey opened Sept 4 and… Read complete articleEast Pier – Public Meeting (Virtual)

Ed’s House – Official Opening

John Draper

On Thursday, September 3, Northumberland’s Hospice (Ed’s House) was officially opened by Minister of Health and Deputy Premier Christine Elliott.  There were about 70 people gathered outside the new building on Ontario Street to witness the event.  As well as capital to build the facility, operating costs are ongoing and the Province has committed to pay this for the six new beds – Christine said that the Government is expanding palliative care. As well as the Minister, many who had helped make it happen were also there – see list below.  Hamilton Mayor Bill Cane commented that this was “an amazing collaborative effort”. All speakers at the event thanked the team who made it happen: Fundraising was better than goal… Read complete articleEd’s House – Official Opening

Cobourg Planning Update – Highlights

John Draper

At Monday’s Council meeting, Councillor Nicole Beatty, in her coordinator role, reported on activity in the Planning Department.  Her list was long and included projects adding perhaps 1000 new housing units – most of these in Cobourg’s East End but some in the West part of Town.  Although there is a list of planning projects on the Town’s web site, Nicole’s list was longer and included some interesting updates.  She did not provide a publicly available transcript [Update: full Transcript now available – see Links – Thanks Nicole] but I have provided highlights below including updates on some old projects as well as newer ones.  See the links below if you want the whole thing.  She finished with a comment… Read complete articleCobourg Planning Update – Highlights

An Innovative Transit system

John Draper

Mayor John Henderson has been in talks for some time with Port Hope’s Mayor Bob Sanderson and Hamilton Mayor Bill Cane about an integrated Transit system covering all three Towns.  Currently Cobourg operates two systems – regular transit operating two one hour loops and a “Wheels” on-demand service with smaller buses providing service for residents who cannot use regular buses.  Instead of that, Judy Smith proposes using much smaller fully accessible buses to provide on-demand door to door service for everyone.  All rides would be booked and paid for using an app and the usual wait would be no more than half an hour.  Judy is the Climate Change Coordinator for the Town of Cobourg and Environmental Officer for the… Read complete articleAn Innovative Transit system