August 2019
Published monthly
Newsletter
Vol. 1, Edition 2
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Thank you to everyone who subscribed
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Welcome to our second edition of
The Monthly Report.
We thank everyone for subscribing to our new e-newsletter.
Since launching
The Monthly Report in July, we have received great feedback.
This has been a busy summer in Wasaga Beach.
We are fortunate to have enjoyed great weather for the most part and we hope that trend continues as we head into September.
Despite high water levels this year, thousands have flocked to our beachfront.
Our town has also hosted some great events this summer. Town staff and members of council have enjoyed seeing residents and visitors at such functions as
Movies in the Market, Music in the Market, as well as Jazz and More in the Park.
Looking towards the fall, council and staff will soon begin work on the 2020 budget. Several budget meetings will be held as council members consider investment priorities for the year ahead. These sessions are open to the public and you can also watch them online. We will share more about the 2020 budget exercise in upcoming editions of
The Monthly Report.
Work on a major investment will start in September when the Main Street Bridge Rehabilitation Project begins. You can read more about that further down in the newsletter.
Other significant investment projects have concluded recently, including The Jim Ramage Tennis Court Reconstruction Project and the River Road West Reconstruction Project.
Please encourage your friends and neighbours to sign up for
The Monthly Report. They can do so by visiting our website at
www.wasagabeach.com. You will find the sign-up link in the upper-right corner of the main page.
Again, thank you for subscribing.
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Town staffer recognized for bravery
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WELL DONE On Aug. 15, on behalf of the Town of Wasaga Beach, Mayor Nina Bifolchi presented municipal law enforcement officer Devon Mundy with a certificate of appreciation in recognition of outstanding bravery and dedication. On July 31, Mundy learned that a woman was in distress in Nottawasaga Bay. The woman was trying to swim to shore but the waves kept pushing her out. Mundy entered the water and brought the woman safely to dry land. She was uninjured but shaken up by the experience.
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Strong start to building season in Wasaga Beach
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Building activity in Wasaga Beach for the first half of 2019 is the highest it has been for that period in the last three years.
“Our development community, as well as smaller contractors and private citizens, are feeling good about the opportunities here and they are moving forward with significant investment,” said Danny Rodgers, director of Building and Development Standards for the Town of Wasaga Beach.
To date this year, the town has issued 322 building permits, compared to 207 for the same period last year and 284 for 2017.
Permits issued for single-family dwellings sit at 66 this year, while the number of permits for town house units is 124. Residential additions and renovations account for an additional 45 permits to date.
The value of construction sits at $55-million so far in 2019 and the town anticipates a strong second half of the year as additional residential development projects start.
“Wasaga Beach is an attractive and affordable place to be if you are raising a young family and it’s equally appealing if you are retired. These two demographics are driving the building activity we see in town,” said Rodgers.
Mayor Nina Bifolchi agrees.
“Our community offers a wonderful quality of life and we know that is one of the key reasons people choose to settle here,” Mayor Bifolchi said. “Our council will continue to invest in services and amenities that maintain and enhance our town. We are moving Wasaga Beach forward through investments in our arena, library, public transit, roads, parks and trails.”
Mayor Bifolchi noted the town expects to see substantial new building permit activity in the years ahead as the redevelopment of town-owned land at the beachfront takes place.
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Community shows its Pride
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PRIDE Members of council, staff, and the public were pleased to raise the Pride flag at town hall on July 31 in recognition of Fierte Simcoe Pride Week (July 29-Aug. 11). Pride Week honours gender and sexual diversity in Simcoe County.
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Town working with developers, extends Request for Expressions of Interest deadline
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Developers interested in building on town-owned land at the beachfront now have more time to respond to the municipality’s Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI).
On July 30, council approved extending the deadline to Sept. 20.
When the town issued the RFEOI in June, a deadline of Aug. 2 was included. However, several developers subsequently asked the town to extend the deadline.
“We received a variety of reasons behind the request for a deadline extension,” chief administrative officer George Vadeboncoeur said. “Some wanted more time to conduct due diligence, others wanted more time to assemble their team to work on their submission, some had people on vacation and couldn’t put together a submission by the original deadline.”
Mayor Bifolchi said the town is happy to work with developers and as a sign of good faith extend the deadline.
“We know there is great interest in this project from preliminary discussions we’ve had with developers and that’s a tremendous position to be in at such an early point,” the mayor said. “At a preliminary meeting in mid-July we spoke with eight developers who were all excited about possibly building at the beachfront. We look forward to reviewing all submissions when they come in.”
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New restaurant and gas bar coming to east end
Planned for the east end of town is a new restaurant, convenience store, car wash, and gas bar.
At its July 30 meeting, council received for information a report on a site plan application for the project. Staff are processing the application.
The site, comprised of vacant land, is located on the north side of River Road West at the intersection of Theme Park Drive.
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Town secures continued use of canoe launch at Sports Park
Residents and visitors will continue to have access to the Nottawasaga River through the Canoe Launch Lands at the Sports Park.
At its July 30 meeting, council approved renewing the Land Use Permit with Ontario Parks for a five-year term.
The town has had a permit to use the canoe launch property at the south end of the Sports Park since 2003.
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Municipality obtains continued use of Oakview Woods Park through new 10-year agreement
An agreement for the town’s use of Oakview Woods Park received council approval.
The agreement covers a 10-year term with a set annual fee of $5,560.
The town has operated the park under an agreement with the province since 1985.
Over the years, the town’s use of the 3.8-hectare park has evolved with a number of new facilities added, including public washrooms, tennis and pickleball courts, an outdoor rink, a playground structure, a dog park, plus bike and skateboard parks.
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BUS ROUTE TO BARRIE NOW RUNNING
On Aug. 6, the County of Simcoe launched its new Barrie, to Angus, Stayner, and Wasaga Beach route.
The route runs weekdays between Allandale Station in Barrie and the Real Canadian Super Store in Wasaga Beach.
The fare is $6 one way.
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Need non-emergency medical care? Our clinic can help you out
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Council approves new ice resurfacing equipment
Members of town council approved the purchase of an Olympia Millennium Ice Resurfacer for $81,990 and the purchase of a Lazer Ice Levelling System for $13,800 from the Resurface Corporation.
The present 2012 model ice resurfacing equipment at the Wasaga Stars Arena is seven years old. The town’s practice has been to replace the equipment every seven to eight years.
By replacing the equipment, it cuts down on the potential for breakdowns, which could affect scheduling at the facility.
The ice leveling system dates back to 2008 and assists in keeping the ice surface at a consistent thickness. Due to the age of the present piece of equipment, parts are less and less readily available.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Search "Town of Wasaga Beach" on Facebook and Twitter and follow us for daily updates on town activities and services.
Be the first to know what's new!
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There are always fun things to see and do in Wasaga Beach. Check out the Special Events section of our website to learn what's coming up.
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Upcoming events in the Town of Wasaga Beach
Inflate-a-Fest
Inflate-a-Fest runs Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 at Playland Park Square, 40 Mosley St., Beach Area 1. For full details see the special events section of
www.wasagabeach.com.
Experience the largest gathering of amusement inflatables for all ages to climb, bounce, and play.
Memories of Summer
Please join us for Memories of Summer, our annual summer fireworks display, on Sunday, Sept. 1.
The big show takes place at Beach Area 2, starting around dusk (approximately 8:45 p.m.).
Stonebridge Wasaga Beach Blues
The annual Stonebridge Wasaga Beach Blues festival runs Sept. 13-15 at Stonebridge Town Centre, 291 Stonebridge Boulevard.
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NOW OPEN On Aug. 14, members of Wasaga Beach town council and the Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce welcomed Curry and Cocktail to the community. A ribbon cutting ceremony took place at the new restaurant at 1470 Mosley Street. Be sure to drop by and check them out. They have a wonderful menu.
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Official Plan online survey coming to an end - have your say
Time is running out to take part in the Town of Wasaga Beach's Official Plan Review survey.
Survey findings will be presented to council members later this year and the feedback will be considered when updating the town's Official Plan.
If you have questions about the Official Plan Review or the survey, contact senior planner Nathan Wukasch at 705-429-3844, ext. 2273.
Residents join Town of Wasaga Beach committees
Council approved the appointment of Troy Veinot as a youth member on the Youth Advisory Committee.
They also approved appointing Mavis Clarke to the Historical Advisory Committee after member Marilyn Beecroft stepped down.
Committees of council usually meet monthly and provide recommendations to council.
Town applying to host Snowbirds airshow in 2020
The town will apply to host a Snowbirds airshow next year.
Council, at its July 30 meeting, directed special events staff to proceed with the application process.
A third-party organizer hosted a Snowbirds show in town in June 2018. The community enjoyed the event and town staff believe another event would be favourable as well.
New tennis courts in Wasaga Sands
The Jim Ramage Tennis Court project is now complete.
The courts are available to all residents and accessible off Club Court in Wasaga Sands.
The town invested $138,817 in reconstructing the tennis court, named in honour of Jim Ramage, founder of the Lamont Creek Tennis Club.
Zoo Park Road improvements under way
Work on the Zoo Park Road North storm sewer and sidewalk project has started.
Preliminary work took place in 2017 and 2018.
Tenders for the project were approved earlier this year. The anticipated construction completion date is October.
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PARKBRIDGE Mayor Nina Bifolchi and members of council were pleased to attend the March of Dimes Classic Car Show and Barbecue on July 26. The event was hosted by Parkbridge Communities as a neighbour appreciation event. Thanks to Parkbridge for its commitment to our community.
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Wasaga Beach Council Highlights
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Wasaga Beach Town Council met on Tuesday, July 30.
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Pocket dialing can tie up resources
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When inadvertently dialing 911 on your cell phone, please remember you are activating an emergency service.
In doing so, emergency personnel are committed to determining the origin and extent of the emergency that may be happening.
This means they have to locate the individual who inadvertently dialed 911.
This response can draw needed resources away from actual emergencies. To prevent this please, when not using your phone, lock it so that unintentional calls do not happen.
If you do dial 911 by mistake, please do not hang up on the operator. Explain the call is in fact not an emergency, tell the operator where you are and stay there. This is because an officer must attend your location to determine an emergency is not taking place.
By hanging up or leaving your current location, you create a situation where emergency services must try to locate you, and in the process tie up precious resources.
Only you can stop 911 misdials.
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Don't miss out on these fun opportunities!
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Wasaga Beach Public Library
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The Wasaga Beach Public Library is a great spot to access reading material, movies, programs, and other types of information.
The library is located at 120 Glenwood Dr.
Check out the library's latest newsletter here:
Newsletter
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Message from Mayor Nina Bifolchi
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Looking through our latest edition of
The Monthly Report
it is easy to see that Wasaga Beach is a great place to be.
Thousands of people come to our community every summer and residents are fortunate to live here year-round.
We are so lucky to live along the shore of Nottawasaga Bay. We can walk the beach, boat, kayak, hike, play golf, dine, and attend great events right in our town.
It's easy to take all of these quality of life opportunities for granted, but when you speak with visitors, as I do on a regular basis, you are reminded that not everyone lives in a community as special as Wasaga Beach.
We have many good things happening in our town.
Recently, it was my honour to join fellow council members and Colleen Bannerman, president of the Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce, at the opening of Curry and Cocktail at 1470 Mosley St. This new restaurant features wonderful Indian cuisine and is a welcome addition to our town. I was delighted to read on social media how many of our residents have already enjoyed this restaurant.
It was also a privilege to join fellow council representatives and members of the community at the grand opening for Pizza Forno at 676 River Road East on Aug. 1. This is the first ever fully automated 24/7 pizza oven in Wasaga Beach.
On behalf of the Town of Wasaga Beach, I want to congratulate local realtor Manuel Antunes on 45 years in the industry. Earlier this month, it was an honour to join fellow council members at a celebration recognizing Manuel's real estate career. It was also a treat to bring him best wishes on his 75th birthday.
I am also pleased to see that Wasaga Beach United Church is moving ahead with its addition on Zoo Park Road. This is a significant investment on the church's part and another sign of progress in our town.
Overall, Wasaga Beach is experiencing tremendous growth right now and that is fantastic news. As we noted in this edition of
The Monthly Report
, building activity for the first half of 2019 is the highest it has been for that period in the last three years. Construction value sits at $55-million so far and we expect a strong second half of the year.
Regularly, I stop by the Peak FM for a chat with local broadcaster John Eaton. You can listen to our recent conversation here:
LISTEN
Finally, please join us for our next Conversation in the Park networking session with council. The session is taking place Saturday, Sept. 21, from noon to 2 p.m. at Nancy Island Historic Site. These gatherings are a great opportunity to chat one-on-one with members of council.
I hope you have a happy and safe Labour Day weekend. Remember to use extra caution on the roads when children return to school in September.
Nina Bifolchi is mayor of Wasaga Beach.
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Wasaga Beach Town Council
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Mayor Nina Bifolchi
705-429-3844, ext. 2225
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Deputy Mayor Sylvia Bray
705-888-1131
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Councillor Joe Belanger
705-816-0733
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Councillor David Foster
705-441-2211
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Councillor George Watson
705-309-7653
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Councillor Stan Wells
705-429-3239
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Members of Wasaga Beach town council are elected to represent the people of Wasaga Beach.
You can discuss town matters with a member of council by calling or e-mailing them.
If you would like a member of council to attend a special event please contact Pam Kenwell at 705-429-3844, ext. 2246 or e-mail
eamc@wasagabeach.com
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George
Vadeboncoeur
Chief Administrative Officer
705-429-3844, ext. 2222
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See what's happening on our social sites:
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