Newmarket Council Meeting on February 12, 2018

Here's what happened at the Council Meeting on February 12, 2018

"(I AM SHARING THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE FROM THE February 15th EDITION OF 'NEWMARKET NOW!' SEND YOUR FEEDBACK OR SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE EDITIONS BY SENDING COMMENTS TO COMMUNICATIONS@NEWMARKET.CA)

Request for Proposals to be issued for Mulock Station Area Secondary Plan

The Town of Newmarket is moving forward with a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Mulock Station Area Secondary Plan. In 2016, the Province announced that five new stations would be constructed along the Barrie rail corridor, one of which would be located on Mulock Drive. The RFP has been designed to present the long-term redevelopment of the lands surrounding the future Mulock GO Station site (this includes the commercial properties along Mulock Drive in the west, to Willowick Drive in the east, the northern boundary of the industrial properties along Penrose Street to the southern boundary of the industrial properties on Steven Court). The main goals of this study are to determine the highest and best long-term land uses for the area, ensure that all future densities are consistent with provincial density requirements and enable transit-oriented development to occur. For more information, please contact 905-895-5193.
 
Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling Program
The Town of Newmarket received a grant from the Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling (OMCC) Program for the partial funding of seven commuter cycling projects in Newmarket. Council adopted a recommendation to support the OMMC funding at the February 12 Council Meeting. The $290,659.89 grant will fund up to 80 per cent of the eligible costs for projects related to the Town’s Active Transportation Implementation Plan, which will be carried out from 2018 to 2020. Projects currently slated for 2018 include the installation of bike lanes along Woodspring Avenue (Ray Snow Boulevard to Bathurst Street) and Main Street North (Bristol Road to London Road). For more information, please contact 905-895-5193.

 

Minutes for the Town of Newmarket Council Meetings, outlining Council decisions, is available under Agendas, Minutes and Meetings on the Town of Newmarket website. For more information or to view the reports, visit

Save the date! Mark these events in your calendar:

 


Stop by for a chance to win a $100 Recreation and Culture credit that can be used towards any Town ofNewmarket Recreation and Culture program. Staff from all departments across the organization will be available to speak with residents, answer any questions and listen to feedback. For more information, visitnewmarket.ca/communityopenhouse

Winterfest - Saturday, February 17
Bring the family and join us for some winter fun, both indoors and outdoors! 
Location and time: Newmarket Riverwalk Commons (200 Doug Duncan Drive), 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Winterfest Free Skating and Swimming - Sunday, February 18
Bring your family and friends to enjoy a free skate and swim. Choose one activity or stay for both! It's a fun way to stay active. 
Location and time: Ray Twinney Complex (100 Eagle Street West), noon to 2 p.m. (free public skate) and 2 to 4 p.m. (free public swimming) 

Family Day Fun - Monday, February 19
Join us for a day of fun activities for Family Day, featuring skating, swimming, group fitness classes, drop-in activities and more. The cost is $2 per person.   
Location: Magna Centre (800 Mulock Drive) and Recreation Youth Centre and Sk8 Park (56 Charles Street)

Family Day Fun, Toyland at the Museum - Monday, February 19
On February 19, have Family Day fun at the Elman W. Campbell Museum. See our model train, nursery rhyme and fairy tale displays. Bring in a toy animal from home and have fun in our pretend toy animal grooming salon! Get your picture taken at our pioneer board and go on a Museum scavenger hunt! Suitable for ages four to 10. Cost is $3 per participant with donation of non-perishable food item for the NewmarketFood Pantry.
Location and time: Old Town Hall (460 Botsford Street) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  

Passage to Freedom: Secrets of the Underground Railroad - February 7 to 27
The Elman W. Campbell Museum presents this compelling and interactive exhibit in recognition of Black History Month. The exhibit explores slavery, and the Underground Railroad, a secret network that assisted fugitive slaves escape to freedom in Canada, and the challenges they faced once in Canada. 
Location and Time: Old Town Hall (460 Botsford Street), open Tuesday to Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays 2 to 4 p.m.

#GoGabbyGo - Tuesday, February 20
Join us and show your support for Newmarket's own Olympic Gold Medal and World Bronze Medal winner and two-time Olympian Gabby Daleman. Dress warm and get loud as we cheer on Gabby and Team Canada as they compete in this year's 2018 Winter Olympics. We will be watching the live broadcast at the Newmarket Ice Lounge. Use the hashtag #GoGabbyGo to show your support! 
Location and time: Newmarket's Riverwalk Commons (200 Doug Duncan Drive) at 8 p.m. 

Scout Displays - until March 
Attention all scouts - check out our annual scouting display! The scouting movement was started by Lord Baden-Powell over 100 years ago. 
Location and time: Until mid-March during Library hours of operations (Tuesday to Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.) 

Music and Magic - March 13 
Have a blast with interactive indoor music and magic shows, crafts, games, and a bouncy castle. Tickets are available online and at the Magna Centre Customer Service Kiosk on the day of the event.  You can also volunteer at this event, if you are interested please register at newmarket.ca/volunteer  

For up-to-date weather and cancellation details of Town-run outdoor events, please call 1-877-PLAY936 (1-877-752-9936) on the day of the event no more than two hours prior to the start time. Children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all events. Please contact the Town at 905-895-5193 or visit newmarket.ca/events for more information.



Newmarket to create 'Central Park' inspired green space with purchase of landmark property
 

The Town of Newmarket is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement for  the purchase of approximately 11.6 acres of land at the north west corner of Mulock Drive and Yonge Street, known to the community as the Mulock Farm/Estate. The vision for this property is to create an iconic community park/outdoor green space. The inspiration comes from iconic parks such as Central Park in New York and outdoor skating trails such as Gage Park in Brampton or the Arrowhead Ice Trail in Huntsville.

The cost of the property is $24 million and will be financed through responsible debt financing. In tax terms, for example, this could equate to approximately a single $50 per household tax increase, or $10 per year, phased-in over five years. The development of the property and achieving the vision will be financed through growth, augmented by provincial and federal infrastructure grant funding, sponsorships and donations. Council will be considering a staff report for supplementary budget options to finance the purchase of the Mulock property during the February 26 Committee of the Whole meeting, with final approval at the Council meeting on March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Offices.

The plans for the property will be to offer both passive and active recreation opportunities. In the summer months, the rink and skating trails could be used for various sports and walking/biking trails. The residence that exists on the property is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. It will be preserved by the Town and considered for uses that will best serve the community. For more information check out our media release
 

Where's my plow? There's an app for that

The Town of Newmarket is proud to launch its ‘Locate my Plow’ online portal that will allow residents to track the progress of the Town’s snow plowing road operations in real-time, view the last time the road was plowed, and see how many kilometres of roads are left to be plowed during snow events. Residents can access the online portal at newmarket.ca/locatemyplow  

Locate my Plow was built 100 per cent in-house by the Town’s GIS team while working alongside the Public Works Services department. Every five minutes, data from actively plowing Newmarket road plows will be transmitted via GPS and be reflected on the Locate my Plow application.
 
Currently, Locate my Plow will only show plows that are actively plowing on Newmarket maintained roads. Regional roads such as Davis Drive, Yonge Street, Mulock Drive and Bayview Avenue are maintained by York Region. For more information, read our media release


You're invited to a public charrette to help shape future development in the Urban Centres

The Town of Newmarket invites you to a public session to help shape how the Town's urban centres (Yonge Street and Davis Drive) will be developed in the coming years. The Town is in the process of creating a new zoning bylaw and we need your input. As a valued member of the community, your feedback will help to inform the bylaw and future development in the urban centres. This engaging session gives you the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft zoning bylaw. Please come out and share your vision forNewmarket's urban centres.  
When: Thursday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. (presentation at 7 p.m.) 
Where: Newmarket Seniors' Meeting Place, Hall 4 and 5 (474 Davis Drive) 
For more information, visit newmarket.ca/events 

DocuPet Education Campaign


Please note a community representative, hired by DocuPet, is going around Newmarket to advise residents to license cats and dogs as per the Town of Newmarket’s Animal Control By-law. DocuPet will not be participating in a door-to-door sales campaign and licenses will not be sold at the door however, a door hanger will be placed on door handles advising dog/ cat owners to license their pets. Dog and cat license fees cost $35 or $30 for seniors age 55 and over. Licenses can be purchased by visitingnewmarket.docupet.com or at Municipal Offices, Ray Twinney Recreation Complex or Magna Centre during Customer Service Kiosk hours. For more information, visit newmarket.ca or call the Town at 905-895-5193.



York Region Joint Compliance Audit Committee

York Region's municipalities are recruiting members for appointment to the 2018 to 2022 Municipal Elections Joint Compliance Audit Committee. The Committee is independent of the municipalities and is required by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, to consider applications requesting audits of candidates' campaign finances. Committees may be required to appoint auditors and determine if legal proceedings are required as a result of the auditors' reports. Applicants with a background in accounting, auditing, law, election administration, and/or public administration are preferred. Applicants should:
  • have an understanding of municipal campaign finance provisions;
  • demonstrate analytical decision-making and excellent communication skills;
  • have experience working with or as a member of government boards, task forces and/or quasi-judicial bodies; and
  • have flexibility to attend meetings during daytime and evening hours.
 
Applicants cannot be candidates in the 2018 Municipal Election nor can they have committed to providing professional advice to any person running for office in any York Region municipality. Applicants also cannot be Members of Council or current employees of any York Region municipality.
 
The Committee's term of office is four years, beginning in 2018. The application deadline is Friday, February 16, 2018.
 
For more information, visit newmarket.ca/vote or email elections@newmarket.ca