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Council proceeds with plans for transit station at Edelbrock

January 29, 2021   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

Orangeville Council voted 4-3 to move forward with placing a transit transfer station at the Edelbrock Centre, instead of the formerly agreed upon location – Broadway.

At a meeting on Nov. 23, town council revisited and overturned a resolution to locate the transfer point between John Street and First Street on Broadway and town staff were directed to work with Dufferin County staff to develop an acceptable design for the transfer station during a regular council meeting on Monday (Jan. 25).

The property is owned by Dufferin County, which is the reason why Orangeville is collaborating with them on the project.

Dufferin has assembled a checklist of concerns regarding the Edelbrock Centre for Orangeville to address, which led Orangeville Coun. Todd Taylor to say approving the Edelbrock location on Monday was a bit premature.

“Why would we vote on this tonight then if we don’t understand what their [Dufferin County’s] wishes are? Aren’t we putting the cart before the horse? Shouldn’t we have that information from the County first and then be able to move forward unfeathered and make a decision?” he asked. 

Mayor Sandy Brown replied to Coun. Taylor by saying that Dufferin County already unanimously approved the location and it’s just up to Orangeville to give them the green light, before working out the final legalities.

In response, Coun. Taylor said that things aren’t quite settled with Dufferin yet and while the councillors have granted approvals, the engineers haven’t yet given their opinion on if Edelbrock is the best option for a transit transfer station.

“I’d go on record as saying I find that process merky, I’m not sure we’re quite there yet in my mind [to move forward], but that’s okay,” he remarked. 

For the proposed transit location to properly function, a dedicated transit road running between Centre Street and Dawson Road, through the Edelbrock Centre property needs to be built, which is estimated to cost $378,000

However, the cost will rise if a heated waiting area is added, bathrooms are added, and if the design is modified to accommodate six buses instead of four, which is being considered by town council. 

As town staff work through the design, the list of design features and the total costs will be finalized.

A presentation regarding the transit transfer station being built at Edelbrock will be delivered to Dufferin County in late February and final approval is expected in March. During this period both town staff and county staff will have an open dialogue regarding the station. 

County staff have highlighted a number of matters that need to be addressed before acceptance and final approval of the Edelbrock Centre as a transit transfer point site. They specifically mention traffic/noise, route alignment, environmental matters, washrooms, and parking.

Further to that, property rights issues will require consideration to determine an appropriate arrangement to satisfy all parties involved. 

In short, Dufferin County wants to ensure the Edelbrock Centre can co-exist with the new proposed transfer point without impeding its current or future functions.

The centre offers employment resource services for individuals searching for a job.

In terms of the community garden, which is presently housed at the Edelbrock Centre, town staff have been carrying out site evaluations to determine a place to relocate it.

The potential sites that are being considered include the Alder Recreation Centre, Tony Rose Recreation Centre, Rotary Park, Harvey Curry Park, and Kin Family Park. 

All of the sites require an evaluation of environmental conditions, elevation changes, drainage, soil conditions, accessibility, safety, security, and expandability to determine its feasibility.

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