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Firing range expansion opposed during Mono Council session

March 19, 2020   ·   0 Comments

The proposed expansion of the firing range at Dufferin North Peel Anglers and Hunters Club in Mono has brought opposition from some nearby residents.

Residents Joe Wilson and Arunas Kalinauskas addressed Mono Council at its meeting last week regarding a proposed expansion that would see the club add up to 10 shooting lanes to the existing six. 

The couple presented a petition signed by 44 area residents opposed to the expansion. 

In their presentation they asked Council to ensure that the expansion does not lead to increased noise from the club, which is close to the town’s Cardinal Woods subdivision.. Mr. Kalinauskas presented a report from an acoustic engineer on the likely noise impact of the expansion.

Ian McFarlane, president of the Dufferin North Peel Anglers and Hunters Club, told Council that the expansion will bring the building into compliance with current accessibility, safety and noise mitigation standards. While the design had not been finalized, he said the expanded firing range would  meet the provincially  required noise standard. 

The proposed building would be fully enclosed with an opening leading down range. The walls would be insulated to dampen the impulsive sound generated by the firing of handguns and rifles. 

Mono CAO Mark Early stated that a noise study would be a pre-condition in order for the club to submit an application for Site Plan Approval.

 At the same meeting, Council approved the final site plan for Island Lake Family Park. The park’s tennis courts are being located about 12.5 metres south of the boundary of Island Lake Conservation Area to eliminate the need to build a retaining wall around the tennis courts and ensure that the pathway leading to the courts meets accessibility standards. The parking lot at the south end of the park has been modified so that it does not extend westward beyond the rear of the adjacent residence.

Council considered adding pickle ball lines to the tennis courts. However, initially only temporary lines using removable tape will be used to accommodate pickle ball players. Staff will now proceed with issuing requests for proposals for both Island Lake Family Park and the nearby Fieldstone parkette.

In other business, Jim Walls, Senior Geoscientist with RJ Burnside, presented an updated draft of the Site Alteration and Movement of Fill Bylaw.  This version expands on the previous draft presented to Council and has four classifications of fill operations, each defined by the volume of fill to be imported. 

Planning Board Chair Bob McCrea, along with several residents who contributed to preparing of this bylaw, offered their input on the current draft. There was some discussion as to whether the Town needed that many classifications or the two proposed in the previous version would suffice. 

Council asked staff to convene a meeting with Mr. Walls and stakeholders in order to further refine the bylaw by taking into account public comments received during this session of Council.

Council was advised that the town’s The Public Works Department will be purchasing three temporary traffic calming speed bumps that will be used to slow traffic on several residential roads. The speed bumps will be placed on French Drive, Kingfisher Drive and Bayberry Road. As they interfere with snow plowing, they will be removed before next winter.

Finally, Mayor Laura Ryan proclaimed August 22, 2020 “Flight of the Monarchs Day”.

 Monarch butterflies are one of the most iconic and cherished insects in North America. Their epic 5,000-kilometre migration from eastern Canada to the forests of central Mexico begins in late August each year. In 2013, the eastern population of monarch butterflies dropped by 95 per cent, the smallest recorded population since the mid-1990s. Since 2013, the population has rebounded, thanks in part to the collective efforts of thousands of individuals, groups and communities across Canada, but the monarch’s future remains in serious peril.

Flight of the Monarchs Day is an opportunity to celebrate the growing movement to protect monarch butterflies and the astonishing phenomenon of their migration as their epic journey southward begins.

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