Inspection of the Milne Road bridge abutments

An up date on August 28, 2013 excavation of the Milne Road bridge abutments to determine there conditions. I stopped to see the progress and spoke with a Bracebridge Public Works Engineer.

This is preliminary, and a final report will be prepared by PW and it MAY be available at the next General Committee Meeting or council meeting. You can check the Bracebridge web site and see if the Milne Road Bridge is on either Meetings agenda.

The inspection made on the North Abutment from what I was told the concrete is deteriorating (crumbling) badly and there is a crack in the abutment. The South end was not excavated as it was determined that it would exhibit the same condition as the North.

I would suggest that you forward this email to anyone who is impacted by the deteriorating bridge

Bracebridge Town Council passes ATV bylaw

Peter Aykroyd of Bigwind lake shared this update with us.  

Dear Bigwind and Area Friends

Unfortunately Town Council passed the ATV by-law last evening by an 8 to 1 vote. The one dissenting Councillor was Scott Young who endeavoured to defer the by-law motion to allow further study of the suggestion of a specific-use permit for local residents who could demonstrate valid need and ongoing operating responsibility. His motion to consider this alternative was defeated by a 5 to 4 vote.

Despite my submissions to Council including my concerns as to financial viability ( the Town's roads and transportation expense has been 81% over budget for the last 4 audited fiscal years) ; safety ( reference to the exceptionally well researched data provided in letters from Drs. Howie Abrams and Pauline Pariser) and despite drawing attention to what seem to be possible errors and/or possible inaccuracies in the draft by-law ( such as references to the Highway Traffic Act but not the applicable Off-Road Vehicles Act ; or, the ATV by-law area map showing Bigwind lake Prov. Park in grey as an "ATV area permitted ") , and further notwithstanding two fine presentations by Dave Wharry and Dianna Armstrong of the Wood Lake Cottagers' Association, Inc. including Dave's reference to the Town contradicting its own stated green/environmentally conscious strategic plan vision, a majority of Council members were prepared to proceed with and approve this open road by-law as presently drafted.

Interestingly, the Town Clerk, Lori McDonald, when asked , advised Council that the ATV by-law would result in "negligible" additional costs for the Town. This seemed to reassure most members of Council but I'm not sure how she can say that so definitively when the Town's professional staff, including the Director of Public Works, recently reported ( Staff Report PW015-13) " Actual costs are unknown at this time and are hard to project ". At the meeting, the Town's Chief Administrative Officer, John Sisson, stated that he likewise couldn't estimate the level of possible ATV- related additional costs. The Town's new Director of Finance/Treasurer, Carol Anne MacLellan made no comment and provided no input throughout the meeting .

The by-law has an 18 -month probationary period that extends to the first quarter of 2015. By then we could have some new faces on Council after the fall 2014 municipal election.

The by-law provides that ATV operation is year round but only from sunrise to sunset. It appeared that some members of Council seem to think that the ATV by-law is introducing a 20 km ATV speed limit to our rural roads, but that speed limit thankfully already applies under provincial law.

If you are concerned about firearms in our area you will be interested to know that the seeming assurance provided in an August 9th letter by Councillor Barb McMurray that the by-law would " ...prohibit ATVs in areas where firearms are restricted or prohibited " never found its way to the approved ATV By-law.

The By-Law's Section 1.1 definition of an ATV is nebulous in my opinion since it is defined by reference to the Highway Traffic Act which in itself ( Section 191.8(5) ) only defines off-road vehicles by reference to the Off-Road Vehicles Act . That Act's definition, however, includes two categories for off-road vehicles including motorized dirt bikes. The Town ATV by-law doesn't distinguish these categories of off-road vehicles and may need clarification to specify that it intends to include only the 4-wheel ATV category.

Similarly, the new by-law ( at Section 2.2) states that ATVs must comply with operation requirements for ATVs under the Highway Traffic Act ("HTA") . From my reading, there are no specific ATV operating requirements in the HTA unless ATVs possibly fall under the HTA's general definition of "motorized vehicles". There are specific ATV operation requirements in the Off-Road Vehicles Act to which the Town's new ATV by-law makes no reference.

So in a somewhat large nutshell there it is. We gave it our best efforts. If you are not happy with any aspect of the by-law I suggest that you contact all members of Town Council and key members of Town staff to voice your opinion and report any irresponsible ATV riding in our area.

Kind regards,

Peter

Town Council meeting regarding Milne Road bridge

Milne Road Residents, I managed to get to the Bracebridge GC Meeting this morning, unfortunately I was the only one there from Wood Lake. May be I am putting too much concern on the issue, as it does not even effect me.

The meeting was lengthily and Milne Road was one of the last New Business items to be discussed. There were spirited discussions on the Bridge and much useful discussions on many issues, where will the money come from, which option yields the most longevity for the cost (years of use), type of repair, just a quick bandage or serious long term repairs. It was most council members wishes to NOT USE A BANDAGE and then revisit in 5-10 years once again. There is concern that the repairs whatever be accomplished as fast as possible, but with careful though. The suggestion to install a steel plate over the existing deck is not feasible to distribute the weight on the existing abutments. The weight of the steel sheet in the proper thickness would only increase the load capacity to 10 tom which is not sufficient. It was unanimous by council to give PW Engineer the go ahead to begin an Environmental Assessment (EA) which he believes would be required no mater which option is exercised. It looks like Options 1C and 2 will be explored in further detail, excavation will be required on both side of the bridge to determine if the existing abutments are on bed rock our just packed fill. Based on the results if its the later it looks like they would need to go to Option 2, to receive much expanded life for the new bridge. It was not determined a date for the excavation. It is very possible that additional information will be available at the August 21 Council meeting, that will be confirmed in the Meeting Agenda.

I have not gone through my extensive listing of Wood Lake email address to select Milne Road residents please forward this email to anyone who is impacted by the deteriorating bridge.

Petition to oppose ATV bylaw

We recently sent out a survey asking whether or not you would like your Board to oppose the proposed by-law to allow ATVs on municipal roadways in rural Bracebridge. The response was overwhelmingly in support of the Board opposing the proposed by-law. As a result, the Board has created an on-line petition that anyone can electronically “sign” to indicate to Bracebridge Town Council that they oppose the proposed by-law. The on-line petition can be found here:

https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/town-of-bracebridge-defeat-proposed-by-law-to-permit-atvs-on-municipal-roadways

It is important to note that anyone can sign this petition, whether they are a cottager, permanent resident or just an occasional visitor to Bracebridge. So please feel free to forward the petition to anyone you feel would like to sign it. However, the petition needs to be signed as quickly as possible since the Town of Bracebridge has requested that all petitions on this subject be presented by August 13th in preparation for the Council meeting on August 21st.

Dianna Armstrong and Dave Wharry will be attending the Council meeting on August 21st and speaking in opposition to the proposed by-law.

Milne Road Bridge Load Capacity Rating

Aug 1, 2013 letter from Bracebridge Director of Public Works

2011 worst phosphorus year for Wood Lake since 2002

In May of each year, water samples are collected from Wood Lake to test for phosphorus levels. This test is conducted by the District Municipality of Muskoka (DMM) and is reported on every other year. Wood Lake is an odd year lake so tests are done in odd-numbered years, i.e. 2007, 2009, 2011 etc. Samples are taken during May because this is when the lake is most ‘mixed’ due to the spring turnover and is most representative of the phosphorus levels in the lake. Every lake has a naturally occurring background level of phosphorus, but in 2007 Wood Lake was considered by the DMM to be “over the threshold”, having a phosphorus concentration over 7.05 micrograms/litre. If Wood Lake is below the acceptable phosphorus level for three consecutive test years then the lake will be removed from the ‘over-the-threshold’ list.  

But, 2011 was the worst phosphorus year for Wood Lake since 2002! Spring phosphorus levels clocked in at over 10 micrograms/litre. Phosphorus levels can increase for any number of reasons, but are primarily caused by human activities, such as surface run-off from fertilizers, septic system leaks, and through sedimentation (i.e. if a part of the shoreline was developed in that year). The one-page PDF report produced by the DMM is also posted on this webpage.  

So why should YOU care about phosphorus? Having ‘over the threshold’ phosphorus levels can cause algae blooms that degrade recreational water quality, and can affect the habitat of coldwater fish species such as lake trout. This also means that properties on the lake can be subject to more stringent regulations associated with development, severance and sale because, who wants to buy a cottage on a lake full of algae?  

But the good news is that together we can put Wood Lake under the threshold! Below is a handy list to help you be a responsible cottager on Wood Lake:

• Don’t use fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides because these chemicals can run-off into the lake and can cause algal blooms
• Use phosphate-free or biodegradable soaps at your cottage (but no washing in the lake!)
• Pump out your septic tank regularly – every 3-5 years
• Avoid septic tank additives
• Build at least 30-60 metres away from shore
• Start a buffer strip by leaving grass uncut near shore.
• Do not dispose of gasoline down the drain, into surface water, or onto the ground
• Upgrade to a 4-stroke boat motor to prevent gas leakage into the lake