Brahaney calls it quits
Warkworth project deferred, Island Park RV expansion rejected by council
Gene Brahaney, who has been a councillor and school board trustee for much of the past 40 years, announced at the Trent Hills council meeting on Tuesday that he won’t run again this fall.
It’s time to step down, he said after the meeting.
Brahaney, 83, has represented Ward 1, northeast of Campbellford. Karen Ulrich is currently the only candidate for that spot.
Mayor Bob Crate thanked Brahaney, a retired dairy farmer and insurance adjuster, for his years of service and his devotion to the local sports scene. Brahaney and his wife can often be seen selling Catch the Ace tickets for the Campbellford Memorial Hospital Foundation’s lottery at Sharpe’s Food Market, or the farmers’ market in Codrington.
He was on council for more than a decade before his defeat in 2014. He was re-elected in 2018 and 2022.
Ward 2 Councillor Rob Pope is the only current member of council who has not announced his intention for the upcoming election.
New clerk on hot seat with Warkworth plan
On Tuesday, Mayor Bob Crate welcomed new municipal clerk Jessica Polley to her first council meeting with a big smile.
But then he handed her several tricky agenda items to stickhandle the councillors through as they deferred some decisions, stuck to their guns on a longstanding tough one, and in an usual move had two recorded votes designed to make their individual positions clear on hot topics in this election year.
One of the recorded votes was on a motion to defer a hot potato in Warkworth. In early May, about 75 residents packed a public meeting to hear plans for a 43-unit subdivision on the western edge of the village at 122 Mill Road.
The project involved a plan to sever an existing 3.3 hectare (8 acre) lot, leaving the current home and buildings on a 0.47 lot and use the remaining three hectares for 43 town homes, semi-detached and detached homes.
After a four-hour meeting and lots of opposition, the developers said they would reconsider what they want to build on the lot. They still haven’t decided, but applied to council to move ahead on Tuesday with the severance of the lots. They would both need to be rezoned for residential use before construction.
Councillor Rick English, who represents Warkworth, led the opposition to the severance idea.
“I can’t support this, there are too many unanswered questions,” English said. “We promised people a public meeting on this. I’ve already had a call this morning asking what’s going on.”
Under the Planning Act, no further meeting are needed or possible, Planning Director Jim Peters said. “We’ll need to find a way legally to have a meeting.”
English recommended the severance be deferred and the developers return to council with an updated plan for the site.
“We heard loud and clear from the public,” English said. “This seems kind of sneaky.”
Deputy Mayor Mike Metcalf and Councillor Dennis Savery both agreed that they would prefer to decide on a package, not piecemeal.
The move to defer got caught up in several minutes of confusion and discussion because if council had simply deferred the severance motion that was on the table it could have been construed as a rejection, which a developer can appeal to the province.
In the end, council withdrew the motion to accept the severance plan and asked staff to bring an updated report to its meeting on August 20, the last real meeting for this council as it coasts into the election. Councillor Rob Pope was the only one to vote against the deferral.
Island Park RV told no expansion
Councillors then turned their attention to a project that has been the bane of the planning department for 13 years or more – the Island Park RV Resort, located on Wilson Island in the Trent River.
The entire island is a wetland that would never be developed now, but in the 1960s the RV resort was created. Problems with its septic system led to a lengthy legal battle and negotiations that resulted in the installation of a sewage plant to handle the 201 trailers located on the site.
But once the sewage system was finally in place, owner Jerry Luczynski and his agent Bob Clark came back to council seeking approval to add 10 trailer spots on the grassy area that had been the septic bed since it was no longer needed. The website says each of those lots rents for $4,200 or more per year.
The municipality asked the Lower Trent Conservation Authority, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of the Environment and Northumberland County to comment.
“Seeing as every agency has suggested denial, I don’t think we can go ahead,” Metcalf summed up.
“While the park has existed in some form since the 1960s, it was subsequently expanded by the current owner,” Peters said in a report. That expansion created the sewage problems that ultimately required construction of a treatment plant and an agreement to cap the resort at 201 units.
Island Park was seeking an amendment to the zoning bylaw so that it could expand to 211 units.
Planner Cameron Law said drone photos appear to show at least two trailers already on those lots hooked up to the sewage system with BBQs in place suggesting they are in use. Neither Luczynski nor Clark disputed the evidence that the existing rules were being ignored.
Brahaney was the only councillor to vote to allow the extra units, arguing it was the best way to finally end the lengthy fight.
“Aw, shit,” muttered Clark, consultant for the owner, when the final tally was made and he left the chambers.
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The selflessness that inspired Mr. Brahaney throughout his lengthy career in public service is well reflected by his decision to graciously step aside, creating an opportunity for younger custodians and different ideas.
Thanks Gene for your service and common sense approach. I just started following this administration and council when I asked for a fix for the many water main breaks and patches. It has been a long four years with poor decisions at time. Which resulted in a waste of money. Finally the province came through with the money to do the whole Tanner subdivision. Yes Trent Hills needs some new elected officials.