Trent Hills council made three decisions on Tuesday that directly affect Warkworth.
The first was approving spending $46,619 for a new compressor at the Warkworth Arena. An existing compressor, one of two, was more than 20 years old and needed repairs that had been approved, but in August the contractor examined the machine and determined that it needed far more work.
The options were to repair the existing compressor at a cost of $36,760, or purchase the new one.
“The emergency purchase was approved by the CAO, in consultation with the Director of Finance, and CIMCO Refrigeration was authorized to install the new compressor through the Canoe Procurement Group cooperative purchasing program,” a staff report said.
The money came from an arena reserve fund.
The unit has been installed, and the arena now has ice and two functioning compressors.
The other decisions involved a controversial new home development and a new business on George Street.
Council approved a request to declare as surplus an unopened road allowance that runs southeast from Mill Street to West Street. The move is a small step towards permitting a subdivision of up to 43 units.
At its Aug. 20 meeting, council deferred approval of any development until a revised plan had been prepared and the road allowance had been declared closed. Since the current council is officially in lame-duck status leading up the election of a new council, it cannot legally sell the land, but it can declare it surplus, explained Planner Cameron Law.
“The applicant is to provide a revised plan of action for the proposed development, together with additional planning documentation, prior to council considering the applications further,” said a report by Law.
Jonathan Hartman of Providence Homes is the authorized agent for Matthew Stearns, owner of the land north of the road allowance. Hartman wants to build townhomes and detached houses on the property.
Nearby residents have complained that the proposed density of the project is too great and it will not fit in with other homes in the village.
Hartman has requested a strip of the road allowance 304.75 metres by 20.1 metres. Part of it will be used for a road, the rest for homes.
Law said under current provincial law the applicant can purchase the entire road allowance, it need not be shared with adjacent owners. They will be notified and the municipality will try to mediate they want to purchase part of the allowance.
The final sale of the allowance will have to be approved by the next council.
The third decision affecting Warkworth was approval of a plan rezone a property at 21 George Street from community facility and low-density residential to commercial. This will allow owner Nicole Wells to operate a 24-seat tearoom and a small event space on the property.
The lack of parking space had been an issue but Wells has reached an agreement with the adjacent Warkworth Presbyterian Church to use its parking lot. Details of the deal were not released.
There will be parking for about four vehicles on her property and Wells will rent 20 to 25 spaces from the church. The ground floor of the heritage home will be renovated into a tearoom. The coach house on the property will be renovated for use as a wedding venue that could accommodate up to 50 guests.