Percy Lake Ratepayers’ Association Status Update - Nov.1/08 Due to various commitments by several members of the Executive, we were not able to have an Executive meeting on the Thanksgiving weekend, so we have prepared this status update. Watershed Plan - Our watershed plan has been accepted by Dysart Council but has not yet been forwarded to Haliburton County pending the results of a study by the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Association (FOCA) regarding the method by which these lake plans should be incorporated into the municipality’s Official Plan. According to the municipality’s planner, the four-month study has now taken more than a year and there is no sign that it’s nearing completion yet. Trent-Severn Waterway Committee - There has been no action on the report that was submitted to the federal Minister due to the recent federal election, but there are some positive signs including support for the report’s recommendations by our local MP Barry Devolin. Snow Plowing - Harry Winder has arranged for quotes for snow plowing by one of the local contractors. I believe that anyone who left contact information with Harry has been called by the contractor and provided with a quote. If you haven’t been called, perhaps you might give Harry a shout. Hi-Speed Internet - Thanks to all the hard work by Jack Russel and Dave Taylor, our survey information was accepted, with great appreciation, by Jim Neubauer the Bell rep, and the project to extend hi-speed service to the rest of Haliburton Lake and up to Percy Lake has been put on the list of capital projects for 2009. Now we have to wait to see if the grant money comes through. If you’d like to help keep the pressure on, you might want to send an email to the province minister in charge at minister.omafra@ontario.ca. Here’s a sample you could use: Dear Minister Dombrowsky: Recently the County of Haliburton applied for $1 million of infrastructure funds from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to assist in continuing to bring high speed internet service to as many residents of the County as possible. We have a residence on Percy Lake and are keenly aware of the need for high speed internet access to these rural areas. We have spoken with many seasonal residents who have said that, if hsi were available at their homes in Haliburton County, they would spend considerably more time at their residence here rather than elsewhere. Many need such access for personal reasons, but many need it for business purposes as well. It is important for all rural residents to have equal access to hsi as residents of other areas have. It is also important for purposes of tourism and businesses in the area. Considerably more dollars would be brought to Haliburton County if more access to hsi were available. We would appreciate it if you would please fund the Haliburton County request in full. We would further ask that you support additional funding in future years for hsi in rural areas of the Province. Such funding is obviously needed and would contribute significantly to the economic well being of rural areas such as Haliburton County. Thank you for your consideration. Percy Lake Road - In light of the premium property taxes that we pay, and given the terrible condition of the Haliburton Lake Road and the Percy Lake Road, we have written to Dysart Council asking them for a commitment to resurface the road as soon as possible. Grief Bros. Development - I spoke to Paul Wilson, Grief’s Project Manager, last week. He tells me that they are meeting with Ontario Ministry of Environment and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources officials next week to go over the results of the water sampling that was conducted from Aug.15/08 to Sep.15/08. The purpose of the meeting is to compare the developer’s results with the independent testing that was conducted by the province, and to establish the format of the report that will be submitted with the developer’s Plans for Subdivision. This is just about the last report that needs to be completed. The Plans for Haliburton Lake are already done but not yet submitted. The developer wants to submit everything as one overall Plan. Paul estimates that his Plans will be submitted early in the new year (February?). The various levels of approvals usually take about a year and it will take most of the following building season to service the lots. So, the first lots might come up for sale late in 2010 or the spring of 2011. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of the members of the PLRA Executive.