Council notes
Melford 'looming large' for industrial development
GUYSBOROUGH - The Goldboro area isn't the only part of Guysborough County well positioned for industrial growth in the coming years. According to Guysborough warden Lloyd Hines, the potential for industrial development in the Melford area in the near future is "very high."
Hines says the municipality has had inquiries from a number of industrial parties interested in doing business in the Melford area, and some of these requests reflect "very strong" interest.
"We're in a global economy and subject to global pressure. Properties such as that particular one, with the ice-free deep water availability, its location in Nova Scotia, and access to the US markets along the eastern seaboard…are very attractive."
At the regular monthly meeting of Guysborough council on Wednesday, Jan. 12, councillors were reminded of the public hearing taking place at the Hadleyville fire hall on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. The meeting is a formal opportunity for residents to give input into the proposed rezoning of certain lands in the Melford area to M-3 for heavy industrial use.
"We've been there already with an informal meeting and gained feedback," Hines said in an interview Monday. "This is…part of the formal process that's needed to implement a planning strategy."
The municipality will accept written and verbal reports or presentations at the meeting. Only those councillors present at the public hearing can vote on the rezoning matter at a later council meeting.
The municipality is proposing a new development planning strategy for the area which would allow access to a deep-water, ice-free port from the existing 15,000-acre industrial-zoned area - the Melford Land Reserve. That parcel of land currently has no marine access.
"We've targeted specific property…(which) will provide corridors of land between the existing Melford Land Reserve and the ice-free deep water."
The existing land reserve is zoned M-2 industrial. The proposed new development planning strategy does not call for a change in that zoning.
Hines says part of the attraction of Melford at this time is the growing scarcity of available deep-water ports.
"Gradually as time goes on the other sites have been used up…When you look back as far as when the Canso Causeway was established, that was always seen as a side benefit, to use the deep-water, ice-free harbour."
Hines noted that significant development has already taken place on the Cape Breton side of the Strait of Canso, with much of its capacity already used up. He said the Melford site is "looming large in the plans of global developers."
Hines said the rezoning process will not only prepare the Melford area for future industrial development, but through public consultations it also sends a message out to residents regarding "the future intended use for lands in this area."
In other council news from last Wednesday's meeting, the operating budget for Milford Haven Home for Special Care will increase by nine per cent for the current fiscal year, due largely to projected electrical costs. Hines says other costs have increased marginally. The facility, owned and managed by the municipality, is completely electrical. Money to operate the home comes from the provincial Department of Health, and Hines said he doesn't expect any difficulty in covering the extra costs.
Carmel MacDonald, GCRDA development officer updated council on activities of the agency. She noted that current projects include working with the community of Sunnyville as they investigate options in renovating or rebuilding their community centre.
MacDonald also noted that Feb. 13 is Heritage Day and the Guysborough County Heritage Association will be offering a workshop at the Exhibit Centre in Sherbrooke. Details will be publicized in the coming weeks.
She also reported that the high-speed Internet project in Guysborough County has been very successful, with 406 residences now hooked up. In a later interview with The Journal, the project's steering committee co-ordinator, Ashley Bouchie of the GCRDA, said about 20 per cent of customers eligible for the service now have it. In some areas, including Canso and Larry's River, about 25 per cent of eligible residents have signed up. The steering committee consists of representatives from the municipalities, the GCRDA and the library.
Bouchie noted that about 30 businesses have also signed up for high-speed Internet. He says the final communities to be hooked up should have access over the next month or two. Fifteen communities in the county now have access to high-speed Internet.
Bouchie says there are small pockets where the service is not yet available, "and we'd like to come up with something to service those people."
