430 Houses Planned

There will be a Planning Advisory Committee meeting Monday, April 3, 7:15 pm on the plans for part of the farm between Emily and James Street north of the Grand Trunk Trail. The proposal for the 43.73 hectares (about 108 acres) call for 315 lots for single detached houses and 115 multiple attached dwellings. In the plans Glass St would be extended west from James St over to Emily St and Wellington would be extended north into the sub-division. The public meeting will take place in St Marys Town Hall Council Chambers.

Letters to the Editor

This week's St Marys Journal Argus was expanded by 4 pages to include 12 letters on the arena expansion (also known as the Living Life Project). The only 1 of the 12 letters fully in support of the project was from an original proponent of the scheme, the St Marys Hockey Association. The arena expansion is on the agenda for the next council meeting Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30 in the St Marys Town Hall auditorium.

In sort of related news, Cindy Bilyea who until recently was President of the St Marys Hockey Association lost out to Robert Wilhelm Tuesday night to become Perth South, Ontario township councillor. Perth South which surrounds St Marys funded 40% of the current arena and on April 27, 2004 their council voted 4-3 against contributing to the Living Life Project.

Slow Food Dinner

There will be a fundraising dinner this Saturday, March 25 at 6:30 pm at Smith and Latham Restaurant, 139 Queen E, St Marys. The 4-course meal for $115 will feature locally produced game meats and other locally grown items. Funds raised will be used to send local delegates to Turin, Italy this October for Terra Madre the Slow Food sponsored meeting of world food communities.

Slow Food, founded in 1986, is an international organization whose aim is 'to protect the pleasures of the table from the homogenization of modern fast food and life.' It has over 80,000 members in a 100 countries including over 600 members across Canada.

Happy St Patrick's Day

The Parkview Creamery Bar and Grill at 120 Parkview Drive will have Irish Specials all day and starting at 7:00pm sing-a-long Irish tunes with Gary McGill.

St Marys Lions Club is presenting a dance at the Community Centre from 8:00pm to 1:00am with music by Jasper.

Meantime there will be an Irish Stew Dinner at St James Anglican Parish Hall at 6:00pm for $12 and later a euchre card party at the Holy Name of Mary Parish Hall at 7:30 pm.

Ontario Horticultural Society

Today Canada Post has issued a set of 4 stamps to commemmorate the 100th anniversary of the Ontario Horticultural Society.

St Marys Horticultural Society was established in 1965 and has about 315 members. Their next monthly open meeting is April 3, 7:30 pm at the Legion Hall, 66 Church St N when there will a talk about bonsai.

Living Life Project Public Meeting

There will be a public meeting on the Recreation Expansion Project (also known as Living Life Project) next Thursday, March 9 at 7:00 pm at the St Marys Community Centre. There will be a presentation by architectural firm of Garwood-Jones & Hanham and accounting firm Deloitte & Touche. The parameters of the project were outlined in the Bryson Report presented last August.

UPDATE: The handout from the accountant on the finances can be seen at St Marys Ontario Arena Expansion - Financing Strategy

River Valley Golf And Tube

River Valley Winter Tube Slide, seven miles southwest of St Marys has been operating for 10 years. Their March Break hours are Monday-Friday: 12noon-10pm, Saturday: 9am-10pm, Sunday: 9am-6pm. A 2-hour run costs $14.00.

River Valley is owned by former NHLer Walt Tkackuk who bought 100-acres there in 1970, while he was still playing hockey.