By Mark
Schadenberg
Oxford
County is a fruitful area for agriculture and aggregates.
This
leads to concrete – Federal White and others.
Concrete
is utilized obviously in countless industrialized fashions, but not the fashion
industry.
Our
farm fields in Oxford are among the most fertile in the province and a precious
resource for our food basket. One acre of agricultural property could sell for
over $20,000 currently in this jurisdiction, especially north of Woodstock in
the Embro and Hickson areas.
However,
maybe as equally important to our economy is mining – shallow pit mining for
aggregates. Oxford County, but also Middlesex, Norfolk and Brant are known for
future stockpiles of raw construction materials such as these aggregates
(gravel, crushed stone, etc). In fact, when the Official Plan is written and
later analyzed as the guidebook or rulebook there is always a tug and pull over
a particular chunk of lands future designation – highest-and-best use.
Read
the link below from the London Free Press, as it describes a possible new
subdivision surrounding a soon-to-be-idle aggregate pit (quarry) in the Byron area.
The plan can be rather simple, fill the hole with water to create a lake and
parklands, establish wildlife for that particular habitat, and then build
houses around it. It is a re-purposing or a re-focus project.
It is
obvious to anyone, the worst idea would be to transform a former mine into a
garbage dump, which has been proposed for the Centreville area between
Beachville and Ingersoll.
We not
only require clean water, but it’s certainly a human essential. An easy choice
-- fresh ground water in our midst versus having to pump it through pipelines
from Lake Erie or Huron.
Oxford
County website:
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The Clean Water Act requires the development of
Source Protection Plans (SPPs) to protect municipal drinking water sources
within the various Source Protection Regions in the Province. Oxford
County is contained with the Lake Erie and Thames Sydenham and Region Source Protection Regions and part of four different source protection areas (Grand
River, Long Point, Catfish Creek and Thames River), each of which has a
separate SPP
()()()()()()()()()
In the
world of mathematics, the equation can be defined as quite simply: subtract the
aggregates from the ground that are needed for industry, especially
construction (concrete and roads), rehab the area (adding) to re-introduce animals and
plants, and then let nature run its course by establishing a proper depth to
welcome the aquifer and rain water to create a park.
I know, it doesn't really happen this way, even though aggregate companies are required to budget for restoration projects.
In the
meantime, Woodstock companies like Pre Con (www.armtec.com;
1100 Dundas at Beard’s Lane) rely on these quarry locations, including Thornton
Sand & Gravel on Clarke Road just west of the 230 Truck Stop, along with
five additional locals in Oxford.
Oxford
Sand & Gravel is another large firm and they have an arm building roads
called Permanent Paving.
Armtec is:
()()()()()()()()()
Armtec offers an exceptional range of engineered products and
solutions and has set high standards for quality, versatility and ease of
installation.
We serve national and regional public infrastructure and private sector markets in agricultural drainage, commercial building, residential construction and natural resources, with:
We serve national and regional public infrastructure and private sector markets in agricultural drainage, commercial building, residential construction and natural resources, with:
·
Products for drainage, bridge applications, soil retention, piping/tubesand
bridge repair, and water management systems including corrugatedhigh-density polyethylene, concrete and corrugated steel pipe
·
An array of architectural and structural precast concrete
products from steps, paving stones, slabs and wall panels to highly engineered structural
components designed and installed for projects such as bridges, sports venues and parking garages
·
A full suite of noise barriers and acoustic enclosures along with
associated retaining and traffic barrier systems
·
Services to support your project from conception through to
completion
()()()()()()()()()
Armtec
builds bridges, pipelines, pre-engineered concrete products and much more. Sound
proof walls for railway lines amounted to a $70 million contract in Ontario in
2014.
Water
is an absolute essential resource, and that’s why I grumble when I see folks
wasting water to have the greenest lawn on the street and the cleanest
vehicles.
Woodstock
has a few former aggregate mines that require rehab, but the one I quickly
think of is at the corner of Juliana and Athlone. Since, the remaining land
there is essentially a cliff, and because the area is not attractive for
commercial as it’s not on a main artery or large enough parcel for a truck expediting
depot, I’m not sure what the future holds there.
In
Woodstock, Brick Pond Wetlands is essentially a revived ecosystem. In the mid
1800’s that area was a prominent site to make clay bricks. When the pit became
idle, it returned to nature. It only became an issue when Woodstock needed to
extend Springbank Avenue through it (over it) with a large bridge to Parkinson
Road.
A
former quarry in nearby St Marys and at the Thames River Wildwood watershed,
was recently hailed for its environmental improvements, receiving a bronze
plaque from the Ontario Stone Sand and Gravel Association (Link below)
Much of
Oxford’s original wetlands have been drained for farmland.
Nature
needs its turtles and trees, warblers and wetlands, fish and firs, and we
shouldn’t have to travel to Algonquin Park to see it.
LINKS:
Mark Schadenberg, sales representative
Royal LePage Triland Realty Brokerage
757 Dundas St, Woodstock
(519) 537-1553
Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter: markroyallepage
Facebook: Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
HI
ReplyDeleteThis was an excellent post and was very insightful.
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