Updates from General Committee Meeting dated Jan 11, 2023

Construction Noise - 

At Wednesday's general committee meeting, a Barrie resident voiced his disapproval from the gallery with regard to the noise created by the construction project at 37 Johnson st. 

“At the time I left to attend this meeting at 6:45, they were still working,” he said. “These people have total disregard for any bylaws.”

Before he spoke, Councillor Clare Riepma proposed an amendment that would give conditional exemption to the construction company FRAM and Slokker.

According to current by-laws, construction in quiet zones is permitted from 7am to 5pm only. The site falls under a quiet zone as there is a senior’s home nearby. The motion approved unanimously will allow the company to extend the hours of construction from 7am to 8pm one day a week Monday through Thursday. However it will have to meet certain conditions. One of them is to provide residents who live within 500 meters of a construction site with the contact information for any questions or concerns.

“This is going to allow him to actually finish the building much sooner,” Riepma said. “If we don't do this, then construction is going to drag out all summer long.” 

Many people have voiced their grievances regarding the construction noise, the glaring crane lights past 8pm, and other issues. Riepma stated that if the company does not comply with the conditions, its permit will be revoked. This came after they had previously applied for an exemption, but chose to withdraw it upon realizing they were unlikely to receive a positive response from the council.

Announcements - 

There were several announcements from Mayor Nuttall. 

Nuttall announced the appointment of Paul Evans as the new Chief Building Official. Evans joined the Building Services Department in 2021 as a supervisor of building services. He has previously worked for the town of Erin and the Town of Newmarket.

The Building Services department is a part of the City's Infrastructure & Growth Management division. It ensures that Barrie buildings are safe.

In his new role, Evans will be responsible for overseeing Building Permits, Building Inspections, Building Complaints and Building Administration. 

Barrie residents can track Barrie snowplows to know when their street was last serviced. The tracker is available at barrie.ca/snow. 

The city is now accepting applications for the Arts and Culture Investment Program. It invests in the work of not-for-profit arts and cultural organizations. The application deadline is February 15th 2023. For more information and to download an application, visit barrie.ca/acip.

YouYube Video Timestamps - 

0:00 Intro

0:02:40 New Chief Building Official

0:03:25 Construction Noise

0:16:00 Announcements

0:25:50 Outro