The meeting was called to order by President Lyn at 7:08 am. 28 Rotarians were present plus 3 on Zoom.

A Rotary moment was cited by President Lyn – she recounted the early life history of Rotary founder Paul Harris. ‘O’ Canada’ was sung. David Hawkins read an invocation. Breakfast was served.

 

Pres. Lyn provided an update on health of members:  Mike Lattner reported that he recently spoke with Geoff Telling who looked well.

 

Lana introduced our guest speakers from Pinecrest Housing (Ken Howe and Donna Rogers).  This Not for Profit Corporation is run solely by volunteers with the purpose of providing affordable fair market value housing for residents of Prince Edward County.  Pinecrest school in Bloomfield, together with approximately 20 acres of surrounding land was purchased several years ago with the vision of constructing safe clean comfortable and affordable housing on the site.  The goal also includes the establishment of a Community Hub.  The speakers acknowledged that loneliness is a great killer in Canada and co-housing or living in a community such as the proposed Pinecrest model will help to alleviate loneliness.

 

There will be 3 phases of construction.  The first involves conversion of the school into 55 apartment units with one, two and three bedroom units.  It was reported that the school infrastructure was constructed with steel beams which are still in great condition.  The second phase involves further housing construction on an additional 5 acres of property and the final phase involves the development of 10 acres of land for recreational purposes.

 

It was reported that approximately 1,500 trees have been planted around the facility.  The Pinecrest project is a joint venture with Springale development which has had several recent fair market value properties constructed in Belleville.  It was also noted that there are numerous community connections with the Pinecrest Housing project including engineers, lawyers, accountants and architects.  It was noted that the Home Hardware in Wellington recently put a new roof on the gazebo at the Pinecrest site.

 

Examples were provided of what the studios will look like.  The units are easily accessible with wide doorways, no steps and barrier free access.  The planned units are also projected to be energy efficient with solar panels and LED lighting.  Modest suites will be rented for less than $1,000 per month.  The existing gym will be maintained.  Plans are for a café, multipurpose room, indoor walking track, a commercial kitchen and a fitness area.

 

The speakers outlined the many challenges which they have faced in this project.  Unfortunately the architect recently died and they are in the process of advertising for a new one.  They also noted the severance of the land presents an obstacle.  They also alluded to municipal ‘red tape’ which essentially ensures that safety measures are being followed.  Inflation and the ongoing costs of maintaining the building (estimated at approximately $7,000 per month) were also cited as concerns.

 

It was noted that housing affordability remains a major concern in the County.  It was noted that the Legion Manor was constructed more than 40 years ago and continues to provide a source of affordable rent within Wellington.  However it remains incredibly challenging to build affordable housing.  In 2023 the County reported approximately 1,000 people were on the waitlist for an affordable rental unit.  The speakers encouraged our Rotary group to learn about the Pinecrest development and socialize the information.

Several questions were addressed.  Pierre inquired as to why the project needed to be broken up into 3 phases?  Ken Howe explained that this related to the need for a mortgage on a partitioned parcel of land.  Ted asked when the project will be finished?  Ken replied ‘one year after securing the funding’ which is estimated at more than 10 million dollars.  Bill Hurst applauded the association with Springale developers as he has been very impressed with their work.  Robynne Smith offered her opinion based on experience with development at Niagara College that they should ‘think big’ and plan ahead.  Peter asked how much money is currently needed?  It was indicated that approximately $350,000 is needed to complete preparatory plans for the Pinecrest project.  The final housing project will provide an estimated 500 units total over the 20 acre property.

 

David Mackinnon thanked Ken and Donna for their presentation.

 

Norm reported that the D and D booklets will be available for pickup next Tuesday.  He also thanked all those who participated in the repair/refurbishment of the story board posts.

 

Yvonne reported on the maple syrup fundraiser.  She indicated that only 50 bottles of the original 1,800 bottles of syrup remain to be sold!  She encouraged members to “buy it while it lasts”.

 

David Mackinnon asked for volunteers to assist with setting up the chairs at the Wellington Community Centre for next weeks’ Blue Zone presentation.

 

Bill Pennell reported that a brief dinner-dance committee update will be held next week after our morning meeting.

 

Ted Nash’s ticket was drawn for the 50/50 draw – in his absence Ken Robertson failed to produce the ace of spades from the deck for Ted – too bad. :-(

 

Also, our pictures can be only as current as the last pictures we take, so please, if you have an interesting pictures of our recent Rotary event that tells a story, submit it to the editor (me)....