Barber Mill
After having lived in Halton Hills for over 10 years now, of which I spent 7 years next to the Barber Mill, I'm disappointed in the condition of this historic site. I'm aware of the proposed development for this site which if I remember correctly was to be a condo building and I understand that the parking was going to be an issue. Yet the town has not come up with any solution along with the developer to preserve this Heritage site. Over the years, the property was used for a pilot for a TV series (awesome) , part of the buildings had to be torn down for safety reasons (safety is important), but now the real historic buildings are in such disrepair and have been spray painted all over with graffiti. While living next to the site, the fire department were call several times a year for fires. Thankfully no one was every hurt including our first responders.
A solution that I would propose if parking is an issue would be to close off Maple Avenue at River Drive and utilize this area for parking. The residence of Palomino Trail would still have their entrance/exit from Maple Ave and entrance off River Drive.
As for the Credit Valley Association whom I'm sure has jurisdiction over the Credit River, this is what I have to say to them:
There are sites that have been developed along side rivers or conservation land in Alton (MillCroft Inn), Elora (Elora Mill Hotel & Spa) and The Parkland on the Glen (Senior's Residence), to name just a couple. All of these sites have conservation lands around, no different than the Barber Mill. When I lived in Mississauga, I watched The Parkland on the Glen go up. There was a herd of deer (10 or more), foxes, rabbits, probably even coyotes that ran through the Sawmill Creek Trail. The wildlife didn't care what building was going on. They were not impacted at all. As I'm sure the fish in the Credit won't care!
This all being said I don't understand the holdup on the development of this very important, Historic site in Halton Hills. We need to preserve as much of our heritage as possible and from what I can see by the Historic Plaque by the Barber Mill, this is an important enough site to be developed and preserved for future generations.
