Downtown Caledonia Street Tree Installation Project Update

– Posted September 1, 2023

The County’s contractor has successfully removed all of the old guards and electrical boxes that were damaging the street trees along Argyle Street North.  The sidewalk has been repaired and new tree grates have been installed in the sidewalk around the trees.

During the excavation and refurbishment of the tree planting pits, the County discovered that the root system of nine trees are structurally unsound and will have to be removed.  These trees will be replanted in addition to the 15 new trees that were originally planned to be planted.  The tree removal and replanting are expected to occur between September 5 to September 15.

During the tree removal and planting the sidewalk and roads will remain open to pedestrian and vehicle traffic.  You may experience some dust, noise and sections of the sidewalk and some roadside parking stalls will be temporarily unavailable.  The County’s contractor will make efforts to reduce these impacts.  We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we complete this work which will inevitably have long-lasting benefits for the downtown core of Caledonia.

For further information or any questions about this project please contact the Facilities and Operations Helpdesk at (905) 318-5932 ext. 6503 or by email at forestry@haldimandcounty.on.ca.

Downtown Caledonia Street Tree Installation Project

– Posted August 8, 2023

Starting the week of August 8, 2023, the County will begin work on the downtown Caledonia Street Tree Revitalization project to implement the following infrastructure upgrades:

• Removal of all the dead and declining trees.  The healthy and structurally sound trees will be retained.
• Removal of all tree grates, tree guards and electrical system.
• Excavation and refurbishment of the existing tree pits.
• New concrete sidewalk panels around the existing tree pits.
• Installation of new trees and tree grates.

The County’s contractor will undertake this project in phases.

• Phase 1:  East side of Argyle Street North from the Bridge to 172 Argyle Street North (August 8 – August 15)
• Phase 2:  West side of Argyle Street North from the Bridge to 173 Argyle Street North (August 15- August 25)
• Phase 3:  Installation of new trees and grates (September)

During construction, the sidewalk and roads will remain open to pedestrian and vehicle traffic.  You may experience some dust, noise and sections of the sidewalk and some roadside parking stalls will be temporarily unavailable.  The County’s contractor will make efforts to reduce these impacts.  We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we complete this work which will inevitably have long-lasting benefits for the downtown core of Caledonia.

For further information or any questions about this project, please contact the Facilities and Operations Helpdesk at (905) 318-5932 ext. 6503 or by email at forestry@haldimandcounty.on.ca.

Haldimand County is pleased to announce the acceptance of a grant from Enbridge in the amount of $5000.

The grant is a part of Enbridge’s Safe Communities Grant and will allow us to purchase Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms for the community. Haldimand County fire fighters will then be able to provide those alarms to residents in our municipality as part of our Smoke and CO Alarm programs.

Haldimand County, and Haldimand County Emergency Services, are pleased to accept this grant and continue to foster a safe and proactive community.

As a result of prolonged, heavy rainfall throughout Haldimand County on Saturday, July 29, some residents may have experienced flash floods and water pooling on roads.

Residents who sustained water damage as a result of this weekend’s heavy rain are encouraged to contact their insurance company for guidance with respect to their coverage and policy. When you experience water damage, your first call should always be to your insurance broker, as this is usually the quickest way to have repairs made and recover costs incurred.

The county appreciates the numerous resident reports that came through over the weekend in identifying public areas where water hazards may be present. As always, in any significant weather event that occurs outside of regular operating hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm), residents are encouraged to call the After-Hours Road, Sewer, Water or Park & Public Facilities Emergencies reporting line at 1-888-849-7345.

The County routinely monitors and maintains its stormwater systems throughout the county and our preliminary information indicates the systems were operating as designed during this storm event.

The new traffic signals at the intersection of McClung Road and Caithness Street East in Caledonia will be operational on Wednesday July 12th, 2023.

Testing of the new lights will occur throughout the day and OPP officers will be on site directing traffic. Drivers and pedestrians are asked to proceed with extra caution at this intersection as everyone becomes accustomed to the new traffic signals.

Construction at the intersection will continue over summer 2023 and the new intersection will be fully operational in early fall 2023.

Anyone with questions or concerns regarding construction projects may contact:

Engineering Services
engineering@haldimandcounty.on.ca
905-381-5932 ext. 6404

Over the next 3-4 months, Hydro One forestry crews will be performing scheduled line clearing in the Dunnville area, including around the Feeder Canal. Work involves trims and removals on private and public lands. The majority of work will be chipped if under approximately 4” diameter with the exception of thick woodlots and\or heavy vegetation spots that the brush\branches can safely be hidden or cut into fine piles. All bigger wood will be left on site.

View a map showing areas where tree maintenance will be occurring in the Dunnville area. Work area is highlighted in blue on the project map.

Questions or concerns regarding these maintenance activities may be directed to Hydro One.

Hydro One will also be performing tree maintenance operations around Cayuga and Decewsville.

View a map showing areas where tree maintenance will be occurring in the Cayuga area. Work area is highlighted in blue on the project map.

View a map showing areas where tree maintenance will be occurring in the Decewsville area. Work area is highlighted on the project map.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of oak wilt (Bretziella fagacearum) in Niagara Falls, Ontario after receiving reports of symptomatic trees in the area. This is the first known case of Oak Wilt in Canada and it is a serious concern in Haldimand County as Oak trees can be found in our backyards, gardens, forests, cemeteries, parks, along roadsides and trails.

Oak wilt is a fungal pathogen that is spread through the tree roots and by sap beetles. Once the fungus is in an Oak tree, it spreads through the vascular system and restricts the upward movement of water and nutrients. The leaves of infected trees can wilt and drop without these resources, resulting in complete defoliation early in the spring and summer.

Please read the information provided by the CFIA at the following link:

https://inspection.canada.ca/plant-health/invasive-species/plant-diseases/oak-wilt/eng/1325624048625/1325624535106

What you can do:

• Check your Oak trees for signs of Oak Wilt.
• Report suspected signs of Oak Wilt to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
• Don’t prune Oak trees between April and August when the sap beetles are active.
• Don’t move firewood from Oak trees.

Haldimand County will continue to monitor for signs of Oak Wilt in County owned trees and forests.  If you think a County-owned tree is showing signs of Oak Wilt please contact the County immediately.

(905) 318-5932 ext. 6503

forestry@haldimandcounty.on.ca

Updated: August 1, 2023

Starting the week of June 12, 2023, the County will begin work on the downtown Dunnville street tree installation project to implement the following infrastructure upgrades:

• Removal of all existing trees, tree grates and tree guards.
• Excavation of refurbished and new planting sites in sidewalks to accept new trees.
• New concrete sidewalk panels to fill in existing, open tree pits.
• Installation of new trees, tree grates and tree guards.

The County’s contractor is continuing to implement street tree improvements within the downtown core of Dunnville.  Due to delays in obtaining the tree hardware and equipment availability the activities for each phase will now occur simultaneously for each road segment.

1. Queen Street from Main Street East to Maple Street
2. Lock Street East from Cedar Street to Queen Street
3. Chestnut Street from Queen Street to Broad Street East
4. Bridge Street from Main Street East to Queen Street

Phase 1 (July 31 to August 23):

• Removal of the remaining trees.
• Cutting the sidewalk panels to open locations for new trees.
• Install new concrete sidewalk to fill in old/unused tree pits.

Phase 2 (September 1 to September 21):

• Install the frames for the sidewalk grates around all new tree locations.

Phase 3 (September 25 to October 2):

• Plant the new trees for Lock Street East, Chestnut Street and Bridge Street.

Phase 4 (November/December):

• Install the sidewalk grates.

The sidewalk and roads will remain open to pedestrian and vehicle traffic during construction.  You may experience some dust and noise. Sections of the sidewalk and some roadside parking stalls will be temporarily unavailable.  The County’s contractor will make efforts to reduce these impacts.  We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we complete this work which will inevitably have long-lasting benefits for the downtown core of Dunnville.

For further information or any questions about this project, please contact the Facilities and Operations Helpdesk at (905) 318-5932 ext. 6503 or by email at forestry@haldimandcounty.on.ca

County-wide Outdoor Water Use Restrictions – Level 2

Haldimand County municipal water customers are notified that there are outdoor water use restrictions in place under By-Law No. 1420/14. These restrictions are implemented to conserve water during seasonal high water demand periods. Restrictions apply to residents connected to Haldimand County’s municipal drinking water system.

Currently, outdoor water use restrictions are at Level 2. Outdoor water use is to follow the following schedule:

• Premises with an odd number address on odd numbered days
• Premises with an even number address on even numbered days

These restrictions include activities such as lawn watering, watering trees, shrubs, flowers, gardens, residential vehicle washing, filling residential swimming and wading pools & other related activities.

Your cooperation will help ensure a safe and reliable water supply for all customers.