Minden Hills council has been asked to approve a zoning bylaw amendment to pave the way for St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club to build a children’s camp on Howland Lake.
Township planner, Amanda Dougherty, at a Dec. 12 council meeting, said the site is at 5373 County Road 121.
The application was submitted by Duncan Ross Architects and Markham Planning Associates, on behalf of the club’s Chris Foster.
Dougherty said that historically, the property was operated as a camp, primarily through the 1960s and 1970s with a dining hall and 10 cabins. She said the club acquired the property in 2018. They demolished the cabins, which were in bad shape. They did minor renovations to the dining hall and constructed and repaired two docks.
Dougherty said they now want to reinstate a children’s overnight camp in the summer for up to 150 staff and campers per day. They aim to renovate and maintain the dining hall and will lodge campers in three cabins.
They are also planning buildings for arts and drama, a ropes’ course, trails and sports playing field and canoeing, swimming and fishing.
Dougherty said they plan to phase the development, starting with one cabin.
The planner said the application was not 100 per cent complete, but the rezoning would not encroach on wetlands, the septic system will be built to accommodate maximum capacity, they will get a permit for a small drinking water system from the health unit, and entry should be fine.
“Once all comments have been satisfied, a subsequent report will be brought forward to council with a complete planning analysis,” Dougherty said.
Speaking for the executive director of the club, Chris Boswell, Melissa Markham said the land is about 232 acres and they want to rezone about 40 acres. She said it would be serviced by private water and sewer. She added they were seeking a reduced parking rate in accordance with a submitted traffic impact study. The application proposes to reduce the parking requirement from 58 to 20. They estimated six buses arriving once a week with 20 parking spaces allowing for temporary delivery, and parking and shortterm parking for parents or guardians.
Coun. Pam Sayne said she supported anything that brings youth to the area. Referencing the plans, she added, “this is going to be quite extensive. It’s really exciting to see.”
The club was founded by Toronto police inspector W.H. (Bill) Bolton in 1949. The club began with 25 boys in the basement of St. Alban’s Parish Hall.
During the late 1950s, the club’s membership expanded to 300 boys and beyond the capacity of the parish hall. On Oct. 17, 1961 the new club at 843 Palmerston Ave. was opened. That same year, St. Alban’s was accepted as a member agency of the United Way of Greater Toronto. In 1978, the club was renamed St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club.
In 1999, St. Alban’s merged with Jane and Finch Boys and Girls Club. With the successful outreach model they continued to grow to offer children and youth programs in multiple locations in the Jane and Finch, Weston-Mount Dennis, Lawrence Heights, and Bathurst and Dupont communities.
In 2013, the club opened their next generation building project – The Jane and Finch Boys and Girls Club Youth Centre.
According to their website, “a long-time dream of the club staff and leadership was realized when we purchased a campground on Howland Lake in Minden Hills in 2018. We have a long way to go to get it ready for campers, but we are so excited about the journey. We will keep you posted about our progress.”
