Elmvale-The Capital of Springwater

An unrecognized Jewel in Springwater
At the EDHS meeting in Elmvale on Oct 15th, in my brief dissertation, I described Elmvale as the Capital of Springwater. On my way out, our mayor commented to me and said, “Bill, I am sorry that I forgot to mention that Elmvale was the capital of Springwater.” Being a skeptic, I don’t think he meant that as an honest oversight. For some reason he thinks that Nursery Road by the new administration building is main street Springwater and has basically stated that at council meetings.
I grew up on a farm on the fifth of Flos in the 50’s. Elmvale was the economic centre and a thriving village that supported the mainly rural farming community that surrounded it. I lived for two years in Elmvale on Lorne Street in the 70’s with a young family and enjoyed our strolls to the main street. The people were friendly; the shopkeepers knew most of their clientele. Based on the Provinces direction for municipalities to develop complete communities, Elmvale is the only urban centre that meets that criterion in the Township of Springwater. Just think of it, it has all the amenities that someone could enjoy, all in walking distance. I agree with the mayor, as we attempt to retain the crown jewel of our community, EDHS, that Elmvale is like a campus and everything is accessible. My question is why are we not supporting it more.
Since I have been at the planning and council meetings since Feb, I have noticed approvals for expenditures for added services to Springwater. Did you know that well over half a million dollars will be spent on baseball diamonds in the property close to the soccer fields and new administration centre? I have even heard the mayor refer to this as a campus. Possibly in his vision this is the continuation of development to make Nursery Road main street Springwater. Would it not have been a thought to possibly establish some of these baseball diamonds in Elmvale close to EDHS? Just think of the ball tournaments that could be attracted to the benefit of the struggling merchants on main street Elmvale. Since I teach business part time, I understand why the ball fields are in Midhurst. Based on GIS mapping it determined this is the central location if you take all homes in the township into consideration based on travel distant. That makes sense if Springwater was isolated in the middle of nowhere. However, since Midhurst is close to all the amenities of Barrie, the decision criteria should have included such things as the economic benefit to the township and the better servicing of the rural residents as considerations. That did not happen.
I have the same criticism about our new administration building. Just think of the benefit it would have brought to Elmvale if located there. With 50 people on staff, it would have meant a lot of local meals and shopping, a great benefit to the community and the township. I understand that the Township owned the land in Midhurst but a more visionary approach should have been taken by the council. The Township spent extra money to be a LEEDS rated facility. I believe the extra travel distance and the use of cars to get to the isolated location of the new admin centre more than offsets any greenhouse gas savings in the building. I am not sure that this takes Springwater in the direction of building complete communities. The township is attempting to minimize the impact by offering incentives for ride sharing and installing a wellness facility. In Elmvale neither would be necessary.
We can’t undo the past, but we can change the future, I ask this council to focus on what they can do for Elmvale and especially Elmvale District High School. There were many good ideas presented at the community meeting on Oct 15th with many local residents in attendance. In particular I would like to see any future consideration of added recreational facilities such as swimming pools, racquet sports or any other sports of that nature being developed in conjunction with the improvement of the school. I for one am opposed to any consideration of a multimillion dollar multiple use recreation facility (MURF) which would most likely be parked beside the administration building. I like the idea of medical services, cooperative education with some university like Guelph focused on education in agriculture, a real benefit to our rural community all being brought onto the EDHS campus. I would ask our warden to consider placing some of the county services in Elmvale. All these moves would assist in convincing some of the disconnected County School Board Trustees to realize the importance of the presence of EDHS in Elmvale. It is more than a school; it is part of the heart of the community. Without EDHS, Elmvale will decay and slowly die.
I beg our councilors to get away from thinking big city, which seems to be the approach of the planning of our township at the moment. Let’s dig deep into the roots and backbone of the Township of Springwater. If you are looking for identity please remember people know where you can find Elmvale, Anten Mills, Phelpston, Midhurst, Hillsdale, Orr Lake, Snow Valley, Minesing, Centre Vespra. Some even know Fergusonvale and Apto. Few know what Springwater is or where it is located and there is probably not enough money to brand it. Branding takes more than a new logo and a catch phrase.
Main Street Springwater is Queen Street Elmvale and I think we can build on that to the benefit of all citizens of Springwater.