Gallanough Park flood plans will go before council, Shefman promises

Yorkregion.com
Aug. 14, 2014

Thornhill Ward 5 Councillor Alan Shefman wants to remind residents that an underground solution to flooding at Gallanough Park will be brought to city council for discussion in September.
In response to two recent news stories in The Liberal about plans for a dry pond option, as well as concerns raised by letter writers and other residents, the councillor points out that the June meeting with residents was organized to explain various flooding protection options and “allow residents to express their opinions on the plan to renew Gallanough Park as part of the installation of a dry storm water retention pond”.

He said the dry pond option was determined to be the best solution to flooding risk in the area after an environmental assessment process, combined with public meetings.

“The installation of the dry pond came about as a result of the City of Vaughan recognizing our responsibility to lower the risk of the recurrence of the flooding of dozens of homes in the area in the major (100-year) storm event that took place in 2005,” Shefman told The Liberal.

He wants all residents to realize that he and city staff are being responsive to concerns raised over the dry pond option.

“Our staff agreed to look into how they could amend the current plan to include such features requested by the participants as the toboggan hill,” Shefman said this week.

“I committed to bring to our next committee of the whole meeting in September a recommendation to construct the requested underground cistern to contain the 100-year stormwater, rather than the dry pond. I will be doing exactly that,” he said.