Over the next couple of months, Barrie council will have an incredible opportunity to create a more vibrant city and leave a legacy of vision in architecture and public spaces.
There are two strategic decisions to be made: one on what the new performing arts centre should be, the other regarding the old Allandale Station.
The future of the old train station will come up first; it is to be discussed in a staff report on Nov. 3. The temptation will be to choose a commercial development. Shutters Restaurant owner Mark Porter does indeed have an impressive record of restoring old buildings and injecting new life into them; further, the thought of the area bringing in commercial taxes will no doubt tempt council to choose this option over the YMCA’s plan to construct a state-of-the-art Y – which includes employment services, immigrant services, youth leadership and child care, along with the traditional athletic and personal development programs.
Although choosing Porter’s proposal seems like an easy answer, we must question whether more commercial is really an answer, especially as the retail sector suffers in the economic downturn. Further, the city’s supply of commercial space is already plentiful and more is in the works, with the nearby old racetrack redevelopment and the Park Place development 10 minutes away.
Drive through town and keep an eye open for vacant commercial: there is an oversupply, with lots of new and lots of upgraded in established, densely-populated areas (the Wellington Plaza redevelopment being a prime example).
According to economist Dr. Richard Florida, communities need to place as much value on arts, entertainment and recreation to appeal to and include a diverse array of people and help them not only see their dreams but make them reality.
This sounds like what the Y does; it offers an array of programs that build not only bodies, but also minds and spirits. It is not a job to be undervalued, although often it is, as the Y can easily be dismissed as a social agency. On visionary grounds alone, the Y’s plan deserves serious consideration; further, the proposal could blend the old with the new and help visitors and members alike appreciate the heritage and history of the old station.
The second issue relates to the downtown performing arts centre. Located in a 1950s Scotiabank on the Five Points, a small city-owned theatre will open Nov. 15. After giving local groups a place to perform over the winter, the city will close the theatre next spring and invest $1.5 million to $6 million in a permanent performing arts centre.
According to Dr. Florida, the city can’t afford to scrimp. Investing in an iconic building that will stimulate creativity and enhance the creative potential of the community is a key opportunity and just as necessary as putting sewer mains in the road and providing clean drinking water.
A $6-million building would feature an enclosed rooftop garden, which not only adds architecture and style to a key city intersection, but which offers a unique public space for business and for the arts, for the community to gather, connect and vision overlooking downtown and the bay.
City council, however, risks being caught up by money – by the money the commercial development offers and by the potential savings a cheaper arts centre option saves.
These would be not only shortsighted, they would shortchange the community and rob it of two key opportunities to sparkle.
And quite honestly, the city needs to sparkle, if it is to grow richer and attract post-industrial jobs that are green, progressive and wealth-generating. And that is the key to long-term prosperity and stable taxes, as well as a diverse community that includes us all and respects the environment.
Lets see, we have womens fitness, allendale rec center, two Ultamate Fitness already have a Y and I believe a few more rec centers in the region. Some of these rec centers like the Y, Holly and Allendale get government money. Then when we the citizens of Barrie go to use the service we get dinged by "user fees." This means that 99 percent of us cannot use the facility only the well to do rich can. So why another YMCA and loss of a historic station that cannot be accessed by anyone. Why not do up the old station and make it free for all to enjoy?
Posted by: No more Y's | November 20, 2008 at 05:23 PM