Laurie Watt on Municipal Affairs

One of the worst council meetings to date

Theatre of the Absurd.

I was giddy with laughter as I made the joke initially, at 11 p.m. Monday night.
But shortly afterwards as I drove home, I was disappointed, perhaps even slightly peeved, at how accurate the description was.

This week’s Barrie council meeting was perhaps one of the worst I’ve ever attended in my eight years covering City Hall, perhaps among the worst meetings I’ve ever attended in my 25 years as a reporter.
There were decisions, some with rationales and others without, that made the mind boggle.

There was the quote from Mayor Dave Aspden about train whistles; they disturb people in long-term care centres, including the one for the deaf. Despite a $10,000 study recommending the city keep the whistle or face virtually unlimited liability, city councillors opted to silence the whistle.

OK. It’s a quality of life issue – and they were within their right to make that decision. That’s what politicians are elected to do: make tough decisions that balance the good of the corporation with the good that is quality of life.

Despite stretching their necks out to stop the whistle, they wouldn’t move a fraction of an inch to bolster quality of life in the southwest area of the city, the area south of Dunlop Street and west of Highway 400.

Residents there have been asking for some sort of library service – at least a pick-up/drop-off service. Obstacle after obstacle has been put in the way of this basic request, justified by the city’s plans to open a southend branch in Painswick.

But when we examine quality of life, the branch that will open late in 2010 won’t be any more convenient for southwest residents than the downtown library. In fact, the post-commute drive to downtown Barrie is likely easier than the trek along Mapleview Drive to Painswick would be.

Still, councillors refused to allow two southwest councillors the opportunity to consult with their residents about library services they’d find most useful.

What? Refuse to consult citizens about a service they pay for? This, from a council that claims one of its strategic priorities is “ensure proactive communications with the public?”

They also argued about whether to support a federal recreation renewal grant application to renovate the Eastview Arena – a project the city has wanted to do but couldn’t afford to do – and add an artificial ice rink to the city stock.

The mind boggled here for a few reasons, including the possibility of risking federal funding, fixing an old arena that could go the way of Dunlop Arena due to neglect, and enhancing public opportunities to skate and play hockey in a neighbourhood.

They argued too about money to upgrade 36 Mulcaster St., former MPP Joe Tascona’s constituency office, for public use for a new museum partnership between the Grey and Simcoe Foresters and the Barrie Historical Association.

It really was theatre of the absurd. Thankfully, the curtain fell at 11 p.m.

YMCA issue should be over

As Coun. Alex Nuttall pulled the City of Barrie van into a small parking spot on the narrow residential Gatineau street at 4:30 a.m. early Feb. 10, he likely sighed in relief, that the worst was over.
Still, parallel parking the city van wasn’t easy, especially with the little sleep and overabundance of excitement in the previous 24 hours.

When Nuttall and his council colleague Barry Ward hopped into a city van to head to Ottawa after a council meeting that had run overtime, forcing them to miss their late-evening flight to Ottawa and left them driving six hours in the middle of winter, they thought the Allandale Station issue was settled.

While there to advocate on protecting Lake Simcoe, expanding public transit and investing in critical infrastructure, councillors also worked to bring a variety of federal departments on board with an innovative plan that includes the YMCA and a well-established development company that’s new to Barrie.

Indeed, bringing the federal government on track makes sense, as the proposal includes restoring the old station, but also spurring redevelopment and revitalization of old Allandale and its integration into the city core and waterfront. Nuttall and Ward met with a series of ministers, including sport, heritage and infrastructure and communities.

They picked up the ball and ran with it.

It’s an incredible game plan, actually, as the new YMCA proposal updates the five-year-old Allandale Community Improvement Plan and integrates it with Ontario’s Places to Grow and cutting-edge economic development theory by Dr. Richard Florida. Perhaps it doesn’t fit precisely into the tight confines of the CIP, but it adheres to its spirit and brings it into world today, which is very different than it was five years ago, in terms of not only economics but also planning and economic development directives.

The YMCA plan council approved is ahead of its time.
Unfortunately, its detractors are so focused on yesterday that they cannot see today’s realities and tomorrow’s possibilities.

Let’s hope that the greater community sees the incredible potential and supports building a project that doesn’t try to fit what existed before, but which envisions a place that can accommodate us all. Let’s leave the tight spaces to on-street parking.

Convenience of 100 should not outweigh the good of 1,500

While history, tradition and lore have an important role to play in building a community, so too do the needs of children, needs of their neighbourhoods and the need to be fiscally responsible.

So as the Simcoe County District School Board examines how to handle the declining enrolment in the central area of the city, the families served by Prince of Wales, Hillcrest, Portage View and Andrew Hunter schools, it should seriously look to the present and futre as it looks to close schools, which shape not only lives but neighbourhoods.

Four options are being discussed, with three closing Prince of Wales; this should be a no-brainer. Deemed prohibitive to repair (PTR) by the Ministry of Education, Prince of Wales is home to less than 100 neighbourhood children. It’s barely being kept viable by the extended French program, which could be easily moved to nearby Hillcrest (a 10-minute walk away, on the edge of downtown, yet in one of the largest greenspaces in the city).

Keeping Prince of Wales open would cost at least the $5.6 million the school board will receive in PTR funding. And for what? To keep less than 100 neighbourhood children where they are.

The school board could learn from Barrie’s experience of working in that district; two separate roadwork contracts came in way over budget, due to soil contamination and dewatering. Chances are bringing Prince of Wales up to Building Code standards will cost closer to $10 million than $5 million, especially as the school needs a new gym, library, and kindergarten areas, as well as accessible washrooms on every level.

And accessibility should not be dismissed. Currently, Hillcrest is not accessible. Yes, kids in wheelchairs are being turned away from their home school. This should not be allowed to continue in Ontario in 2009. But if Prince of Wales were to be kept open, there’d be no money left to make Hillcrest accessible.

Nor would there be cash to give Portage View a new gym, a better library, and add classrooms.

Nor would there be cash to upgrade Andrew Hunter to accommodate children in the Edgehill Drive area – whose bus ride would be cut in half, who could attend a school with a city-owned rink, recreation centre and pool attached to it.

Should the convenience of 100 children outweigh the good of 1,500 others?

No.

Instead, imagine Prince of Wales playing a new role in the community.

It could be easily converted into an incredible arts space; Barrie is now trying to help the Barrie Art Club find studio and store space in the city core. Following the tradition in Toronto’s Distillery District (among other examples), Barrie could convert the old school – with its high-ceilinged, bright classrooms, into studios. The artists based there could easily access the downtown core and waterfront area for inspiration.

This supports the city’s vision to use arts as an economic driver. It’s also consistent with cutting-edge economic theory that outlines how the wealth-generating “creative class” creates jobs. Highly sought-after, this group could locate anywhere in the world, yet it looks for a sense of place, where people in the community can connect and create together. Helping artists integrate into public spaces would spur on more creativity and build the vibrant sector that Premier Dalton McGuinty is looking to foster, thanks to a study by Dr. Richard Florida and his research team.

This scenario outlined has a name. It’s called Option B.

And it’s the best way for the school board to forge ahead to help build a better Barrie for our kids today and tomorrow.