>Starfish Nicaragua sells out at St. Andrews Anglican Pg 6 > New parking to help Smithvile United Pg. 5 > WL Chamber gets its hula on Pg. 9 > MURS process a problem: reader Pg. 15 Thursday, February 2, 2017 Vol. 5 Issue 39
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ARC peppered with passion, questions at GSS session By Mike Williscraft NewsNow Poor Grade 8 student retention, skepticism over enrollment projections and inquiries regarding the “fast track” timeline for school closings were recurring themes at last Thursday’s Accommodation Review Committee public meeting. The meeting - at Grimsby Secondary School - was the third and final in an ARC process which preceded by meetings for South Lincoln High School in November and Beamsville District Secondary School in December. About 220 people were on hand in GSS’s cafeteria. ARC facilitator Cam Hathaway went through a lengthy list of statistics and findings arrived at through research by District School Board of Niagara staff - much of which was challenged by many at the meeting. With a loss rate of 17.8 per cent of Grade 8 students going to post second-
ary schools other than public board options, Niagara West has the highest loss rate in Niagara Region, Hathaway told the crowd. Those in attendance urged the ARC committee, and by extension school board trustees, to think outside the box when it comes to possible solutions for all three Niagara West high schools. Several speakers suggested using the facilities for complementary uses such as employment centres, training facilities, medical centres and other ideas to maximize the space in the buildings. Hathaway said that while that would alleviate the unused space issue, it would not help with the inability to program classes for students due to low enrollment numbers. Speaker Robin Mahy touched on several major questions in her presentation, including: how can bus ride projections be done if the location for the new super school has not been set?; have See GSS, Page 2
Accommodation Review Committee facilitator Cam Hathaway sets the ground rules for last week’s pubic meeting at Grimsby Secondary School. Williscraft - Photo
Transit open house
Cost, timing key transit concerns A proposed transit system for Grimsby met with considerable opposition at a public meeting Monday night. Grimsby’s council chambers was near capacity for consultant Dennis Kar’s updated presentation detailing what the town could expect from launching its own transit system. The problem for some in the crowd, was not necessarily whether such a system should proceed, but the scope, cost and planning of it was challenged throughout the evening. “A lot of this sounds like justification,” said
resident Dave Sharpe. “We all know stats can be made to say anything we want. You (Kar) told us 84 per cent of residents are in favour of a transit system and 63 per cent support a $25 hike in taxes to pay for it.” “But the survey shows support drops to seven per cent if the tax hike is $100 per year. Are we looking at a seven per cent support rating if costs come in high?” A big part of the issue in nailing down specifics, noted Kar, is a lot of the possible revenue components of a transit system are specula-
tive at this point. He noted a provincial tire tax fund, a federal infrastructure fund, cost-sharing with neighbouring municipalities, Grimsby’s own development charges and other possibilities are major potential contributors which could limit financial exposure for taxpayers. At many points in the evening, Kar noted the decision to proceed is about the political will of council. “To add $50 in taxes annually to a house that pays $3,000 in taxes is not big,” said Kar. “But to go from a 63 per cent to seven
support level is big,” Sharpe rebutted. “It’s a political decision,” said Kar. Kar said the first year of operation would have service from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. MondayFriday, and 8:30 a.m.6:30 p.m. on Saturdays. No Sunday service is proposed. There would be two routes in Year I, eventually expanding to three routes, which could include connections to Lincoln and West Lincoln, in Year III-IV. To maintain 30-minute stop intervals at peak time, Kar said 4-5 busses would be needed See TRANSIT, Page 3