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THE PAPER THAT PELHAM READS
bilko@rgcmail.com Vol.23 No.8
Wednesday, February 20 2019
DARCYRICHARDSON.CA 905.321.6292
FREE
No hasty decision on Haist arena
Column Six
Is it really the Real Thing?
Council and Town staff welcome public comment
BY COLIN BREZICKI
BY GLORIA J. KATCH
Special to the VOICE
Special to the VOICE
In spite of the fact that the Town has depleted its cash reserves, "the 'For Sale' sign" is still not on the building," said Pelham Mayor Marvin Junkin, after a public information meeting was held on the fate of the Haist Street arena last Monday, February 11. Two public information sessions, attended by about 150 residents, were held at the community centre, the construction of which is the main reason for the Town's debt-load. Junkin told the audience that not selling the old arena could result in a tax hit of 10%, or $120 per household, if the public opted to keep the facility. "If people are willing to take that much of a tax hike, we are willing to keep it," he said earlier. Teresa Quinlin, Treasurer and Interim Chief Administrative Officer, estimates the tax increase would be in excess of 7 percent if demolition of the building and remediation of the surrounding soil were to be paid for in their entirety within the next budget.
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I'd like to buy the world a home And furnish it with love Grow apple trees and honey bees And snow white turtle doves (Chorus) I'd like to teach the world to sing In perfect harmony I'd like to buy the world a Coke And keep it company That's the real thing
Treasurer and Interim CAO Teresa Quinlin addresses the second public meeting held last Monday. Town Council will wait to hear what the "majority of people" in Pelham choose through email, an online survey conducted by the Town, and a poll in the Voice. "There are lots of ways to reach us," Junkin said. The results of a Voice poll on the proposed sale run in this week’s edition on page 2. Residents support selling the arena by 2-to-1, and 86 percent of respondents say that they are unwilling to see their property taxes rise by even a dollar to keep it. The Town’s poll started this Monday and is set to run through Monday, March
4. It may be found at www. pelham.ca/arena-lands Junkin confirmed there would not be a referendum on this issue, which has been ongoing since 2014, when engineering reports indicated the arena's structural damage was too extensive to fix to maintain compliance with building codes. Since then, there have been ongoing consultation processes and information meetings, including surveys to determine the public's input. In 2017, 650 properties and 28 community groups and organizations received emails to comment on “pre-
ferred” choices regarding eventual development of the property, which the Town eventually declared surplus. The history of public consultation is on Pelham's website. The Town’s presentation of options, however, did not include retaining the site for use as a public park, which drew criticism from many in the adjacent neighbourhood. Nearly every candidate elected to council last October campaigned on a promise to reexamine the Town’s decision to sell the land. As Treasurer, Quinlin gave a snapshot of the Town's current finan-
GLORIA J. KATCH PHOTO
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cial status. She asserted that the Town had invested nearly all of its cash in tangible capital assets, and had borrowed from reserves and reserve funds to pay for these projects, mainly in East Fonthill. According to Quinlin, in May the Town will receive an audited 2018 financial statement that indicates $8 million in cash was borrowed, but the Town is expecting $6.7 million will eventually be returned in development charges. Currently, the Town's wallet is empty, while it does
ITH A MESSAGE to match the sugar content of its soft drink, Coca Cola was one of the first corporations to brand itself with feel-good politics. In its ‘70s commercial, the company torqued a song by the New Seekers embracing diversity and a love of peoplekind. Where the New Seekers advocated inclusion of all races, creeds and colours, Coke simply urged them to drink its product. It was an early ad for globalization: the movement that changed the face of the earth by sticking corporate logos on
See TOWN STAFF Page 10
See COLUMN SIX back page
F O O R P
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