I Just Thought

I re-read the last post and realized something else.

At the off-site-orientation in 2003, the new council was briefed on matters pending. The most significant was disposition of various buildings which had been
replaced and which the previous council had left undone.

Studies and valuations had been carried out but no decisions made.

Two library buildings on Victoria Street were replaced. The new building had two meeting rooms to accommodate a variety of events.

Parking for the new use was totally inadequate.Still the old buildings stood. taking up valuable space and staff resources.

Since then,the former seniors' centre has been replaced. It was a parks building before it was a senior's centre and before that, a three bay firehall.

I was chairman of the fire committee in my first term. A bay was added. It cost $18 K. We borrowed from the water reserve account to build it. The roof leaked after. A lean-to at the back was the Volunteers Club House.

We paid a flat rate for water. About $4.95 every two months. It paid for the water, it's distribution and produced a reserve fund.

Victoria Hall was a dark, dingy and smelly little building previously used as a seniors' centre, before that a library and before that a meeting hall.

Since then Wells Street School has been added to the inventory. It was Aurora's fist high school before being replaced by Dr.G.W.Williams on Dunning Avenue.

We are all familiar with the battle to prove the school board didn't know what they were doing when they decided the building was no longer adequate or suitable to house students.

We don't have to gaze into a crystal ball to see the future. We are looking at it now. Old buildings are replaced. The new library is nine or ten years old. The "new" firehall on Edward Street is thirty years old

The old un-needed buildings still sit on prime real estate. Since the Church Street school has opened for use, the parking problem has duplicated many times over.

Still we have not had the intestinal fortitude to do what's required and demolish the old.

The Petch House is the classic example. For almost ten years we have had $100K in the annual budget for restoration. No use has ever been identified. No place to put it.

It sits forlorn at the side of the road on cinder blocks. No support under it, roof torn open,clapboards long gone,interior filled with unspeakable refuse.

We received advice free from an expert about what was possible.We did not accept it.

We have since spent 25% of the budget on engineering consultants to tell us it would cost $450K to restore. When completed, it would be reduced in size,not bigger than a three hole privy. We still would have neither a use nor a location.

We contemplated hauling it to Shepherd's Bush to sit beside a similar cabin also without use or purpose.Ontario Heritage said... not on your life, buster.

Still we advertised again for proposals because a person invited by former Councillor MacEachern came to Council and said he would restore it for the piddling sum of $125Ks.

So....at the same time we are advised of the wisdom of taxing to-day's residents to pile up a fund to replace buildings forty years down the road, we have shown ourselves completely and utterly incapable of deciding to dispose of half a dozen crumbling structures, long replaced by new buildings, soaking up resources and taking up valuable space desperately needed for other purposes.

The one property in our ownership,not derelict, worth millions and capable of providing employment opportunities, we went counter to a policy established by bylaw not to give up employment opportunities and entered into a ten year lease with the federal government for a pittance in rent, to be underutilised as a place for "the kiddies" at week-ends, to quote the town's former Mayor and by the way invest hundreds of thousands of tax resources to upgrade it to suit their purposes.

I didn't get a chance to mention all that at the off-site orientation.

Thank God for The Blog.