Bits And Bobs

I've just been deleting comments on the post about the Hydro building.It's amazing what came out of that post:

Two very  confident statements  that the building  had not been in  use for four years. That was patently  untrue. But I've no doubt the person who made it, believed it to be true. How could that happen?

The statement, at least the building will now be put to use. Well it has been. But if it wasn't why was it not placed on the market for sale four years ago.

Why would we opt to keep a solid, practically new, well designed building ,meeting all  town's requirements for landscaping, parking ,illumination and a huge yard for storage. empty and idle for four years and then  go about finding a handy tenant  in the very last minutes of the term. 

Where was the economic efficiency ? And how come the lease was proclaimed  and signed prior to the election but the rent not paid until four months later?

Then there's the  reluctance for  the lease to be revealed. What's  that about? It must be a public document. How and why should it be secret?

If  military reasons  mean  the people of Aurora  cannot be privy to a commercial  lease, why would the town  opt  to tangle themselves up in such complications. Where is the municipal advantage to that?

And how would staff, obviously involved in negotiating and writing the lease, and the clerk and Mayor in signing the lease, thereby  be privy to the lease, yet an elected representative not.

Why the fear that  details may not be conveyed accurately?  The best way to deal with that is to publish the lease.

Then there's all the chit-chat about Councillor Ballard's connection to the military. That was news but hardly meaningful..

It doesn't appear  to amount to anything but it's just as well to have it explained.

Chippy comments were made  about municipal councillors having no influence on military matters.

Where did that come from? I don't ever remember Aurora Councillors having anything to do with the military. Except for  once,when   it seemed  the entire Canadian  army  was doing military  motorised maneuvres  and  neighbours objected to war games, tracer bullets and  smoke producing missiles being tossed about in the  park  in the early  hours of a  summer Saturday morning.

Oh Yes and there was the night of the War Measures Act ,when Ron Wallace and  the late Bob Buchanan making their way to the Officers' Mess  for a brief watering sojourn, were stopped in their tracks, at the point of a rifle and ordered  to identify themselves.

We have had annual passing out parades of course and Honorary  dinners,Freedom of the Town  presented at  The Town's Inaugural Ceremony.  All very pleasant and mutually complimentary.

Can't think why we would want to jeapordise friendly relations with the military by signing a lease that had to be confidential because of national security.

Or why  would  we risk making  the natives restless  and wondering what on earth can  they be doing on Industrial Parkway that might have anything at all to do with  national security.

Why would  the Mormac Administration see that as a good thing?

Were the Gang of Six sworn to secrecy when they agreed to the lease? I certainly wasn't. But that may be because I didn't...agree to it, that is.

Of course, it was all done during an election  campaign. No municipal council  makes substantive decisions in the interim period between a Council ending a term  and a new Council taking over.

There might even be something in the Municipal Act that mitigates against that eventuality.

It was weird at the time. It just keeps getting weirder.