A Productive Day

The meeting ended at 4.30 P.M. We got stuff done. The session on the strategic plan with staff and council and consultants was productive. I'm not convinced it was worth $80Ks but it was enjoyable.

A Strategic Plan is supposed to be a creative exercise; an invitation to let one's imagination soar. But when it's done, it always comes out in the same-old same-old pedantic languageunlikely to stir anyone to greaterthings.

In the afternoon we got to an issue pending; substantial expense forrepairs to the Aurora Family Leisure complex.

The Accessibility Committee wants a new full scale elevator.The one there now goes up half a level and down half a level. A staff person has to attend with a key to open it.

The principle of accessibility is a disabled person should be able to make their way about without help from anyone.

So we are not going to replace the elevator. We are going to have keys cut and give them to those who need them. We don't have any idea how many keys need to be cut. But it will be a lot less expensive than a new full elevator costing hundreds of thousands of dollars that doesn't even need to travel a full floor.

Another big ticket item was repairs to the ice-making equipment.The arna is home to the figure skating club.They like soft ice. They carve it up pretty good neither of which is favoured by hockey players.

The Aurora Family Leisure Complex has always had a bit of a jinx.

The pool was intended to be a family leisure pool, allowing little children to wade and water toys provided. The competitive swim lobby got after council and the design was changed to half competitive and half leisure and turned out to be a hybrid that didn't meet any needs satisfactorily.

For all its eccentricities the people who use it,like it.

Not long after it was built, it sunk down into the earth and we were ten months without a poll while it was rebuilt.

The fitness centre had a concrete floor covered with industrial carpet. Then it was changed to a child care centre. The gymnasium, intended to be a youth centre/indoor sports training facility ended up being the fitness centre.

The ice arena enclosure wasn't insulated. In a summer heat wave it took hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to keep the ice-making equipment cool.Clean but warm water was then released into the sewer and we paid the region for the water and sewer rates. The facts only came to light when water restrictions were imposed in a heat wave. A splash pad was proposed once to make use of the water. But that didn't fly.

Found out yesterday, water used to cool the ice plant is not metered. So it's probably included in the mysterious "water loss" that plumps up our water rates.

So...we are contemplating providng a youth centre. In the long run we will need to build new ice surfaces. We need to look at the whole picture before we spent massive amounts of money in repairs to a facility which might lend itself to a different use. I'm not saying it will. I'm just saying we should make sure.

It was a lengthy discussion. The kind of discussion where I wish I was the only one at the table and everybody else wishes it was a different table to theirs.

The problem is, I know all the history.It gives me a bias.Councillor Pirri is always the first to know his mind and declare his position.

Another wrinkle is the change that came about from re-organization in the
last term. Soemthing else I did not support.

The manager of facilities (maintenance)was transferred to the Department of infrastructure and Environment.The Director of that department knows nothing about ongoing operations.

The Leisure Service Director is now responsible for use of the facilities but not the maintenance and functionality. Re-org took maintenance and functionality away from him.

The Director was regularly denigrated and subjected to cross examination by the six member tag team of the last council. When the poking with a pointy stick didn't accomplish their objective they took half his responsibilities away and gave it to someone else.

Yesterday, during discussion of the building's function, he was not involved. Until he was asked a direct question. And answered it.

"It is the worst building I have ever had to work with" he said. "But if I didn't have it, I would be hard pressed to provide the programs"

So we deferred the decision on the big ticket ice making machinery and directed staff to look at relevant aspects of imminent decisions on facilities,including the paramount one of a youth facility.

It was a good decision. I look forward to reading the report.