Walk-About

On Tuesday,Council took a tour of  lands we own on Leslie Street where Petch House was perched .

The property was purchased in 2002. It was known  future sites were  needed for a second fire hall  a recreation complex , a pumping station of sorts for York Region and sports fields .

The parcel became available at the right price and  CAO of the day, Larry Allyson recommended the purchase to Council.

Subsequently. the farm of Stew Burnett became available. Services ran past the property. It meant two million dollars required to service the Leslie Street lands would not be required immediately , so the town bought the Burnett farm as well and eventually facilities were located on Wellington Street instead.

The  Leslie Street lands were placed in the hands of  a real estate corporation in the last term.

When the Petch House was being dismantled, I was over there a few times and ventured further onto the property.   It looked fine to me. The Master Recreation Plan prepared by the consultant had recommended the town re-think the idea of selling the lands for industrial purposes.

But former Councillor Evalina Mac Eachern and the former  Mayor's friend, Ken Whitehouse, nixed that idea and the property was subsequently designated employment.

Now we are said to be in a deficit situation for recreation lands in the amount of 121 hectares.It's far in excess of that allowed to be acquired by the Planning Act and  proportionately more than the town has   ever acquired  before.

We are contemplating 2011 prices to fill that need.

We currently own 79 acres of beautiful lands . We made  a good deal for them in 2002.  Funds were borrowed and re-paid  from tax revenues. We now need to use those lands.

As the  master recreation consultant advised ,I think we need to re-think the idea of selling all of the land for employment. They are needed  for the community.

The land is not  surplus to our needs. I  believe it is never too late for a Council to  re-think a decision to put community needs  first.

I am not seeing any signs  Council shares my belief.

When  two parents came to council and presented a horrendous view of a piece of playground equipment and demanded its removal, I didn't see it then either.

They were permitted to return two more times.  Each time to repeat, without challenge, the contention the town had equipment in our playgrounds that were a threat to the life and limb of our children.

After the first exhibition, other parents with opinions  and experiences of their own came forward to argue  the contrary.

E-mails galore flew fast and furious. Links were provided to learned articles in  renowned publications such as the New York Times, fulminating against the modern practice of making playgrounds so innocuous as to be totally without interest, purpose or use for the developing child.

We do not do that in Aurora . We choose equipment with care and intelligence. And thanks to community interest and input on the issue, we will continue to follow that practice.

But Oh My Lord, what a load of malarkey we listened to in the meantime. Over and over and over again. Town business went unattended, and a serious item  was being decided once again after midnight.

So now we have another issue for the community to deal with.

Will we sell land  we bought for community  needs for less than we can replace it?

Or will we  invite the community's input  to the decision to be made?

I think no to the first and yes to the second.

 I need  support from the community. I don't have a sense of it from Council.

Just as happened  in support of stimulating and challenging activities in town  playgrounds, we should not allow all 79 acres of perfectly suitable lands  needed  for the purpose of sport and recreation, be sold out from under us at bargain basement prices.

What say you?