Enough Said

The exchange on the missing  museum was vigorous. It's done for now.

 I have  made it clear, numerous times, the board and staff at the Culture Centre did not create the  original  problem.

The agreement, written by the town  and  its interpretation is at the crux .

No-one  argues arts are a bad thing. Aurora has supported the arts  as long as I can remember.

The Skylight Gallery in the town hall was built for an art show that grew from the idea of two young mothers,Cathan Schoniker and Mabel Pearson almost fifty years ago, to the juried art show it is today. 

We accepted  the  offer of a concrete box with a roof to provide a  group of thespians with a board to trod and  out of it they created  a perfect little jewel of a theatre  which provides myriad opportunities for young and old.

We provided space in the bottom of an empty  water reservoir for a pottery group to have a kiln and a pottery, which has became  part of the Aurora's arts scene.

We didn't spend million  to make it happen. We saw opportunities for space. And let artists among us have their chance to shine.

We  provided the  seniors with a place. Volunteers went to work painting and sewing drapes to make Victoria Hall a cheerful venue. Then they had more space and a daily program in Church Street School.

The firehall was vacated and  half a million was spent  to convert it  into  a  seniors  facility.

Finally, a new building to suit their needs, and  others. They have an arts club, a wood-working shop and an annual art show and sale. Opportunities to discover skills and  accomplishments they never knew they had. A computer lab with equipment and teachers to literally open up new vistas.

The town's churches  and service clubs have forever made facilities and services available to fill needs  as they saw them.

Summer concerts in the park have entertained  us for  decades. They enjoy tremendous audiences.People are always sorry when they come to an end.

 I haven't even mentioned the schools in town and how well they have done over the years competing in music festivals , arts and sciences and heritage fairs .

In the matter of culture, Aurora does not take a back seat .

Is there always room  improvement ? Of course there is. When the school was renovated, that was the plan.

But the  prime tenant was the Historical Society and the museum.

The Dream was theirs.

At least a third of the cost of the project was paid from Historical Society funds raised in the community for the purpose. As well as generous heritage grants.

There was no  plan  to burden residents with  half  million dollars on their annual tax bill.

The  town's leisure services department has a budget of $7million . $5 million is  expenditure for programs which  are offset by $5million in revenue.

We know how to do it.

Leisure Services  projected  the  annual expenditure  for programming at  Church Street School at
$340 Ks.  The revenue side had not yet been calculated when  the project was taken out of the hands of  staff and put into the hands of  Ken Whitehouse friend and campaign manager of the former Mayor. 

It  may have been  intended as the jewel in her crown. going forward into the election.

It made no sense from any other perspective.

It was also too little and too late.