"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Not A Moment To Spare

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ideas Put Forward.":

The current Council have had to spend too much time and money clearing up the mess from the previous one. It would be great if they could move forward together to do something positive about that wretched site. It could be a project to which they could point in pride if they decided to run again. There are no examples from the previous group that come to mind. This Council has an opportunity to make a lasting mark if they don't get caught up in squabbling matches.
Everyone should be interested enough to push this thing forward and to stop taking direction from staff.
Just for a change, tell staff what you would like to see and assign them to produce the necessary information in a specific time frame. It is your job.

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I posted the above comment because I am so pleased to receive it.

There were others. Accusing me of accusing staff for a problem.It's typical of the reading comprehension thing I mentioned a couple of weeks ago.

I find it remarkable how some people can read in the written word exactly what they want to read.

I read again my post on the Notices of Motion. I place full responsibility for the new version of the rules of procedure on Council. We approved the bylaw.

Another comment asked where the Municipal Act allows Notices of Motion to be placed on a blog prior to presentation to Council.

Actually, the Municipal Act does not refer to blogs or town web sites either.

It does require, as the second order of business after a Council is sworn into office, a Procedure Bylaw to be adopted.

Part of which is to notify the community of the agenda of any town business meeting.

I did verbally put the idea of this site and using the hydro reserve funds forward .a couple of weeks ago under new business. It has already been reported in the newspapers.

The Bylaw protecting the funds for an extraordinary purpose requires the community to have a month's notice of any proposal to encourage input and support.

I think a month may not be long enough. But that's why I am anxious to get the thing started.

Summer is not a good time to try for input from the community. As soon as kids are out of school, parents get taken up with family business.

We have thirty-three million dollars to spend on. a project which would be wonderful to have but impossible to justify putting on the tax bill.

It has to be  a facility we currently do not enjoy.

Sports and recreation facilities can always be justified.  In the last twenty-five years, during our time of growth, we have had development charges to pay for those facilities.
We were allowed to collect  from developers.Who in turn no doubt passed them on to home buyers.

We have provided programs for non-sports users in a variety of places. We built an auditorium with the first arena and called it a community centre. We built an art gallery in the town hall and designed the council chamber for concerts.  The library has meeting rooms. We use school space.

It's not enough.It's not reliable.It's not a central hive of similar activity. 
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Now we are contemplating a far-flung location for a teen centre. At considerable expense.

I think a place for teens to meet should be the same  place where everyone might meet. From morning to night., people coming and going without downtime, to follow their bliss.

I think it should be in the square that holds the library, the heritage centre, the churches,and whatever else might be said to contain  the hearts and minds of the community, essentially in the heart of the community.

I am using the blog to inform. It's an opportunity. Already staff have targeted the fund to use it for an administrative purpose. Borrow from it to build a new and extravagant public works facility.

Selling the hydro facility was a hard decision to make. The province was breathing down our necks to eliminate small utilities. We were contemplating amalgamating with Newmarket. They would have been the majority partner. They were exacting a heavy price. Power Stream made an offer  hard to refuse.

When I made my decision between the two, it was on the basis , returns would be used to create an asset that would at least equal the benefit of owning our own hydro.

If Aurora ever loses her autonomy, the centre I visualize would always be ours.

It has to be started and supported and rounded out by the community. Council,of course must be the guiding force and cast the deciding vote.

But we can't do it alone.

The word needs to go out and not a moment to spare. Too much time has been wasted already on negative stuff

It will still be there to be dealt with but it will not pre-occupy all our effort.

Nothing brings a Council to-gether like an exciting project that gives everyone satisfaction.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Too much time has been wasted already on negative stuff. It will still be there to be dealt with but it will not pre-occupy all our effort."

You probably wrote that without a trace of irony...

Anonymous said...

Still smiling after reading the comment posted.
Ain't life's cycles a funny thing.

Anonymous said...

You are aware that the library is falling apart and cracks are evident in the structure.
Secondly,there is already a parking nightmare there.

Anonymous said...

I agree. The Heritage Centre issue divided the town. Let staff deal with that so Aurora can move forward. The Councilors can work together. Even Wendy might cease the endless nit-picking if she were given a role that challenged her script writers. Sidewalk superintendent,
perhaps? Whatever. Let's do something positive.

Anonymous said...

You go, girl !

Anonymous said...

From what Ballard has said he wants the youth centre to be in abandoned warehouses where ' they can just hang out'. All of the other Councillors could be interested in moving forward on a good idea that will raise their visibility. Actually Councillor Gaertner might have some decent suggestions. She used to do a deal with the kids before she got side-tracked into culture.

Something Fishy in Aurora said...

This comment does not apply to this post, but I’m looking at a tweet Councilor Ballard made on his twitter account and am still shaking my head.
Really, did Council kill the festival, does this mean the “Town Park” won’t be fenced off and residents charged admission to use it…..Oh my what a great day for Aurora…..

I think not.

“Sad that Aurora Council doesn't support arts & culture by denying Jazz+ Festival a measly $1,300. Silly politics kills a great festival.”

Anonymous said...

3:06 PM
Then we make a double layer parking lot. The entire project should not be in jeopardy because of one logistical difficulty. That's not very positive of you, but I wasn't expecting anything else. If you ever contributed an original idea, now that would be refreshing.

Anonymous said...

Something Fishy in Aurora
Ballard likes to use the war terms. Everything gets ' killed '. He exaggerates so much that the few people who checked him out originally have abandoned him. If there were a genuine crisis, he would be unable to describe it.
The Jazz Festival were never entitled to all the money, signage and use of town facilities they demanded. If they have any value, they will make do on whatever is provided. But don't expect a 'Thank you' from that lot.

Anonymous said...

Back-room Warrior Rattles Saber Again.

Anonymous said...

No, it won't 'kill' it. That's just more Ballard hyperbole. It only means that there will be $1300 less in the pockets of a certain Snowball Corners couple.