Airy Fairy ,,,Peter Pan ....Tinker Bell....Lost Boys

The idea for the theme park appeared to  have originated  with the Historical Society.

In these modern Aurora times , one learns not to depend on appearances. Scratching the surface, frequently reveals a plan within a plan ....a strategy leading to a strategy.

Aurora Historical Society recently celebrated  its fifty year anniversary.I have been around  and been a supporter from the beginning .

Half a century is a period in history.

I returned to Council in 2003.  The Society had been raising funds. The old school had been gutted with hundreds of  volunteer hours....collection in storage... curator in Hillary House.

A retired School Board Director was retained adviser for school renovations.

Sharon Nisbett was a feisty and determined President.

$750,000,  had been raised ...  future of  the museum was firm.

The building was always to accommodate museum and cultural events.

Legal Counsel was retained  and an agreement  struck  with the town to protect the Society's investment in a building they did not own.

After three years,  the building,  with millions already invested in structural restoration,stood  idle, empty and costing.

Hydro was sold and realized a substantial asset.  That decision was compelled by the Province.

I moved, Ron Wallace seconded and Council approved ,funding to complete a state of the art museum Eventually it  cost $2.3 million and was completed during the next term of office.

The  Society had commissioned  and paid for the  design.

Society president changed ,The group withdrew commitment to operate the museum.They were too few . They had fifty-nine members. The agreement was set aside. The museum never came to be...until now.

A horrendously expensive agreement to purchase culture took its place.

Fast forward...another new president. Organization numbers slightly over a hundred.  Structure of executive slightly fuzzy.

Volunteers  for fund-raising events are frequently sparse. Failure to muster half the membership at the last  annual meeting meant a plan to change the name was abandoned.

A new member , William Albino, joined. An executive within the executive ,including Society President, was suddenly functional. From there, like computer generated artifice, the idea of a heritage theme park  was preseted to the board and then introduced to the community as the idea of the Historical Society.

A list of prominent activists were solicited to lend their names, Mayor Dawe among them to lend their support.

Persistent  manipulation  and calculation  has proceeded since and up to the current position of recommended the land be assembled.

From where I sit , there is no substance to the  scheme.

$25,000 of taxpayers money has been spent on a consultant, despite  te initial decision of Council was for proponents to make that investment .

Proponents include two property owners , one a real estate operator one a member of the Historical Society, who stand to make in excess of a million dollars apiece if the town agrees to purchase the properties

There's a pattern here.

I think  we have a number of  would-be Warren Buffet's  squashed together in a tight closet in Hillary House yearning to  make the Swan's leap in the ballet of that name, into centre stage of the election.

Oh My Goodness.








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