THESE ARE OUR TIMES

LAnonymous has left a new comment on your post "AURORA 2017": 

I agree. It does look like a disorganized mess. But you're going to have to picture multistory
office and condo buildings all along the major corridors and that will be the future landscape of the Town. Revenue is the driving development plan. All this money spent on all these development plans, Master, heritage, Secondary, Promenade (I'm sure there's others) all boils down to how much money can a development bring to the Town and Regions coffers to pay for pet projects. 
Posted by Anonymous to  Our Town and Its Business at 24 November 2017 at 12:14

********************************

You have missed my point. maybe deliberately..maybe not

Despite spending  on professional advisors ...staff and consultants....and despite Acts and Regulations, political decisions in Aurora are neither logical nor consistent. Neither town  business or  community is well-served. 

Special interest groups with neither interest or concern for  competence or integrity are generally in control. 

Mavrinac Park is such a great example. 

Legislation requires an updated Master Recreation Plan every five years.  To calculate accurate figures for lot levies. Lot levies are like legalized pilfering. 

The stated purpose is to ensure new homes pay the costs of new needs created by growth.

As well, developers  must provide land for needed parks. It's part of the overheard. 

Levies (taxes)  provide for additional  facilities such as swimming pools and arenas, fire halls ,police 

facilities,baseball diamonds, soccer fields and many needsthat might never be imagined. 

The Mavrinac neighbourhood had better than average park acreage.Taken care of in subdivision agreements and lot levies. At the expense of homeowners in the price of their homes. 

A separate school site proved unnecessary. . Because of a weird, inexplicable clause in the agreement, the town had a right to purchase the site. 

The town had no need for the site.

No purpose was identified for its use.  

Councillor Gallo, a surviving member of the Mormac gang, with an eye on the Mayor's chair,

curiously discovered the redundant clause

He followed the Mormac formula for success and circulated a letter to homeowners. The site should be a park,he told them, while bypassing the Council process.

Nothing daunted,Councillors Abel and Humfryes and others joined the chorus and valiantly declared all vacant spaces in Aurora should be parks. I kid you not. 

Mavrinac neighbours were naturally pleased and persuaded the cause was just. 

 With an election in the offing, misgivings received short shrift. 

The strategy didn't work for Gallo, as the hydro corridor issue worked for Mormac previously.

But legal costs were incurred to strong arm  the developer to sell the land to the town. Additional 

millions  were spent to develop a redundant park from which fund is not immediately 

apparent. 

Perhaps Capital Roads Reserve. Maybe Holman, Johnston and Browning re-construction was 

deferred a further four years , for development land to be used as a park without logical purpose.

From this day forward ,revenue from  land serviced with roads, sewers, water, street lighting,sidewalks,snow-plowing,fire protection,police protection and a myriad town hall functions 

Including high-priced professional advisors and elected representatives, is forfeit.

 News headlines are full of glad tidings and  pages of photos of smiling faces.

The town is named by an economic publication as a best place to live. 

Homeless families  are without homes. Food shelters provide food to people without food. 

Town services are provided by contract to avoid employer responsibilities and maintain inequity between two classes of employees. 

But  news headlines are full of glad tidings and pages are laden with photos of smiling faces. 

And very little interest is paid to how things are wangled.