Kathy Van Nostrand called yesterday. Wanted a few minutes of my time to discuss the merits of spending millions of taxpayer resources acquiring properties on Yonge St for speculation.
The lady was very comfortable advising me of the town's best interest. Of how youth needs could be met . Notwithstanding millions currently being spent for that specific purpose.
There was a hint a museum would be part of the project. Notwithstanding the twon alreay spent millions on Church Street School for that precise purpose.
We must save the Horton house she said. John's only going to live in it for another years.A developer will scoop it up and build condos. You wouldn't want that to happen.
Kathy Van Nostrand scooped up an old house on Wellington Street and spruced it up for professional use.
Actually John could recover the value and protect the heritage by transferring ownership to the Ontario Heritage Foundation
When Sheppards Bush was donated, it was agreed the "donor" continue to occupy for five
years and he negotiated for longer still.
The last argument was it would be a good investment .The town could buy and realize substantial profit by selling it for a higher price down the line.
In the first place, speculation is not the function a municipality.
Speculation in general is frowned upon. Not quite kosher. It's the reason Capital Gains Tax was introduced half way through the last century.
Ms Van Nostrand kept referring to "we" and "us" during the conversation.
I kept asking about "we" and "us" She kept dodging.
Town funds appear to have been used by the group.
Things became even more puzzling.
The Mayor is part of the group. His office was listed in support even
before council had any idea what was afoot.
Ms Van Nostrand assured me prominent supporters.
Yes, I knew about that. Quite the strategy.
Rally support from people who know nothing at all about practical realities and have no
responsibility.
Put the Town's Mayor at the top, tag the President of the Historical Society(less than fifty active members )... with a minute element of credibility and we're off to the races.
Well Really !!!!!!!!!
BTW I wasn't the only one getting the treatment.
Saturday 25 January 2014
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12 comments:
I am not suprised at this call.At the last presentation to council by the caller I overheard Mr.Albino ask the secretary if the office got his message.He was the delegate to present that night.The secretary said they received no such message.Mr.Albino wanted your caller to present instead of him.The clerk was huddled with by the secretary and Kathy spoke instead.Just before this played out there was an exchange after Mr.Albino approached David Herd n the gallery.I remember some of the points David presented that night.He is correct about Mr.Albino and his "in-camera" requests due to sensitivity of the issue.The more I read this blog and hear the facts I loose my dinner.
Strategically they’re smart using Kathy as a spokesperson instead of that Albino character. She is quite active in the community and very pleasant. They probably would have been further ahead if they used her from the start. That being said I’m quite confident that this project that’s supposed to better “our quality of living” is going to get axed. Let someone else take that “once in a life time” (yeah right!) “opportunity”.
Remember High Tor. What was to be used by the public for generations is now encircled by residences who have private back gates into the property. It is theirs, not for commoners' usage. Get your car keyed if you park on their empty streets to take the kids in to look at caterpillars.
Usually people who want a big chunk of public change for some "pet private project" that could run into the millions, sneaky-sneak in the background soliciting major support from the upper influential echelon of the town's citizenry.
They then expand on this to elicit support from the second tier.
Once they have their mob organized, they pack the council chamber and brazenly put forward this brilliant plan that has the support of everyone who is anyone, usually including several councillors, and definitely the mayor, who becomes the public symbol on behalf of the entire community.
And then the fun begins and more council times gets wasted.
The Mayor should stick to clear garbage bags. He is out of his depth on this one. We are going to get one of those dog & pony public meetings to ram that sucker through just like with the Centre.
I believe that Council is being used.
Here's why:
The instructions from council to staff were simple,
a } get a feasibility study done
b } keep it under $25,000
Staff then.
a } did not present a feasibility study &
b } exceeded $25,000 by a great deal
The question for you, Evelyn, is whether you think enough councillors understand or care enough to do anything.
It would be my surmise that the using was and is being done by 1 or 2 council members and 1 or 2 staff.
I find it quite incredible that this group of individuals believes the Aurorans would leap at the idea of using Hydro funds for this project just because the ' possibility ' of a museum is being tossed around. We have already lost a perfectly good one to some of the same people. Now we just take kids to Whitchurch-Stouffville or Pioneer Village. Even Georgiana has a good set-up to which bus-loads of school children are sent. It is far too late to play that card.
Frank Stronach's project will come in on time & on budget with no help from Aurora since he is very sharp. Meantime, the town is committing funds over a period of years for other councils to generate or find. Cllr Gallo once announced he was unwilling to commit future councillors to dealing with just the lands around the old library which Aurora already owns. We'll see how consistent he is.
Where did the 1400 missing artifacts go.I think David might have been right to raise concerns and that was quite some time ago.
13:45:
Where do you get your facts? Who has had their car "keyed"?
There has been no new housing around High Tor since the issue of a few years ago so I don't know how you can say it's "now encircled". I have lived near it for almost 19 years and the newest house in the area is maybe 17 years old.
If anything the Region was the last to build in the area and that was the water facility on Bathurst.
9:02
You are incorrect.
3 new residences were built across one of the last access points to the High Tor property. One might have expected one there, but the builders crammed in 3.
My vehicle has not been keyed but I have been threatened. Nasty little note on windshield.
17:04
You are referring to the new houses on Brookview. Hardly 'encircling' High Tor.
Those lots have been empty for years and I think that the plan called for 3 houses. It was not a knee-jerk attempt to "cram" more houses into the area.
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