Article content

Library cost remains an issue

Article content

An open letter to the County of Brant community:

Article content

Our colleague, Councillor John Bell, recently took the brave step of putting his name behind the motion to reconsider the proposed new main library branch project.

A motion to reconsider a decision is a special motion that does not allow for the typical discussion and debate that takes place with other motions under normal circumstances.

As a result, procedure took away our ability to speak to our motives for supporting the resolution and next steps at the special council meeting on February 1. We are taking that opportunity now in this letter to our community.

While the project was approved by council in principle to move to the detailed design and tender stage, the project has not yet been given the green light to proceed to construction. This decision will be made once the tendered costs are received and presented to council.

Article content

For us, voting in favour of reconsidering council’s June 2023 decision was not a vote against the County of Brant Library, nor to sell the Bawcutt Centre. Rather, we saw this as an opportunity to revisit the scope of the project to make sure council brought forward a project that stood a stronger chance of receiving final approval.

Since June, council received the draft Long-Term Financial Plan, Asset Management Plan, and information about our debt capacity. While the project as currently proposed does not directly draw on the 2024 property tax levy, it will affect the county’s ability to borrow money for other projects. If grants and donations fall short of targets, the property tax levy will have to make up the difference.

Article content

We all contribute to and reap the benefits of the services, infrastructure, programs, facilities, culture, heritage, and spectacular landscape across the county.

The three of us also come from the farming and rural parts of the county, and we know rural infrastructure needs reinvestment, community programs and recreation facilities are at capacity, and the broader community needs a modern hospital.

Our job as councillors is to balance these competing priorities, and we take the responsibility of allocating your tax dollars seriously.

We want to see the Bawcutt Centre restored in ways that best benefit the community. We also want to see that the library has the facilities needed to meet the needs of our growing municipality. We believe there are multiple ways to facilitate this, but without reconsidering prior decisions, these conversations cannot happen now. Instead, the county will incur more costs to complete detailed drawings that will allow contractors to quote construction costs.

Article content

We remain concerned council will not be able to approve the new main library branch construction contract due to cost, especially since council does not have an approved budget for this project.

With that said, we do respect council’s democratic process and will continue working together with our fellow councillors for the betterment of the County of Brant.

Christine Garneau (Ward 5), Jennifer Kyle (Ward 1) & Brian Coleman (Ward 5), County of Brant councillors

Put public needs over wants

Does the Bulldog team’s future stay in Brantford justify another sports palace being built by the city regardless of the cost?

The cost of the new facility is pegged at $150 million or more. Borrowing the money to pay for it could cost the city $50 million more in interest. That’s $200 million to watch teenaged gladiators chase pucks for as few as 36 home games a year? Plenty of hockey is on television.

Article content

What about the other 329 days of the year for this costly facility? What is Plan B if the Bulldogs fold or relocate? Reference was made to trade shows. Municipalities with much larger populations already fill that need.

The new arena could attract 5,300 fans to each hockey game. Staff at the OHL arena in Kitchener said lack of parking is their biggest headache. An ideal ratio would be one parking space for every two fans. That would be 2,650 spaces at Brantford’s proposed facility.

The civic centre only has 400 spaces, some of which would be lost for a new structure’s imprint. Proponents hope that fans will use the 900 spaces in our perceived-to-be-dangerous parking structure. That would still leave a 50 per cent shortage of 1,300 parking spaces.

Article content

Surely one does not spend $200 million on a new building like this without adequate parking. (If it is ever affordably built in the future, a 50-acre field might make more sense). The civic centre site should be dead in the water for parking deficiency alone.

We have a more important place for $200 million than another sports palace, like Brantford’s 10 per cent share in a critically-needed $2 billion hospital. While three per cent or five per cent of the population will take in a Bulldogs game, 100 per cent of us will probably need life-or-death assistance at Brantford General Hospital sometime.

Senior city staff irresponsibly implied that covering the BGH $200 million need is no problem. If so, why not raise that money first?

The current wishful thinking that this latest sports palace might spur downtown renewal reminds me of the failed Eaton Market Square and failed Icomm Centre that we were told would each bring tens of thousands of people each week downtown.

It is time to face the fact nearly all downtown retail has been dead and gone for years. Nothing will help bring people downtown until a safe environment is restored.

Surely we need better leadership at city hall that recognizes “needs” versus “wants”.

Chris Brown

Brantford

Article content