Well Monday night’s meeting was another long one, so here I am writing up the post meeting blog on a Tuesday night…..When they made the motion just before 10:00 PM to extend the meeting until 11:00, I had had about enough, so I logged out. It was a long (and sometimes painful) meeting in many ways.
First, council met at 4:00 for a special meeting. There was only one item on the agenda.
PRESENTATION
Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, Engagement & Project Update – Leonardo Gil, Project Manager, City of Windsor
I didn’t watch this meeting.
Then, council met again at 5:00 for a planning meeting. I didn’t watch that one either. For anybody who has ever watched or attended a planning meeting, you will certainly understand why. 🙂
The regular meeting started up right on time at 6:00 PM.
The following item was moved up on the agenda:
PRESENTATIONS
2021 Initiatives and 2021-2022 Official Visitor Guide – Gordon Orr, CEO, Lynnette Bain, Vice President, and Jason Toner, Director of Marketing and Communications, Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI)
It seems that the people from TWEPI had another presentation to make last night to Kingsville town council, so they presented right away at 6:00.
Mr Orr spoke first about how tourism and hospitality was hit first and hit hard by the pandemic and they will take a long period of time to recover. However, he was hopeful that there will be better days ahead. He spoke of the importance of planning for the better days that are coming and that we need to be ready because tourism is important. He explained their mission, the organizational chart, the board of Directors and how their areas of focus pivoted and changed due to the pandemic. Ms Baine spoke next and explained TWEPI’s new initiatives for the upcoming year. Mr Toner also spoke about staycations and the Official Visitor Guide. It seems that there will be a Support Local Campaign as well as a campaign to encourage two night stays at local hotels. They also showed a short video with a focus on Windsor/Essex attractions.
Councillor McArthur spoke about the downtown hotel and that it is coming! He wondered what type of boost Amherstburg could expect once the hotel is built and operational. One of the representatives from TWEPI said that hotel marketing packages are up to the individual hotel operator but that he was also excited for Amherstburg to have a hotel. He explained that the longer that people stay in town, the more money that they spend.
Mayor DiCarlo expressed his thanks for TWEPI’s support and their initiatives. And then the presentation was received.
DELEGATIONS
Solar Power Grant Funding, Green Inclusive Community Building Program – Daren Crawford, Otter Energy
I’m just going to say, right off the bat, I did not find this delegation to be very interesting and it was very difficult to follow. It seems that there is grant money available for solar power. It looked like this company wanted to apply for grant money and enter into a contract with Amherstburg to install solar panels on the arena. Mr Crawford shared his screen with columns and columns of numbers, but I could not see the numbers on my screen, since they were tiny. That made it even more difficult to follow.
I actually honestly started to nod off during the presentation. After what seemed like an eternity, Mayor DiCarlo interjected and said that they had to wrap up the delegation in order to respect the 5 minute time limit. (I got a text from a friend that said she was never so happy to hear that in her life! LOL)
So, just when I thought that council would just receive the delegation and move on…..no…..Deputy Mayor Meloche started asking questions and throwing around percentages. (I silently hoped for technical difficulties, but no luck….) At 6:49 PM, Councillor Prue asked the CAO if this presentation had been solicited or not by town administration. The CAO explained that the delegation was not solicited and that he was there to make a sale. He corrected some of the numbers that were thrown around during the presentation and said that he would advise against council entering into an agreement for solar panels in this particular situation.
There was more back and forth, then Councillor Prue made a motion to receive the delegation. (I was happy but only for a brief moment…..) Then, Councillor Prue added to the motion to have the Environmental Committee take a look at the presentation and that staff come back to council about a bidding process. The CAO explained that the town already has a solar power agreement with Essex Powerlines at the Libro Centre and that they would have to look at the policy.
Then, Councillor Prue made a motion to receive the delegation, ask staff to prepare a report going forward about solar energy for future build outs and how it can be properly done regarding tenders and also to send the report to the Environmental Committee for comment.
There was some more back and forth about which buildings this could apply to. There actually was a bit of technical difficulty (maybe just at my end, that the sound cut out) and then the motion carried. It was 6:59 PM.
Rainbow Crosswalk Proposal – Linden Crain, Amherstburg Resident
Mr Crain delegated next to council about installing a rainbow crosswalk to build a more inclusive Amherstburg. He felt that it is important to be accepting of others and that this initiative coincides with National Pride Month. He talked about last year’s TRUE festival, put on by the town of Amherstburg, as well as initiatives being undertaken by the Town of LaSalle and the University of Windsor. He also cited a survey done by the Amherstburg Community Foundation where 50% of the respondents felt that Amherstburg sometimes does enough to promote inclusivity. Mr Crain advised that 30 municipalities in Ontario have a rainbow crosswalk at this time. He felt that it benefits the residents, helps reduce vehicle speed and enhanced public spaces. He felt that this initiative would be a great addition for public art. He cited some estimated costs. It seems that installing a rainbow sidewalk with thermoplastic paint would cost around $15,000 and would last about 5 to 7 years. Or asphalt paint could be used at an estimated cost of $1,000 but would only last about 1 to 2 years. He mentioned his preferred location for the rainbow crosswalk was at the Town Square at Dalhousie Street and Richmond Street.
Councillor Prue spoke and mentioned that there is currently a policy underway regarding public art and wondered if council should wait for the policy to be ready.
Councillor Renaud felt that it was an idea worth looking at and felt that the new high school could be a good place to install the rainbow sidewalk to promote inclusivity. He felt that the policy would be necessary to help council decide where to locate potential rainbow sidewalks.
Councillor McArthur expressed his support for the idea. He said that Windsor has a policy where the person bringing forward the project is responsible to fundraise and pay for the crosswalk. He said that council had received an email suggesting possible areas for rainbow sidewalks. Councillor McArthur wondered about the status of the policy.
The Clerk explained that the draft policy is underway and that Senior Management is expected to review it at the end of this month. Afterwards, it would then come before council.
Councillor Simone expressed that she was also in favour of the idea but was not so sure about Mr Crain’s proposed location. (I saw an idea on social media about placing it at the Richmond and Sandwich Street intersection and personally, I think that would be a great location.)
Deputy Mayor Meloche said he was also in favour but felt that council keeps embarking on new issues when there are people out there that just want a sidewalk in McGregor. He felt that council keeps adding things and aren’t dealing with other issues.
Councillor Courtney spoke next. He mentioned having watched Mr Crain’s podcast episodes and noted he hadn’t yet been invited to be on his show. (Um, no comment.) Councillor Courtney then went on about how he knows Mr Crain’s father and his brother and knows that Mr Crain was born and raised in Amherstburg. He felt that the presentation was well done and that council has policies that they need to follow. He then went on about needs and wants. He felt that a lot of money goes into beautification and that he likes art but that council must wait for the policy to be finished. Councillor Courtney then went on to state that Amherstburg is very inclusive and offers total inclusion. ( I found that to be a very interesting yet troubling comment. I think Amherstburg still has a ways to go to be “very inclusive”. In fact, statements about knowing Mr Crain’s family and that he was raised in Amherstburg seem to point to the opposite of inclusivity. Why should it matter where the delegate grew up? Why should it matter if a member of council knows a person’s family or not? I feel that statements like that do not promote inclusivity at all and seem to place importance on people based on if they are “from Amherstburg” or not. In my opinion, that is not very inclusive at all. It seems to border on the “old boys club” mentality, which needs to be left in the past.). Councillor Courtney then talked about council needing to look at cost for upkeep and life expectancy for the rainbow crosswalk and that they have to do their due diligence.
Councillor McArthur then spoke and was hopeful that the policy would include language that the expense for the project would be borne by the people initiating the project, as is being done in Windsor and in LaSalle too, I believe. He felt that public art is safe and important. He felt that there would be a greater appetite for the idea if it were not being funded by general taxation dollars.
Mr Crain said that he would be happy to come back with cash in hand. He said that since his idea was promoted in the media and on social media, many residents and businesses had reached out to him and were willing to donate financially to see the project come to fruition.
Councillor Prue mentioned that Mr Crain is a member of the Amherstburg Community Foundation and wondered if they would be interested in fundraising for this initiative, since people can also get a tax receipt for donating.
Then, a motion to receive was made and it carried.
Indigenous Peoples Flag Proposal – Linden Crain, Amherstburg Resident
Mr Crain then delegated once again to council about a proposal to install two indigenous peoples flags in the King’s Navy Yard Park. Mr Crain explained that prior to the settlement of Amherstburg, there were several indigenous groups living in this area. The flags would be to honour the Three Fires Confederacy (Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi peoples as well as the Huron-Wendat and the Wyandot peoples). Mr Crain noted that there are currently five flags in our town square. He proposed that the flags honouring the indigeous peoples could either be added to the group of five flags or could be hung on two empty flag poles located near the Commissariat building in the Navy Yard Park. He said he had already reached out to the First Nations about his idea. He showed a picture for two possible flags but mentioned that an artist may be required to design a flag honouring the Three Fires Confederacy.
CAO Miceli said he had been in a meeting last week with other area CAOs about this very issue. He said it was very important to seek input and to consult with the groups of First Nations regarding the flags and how they would want to be recognized and honoured.
Councillor Prue spoke and he agreed that the First Nations people must be consulted about this initiative. He spoke of an organization that represents people that live off reserve as well. He felt it was very important to consult with as many groups as possible and wanted everybody involved in the decision.
Councillor Pure made a motion for administration to convene a meeting for First Nations peoples, both on and off reserve and to get their input about installing flags in Amherstburg. Deputy Mayor Meloche made a friendly amendment to add the item to the 2022 budget. (Good call!) And the motion carried.
Paving for Fire Stations 2 and 3
Council had a report before them regarding paving news for Fire Stations 2 and 3. They had to make a choice for Station 3, either option 1 or option 2 (see below).
Here are the recommendations :
1. An over-expenditure not to exceed $87,000 including net HST for an additional 2021 Capital Project in the Facilities budget centre to provide asphalt repaving at Fire Station 2, as shown in the attachment to the report from the Director, Community & Protective Services dated June 1, 2021, BE APPROVED and BE FUNDED by a transfer from Reserve Fund – General;
2. An over-expenditure in the Facilities budget centre Fire Station 3 BE APPROVED for either: a. Option one: A 2021 Capital Project to replace asphalt and concrete pavement at a cost not to exceed $123,000 including net HST, to be funded by a transfer from Reserve Fund – General; OR,
b. Option two: Facility Maintenance expense for concrete and asphalt pavement repairs in selective areas at a cost not to exceed $20,500 including net HST, to be funded from current taxation.
Deputy Mayor Meloche made the motion to approve the item for Station 2 and to go with Option two for Fire Station three. (It’s the cheaper option noted above).
There was A LOT of back and forth. Councillor Courtney wondered how administration comes up with the prices for the work. He felt that a truck, a saw and some cement would be much cheaper and again questioned how they came up with these numbers. The Fire Chief spoke and somebody (I’m not sure who) from administration spoke as well. After a lot of back and forth, the motion carried. Sometimes I think that people like to hear their own voices.
Amherstburg Destination River Cruises
This item has been discussed before during council meetings. There are River cruises that come from Windsor to Amherstburg through the summer months. It looks like administration is looking for permission to negotiate a contract for the ships to stop in Amherstburg to allow people to disembark for a few hours and spend time in our beautiful town. The dates are still somewhat tentative due to COVID regulations and depending on the re-opening phases allowed by the province.
Councillor Prue said he was very supportive of the initiative but wondered if there was a way for the town to recoup the costs of selling tickets. Administration said it is all done online therefore, there aren’t any costs to recuperate. Councillor McArthur and Deputy mayor Meloche seemed pleased to hear that there were no costs involved to the town for this initiative. Councillor McArthur wondered if dock space had to be freed up and if people would still be able to fish when the boat is moored. It was explained that the boat would moor north of the fishing pier and that people would still be able to fish at the fishing pier.
The motion was made to enter into the agreement and it carried.
Approval for Grant Funding, Applications and Donations for Community Gardens and Active Transportation Initiatives
I believe that this item was in the supplementary agenda that I did not read. I had written my pre-meeting blog on Thursday night so that I could enjoy our first Open Air Weekend! The supplementary agenda came out on Saturday. I did my best to keep up. Here are the recommendations :
1. The following capital projects, related over-expenditures and funding sources BE APPROVED OR AFFIRMED as outlined in the report from the Director of Community and Protective Services dated June 8, 2021:
a. Eighteen(18) Planter Boxes (10 GREEN CIRCLE Accessible boxes and 8 wooden boxes) for Community Gardens at 320 Richmond at a cost not to exceed $22,000 including net HST, to be funded by a grant of $12,000 from Amherstburg Community Foundation and a Federal Enabling Accessibility Fund – Youth Innovation Grant of up to $10,000;
b. Bike Repair Stations (2) and Bike Racks with Concrete Pads (4) at a cost not to exceed $33,000 including net HST, to be funded by grants from the County of Essex (CWATS Municipal Partnership Program) of up to $16,500 and a Transfer from Reserve – New Capital of up to $16,500; and,
c. Outdoor Furniture and Fixtures (3 picnic tables, 5 picnic tables with benches, 10 planter stands and 50 bollards) at a cost not to exceed $20,000 including net HST, to be funded by a grant from the Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation – Tourism Adaptation Fund of up to $20,000.
I quickly skimmed through the report to try to figure out what was going on. Councillor Courtney wondered why council isn’t apprised of grant applications and grant funding. Administration explained that there are often very short time frames, sometimes a matter of days. There was some back and forth. It seemed to me that Councillor Courtney wanted administration to ask council for permission each time they were to make a grant application. He felt that there was a lot of information in the report and that he wanted council to be kept apprised of grant applications. (I’m not sure if he realizes that council meets every 2 or 3 weeks and that they work on a very part time basis…..administration works full time and that their job is to seek grant funding when possible…..but I digress…..)
Councillor McArthur said that he was very supportive of this initiative. He saw the great pictures from Open Air weekend with people in their full biking gear. He talked about the location for the bike repairs centres.
There was a lot more back and forth…..quite a bit anyway. I’m going to save myself some key strokes. If you’re interested, the video is posted on line.
Mayor DiCarlo thanked the Youth Advisory Committee for spearheading the grant application and for doing a lot of work to make these initiatives happen. He also thanked the Amherstburg Community Foundation for topping up the funding for these initiatives.
And finally, the motion was made for the recommendations (noted above) and it carried.
Request for a Building Inspector/Plans Examiner Staff Position
It seems that there is a lot of work to be done in the building department and there’s not enough staff to get it all done. Administration is looking for council’s approval to hire a full time building inspector/plans examiner. I had included a chart in my pre-meeting blog if you didn’t see it. It comes from the full report. Here’s the link to the report :
https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=3282
Councillor Courtney was the first to speak. He felt “frustrated” with the report. He felt that council has a budget season where administration presents the wants, the needs and the dreams. (Why shouldn’t we receive some “dreams” like a developed Duffy’s waterfront and a Libro Master Plan with amenities? ) Councillor Courtney felt that this was a position that was finally needed and he liked the comparative chart that was included in the report. He said that he had reached out to the Building department and wondered why the $10,000 that council had budgeted for them was inadequate.
Mr Angelo Aviolo, the Chief Building Official, explained that the department is swamped. He said that they are overwhelmed with the amount of work that needs to be done and that all of the inspections are a daunting task for one person to get to. He said that some of the $10,000 had been used but that inspections are in great need and take a lot of time to perform. Mr Aviolo explained that Kingsbridge is booming and another portion will be opening in a month or so. As well, if and when the subdivision in McGregor comes to be, that will require even more inspections and some extra travel time.
Councillor Courtney felt that the budget time is an important time for debating new staff positions. (I guess he forgot that many of the positions get denied year after year after year…..since well, they’re perceived as “wants” or “dreams” I guess….) Councillor Courtney felt that using money to hire third party inspectors would be fine for now and council could debate the position later. He wondered how much it would cost.
Mr Aviolo said at 3 days per week, it would cost around $8,000 or $10,000 per month but he pointed out that the department is busy all year long.
Councillor Courtney felt he wanted to find an amount to band aid fix the problem through the busy season and wondered if $20,000 would be enough. Mr Aviolo said that maybe that would carry them through to September but that it depends on the Kingsbridge development.
Councillor Renaud noted that the report talked about employees vacation time and was concerned about employees not getting their vacation time due to being short staffed.
Ms Rubli explained that the real issues are the increased workload and the vacation time. She explained that the cost of the position is covered by the inspection fees, therefore, it is not borne by the taxpayer. She said that there are many challenges and development is happening throughout the municipality and require some travel times, for example, McGregor and Boblo in particular. She also noted that the town must meet the legislative requirements of the Building Act.
Ms Horrobin explained that under the Building Code Act that the fees collected for inspections can ONLY be used for providing building services.
(It was becoming quite clear, at least to me, what the right decision to make should be…..but the debate dragged on and on…..)
Councillor Prue felt he preferred to wait until November to look at the new position in comparison with other positions requested.
(I took the following from the report….it’s a list of current and near future development for Amherstburg.
“The following is a list of the top eight projects that are ongoing and other projects anticipated to begin within the next 3 years:
- General Amherst High School (Permit issued in 4th quarter 2020)
- Greenhouse project – 3 rd Concession N. (Permit issued)
- Phase 10 – Kingsbridge Subdivision (Construction work underway)
- Hunt Club Creek Subdivision & South East Quadrant (1,400 homes)
- Long Term Care Facility at 320 Richmond
- Phase 2 – Canard Estates Subdivision
- Proposed Development of Woodland Trails
- South End Boblo Development
- Proposed Hotel in Downtown Area
- Proposed New Greenhouse Project
- Proposed 120 Unit Residential Apartment Building
- Proposed Assisted Living Facility
- Redevelopment of the House Youth Centre & Proposed Condo Development
- Proposed Condo Development at Fort & Sandwich
- Proposed Waterfront Condo Development
- Proposed Luxury Apartment on Sandwich”
Councillor Prue then went on to question each of the proposed projects….
The CAO explained that the budget came out during the pandemic and nobody could have anticipated that there would be a huge building boom. In fact, many thought the opposite would happen. The CAO explained that Amherstburg is a place of choice right now and that the next phase of Kingsbridge will open up 184 more building lots. CAO Miceli said that the builders have presold many homes and that they will be built, that it’s not a case of “if” but “when”.
Councillor Prue continued to question each proposed project and seemed to feel that since they weren’t happening before November, the position could wait until budget time for approval. (I guess it didn’t matter that the fees collected pay for the position???)
The CAO again tried to explain that there was an immediate pressure on the Building Department and that more development is coming. He explained that they can’t keep up with the workload now. He explained the difficulties to inspect 18 homes in an 8 hour day and that the inspections do not take 5 or 10 minutes. He said that the inspections are necessary to protect the residents and the public safety.
Again, Councillor Prue went through the items that are coming…..I’m going to stop here…..if you want to hear it all, take a listen.
Councillor McArthur then spoke. He felt it was important to note that the position pays for itself through the building inspection fees. He also felt that the Service Delivery Review had identified some required positions but this position had not been listed in that review. He wondered why.
CAO Miceli said a contract position had initially been identified. He explained that during the pandemic, administration had thought that building development would stop, yet the total opposite happened. He said that people are working from home, finding different needs and are building new homes. He also pointed out that fibre internet is available in the entire town and we have a lot of amenities to offer. The CAO said that nobody had any idea what the pandemic had in store in regards to the building boom. He explained that they were being conservative with the budget and now the town is growing exponentially.
Councillor Courtney wondered if this position had been discussed before the budget.
The CAO explained that they did not think this could happen. Even now, the price of lumber is so expensive, yet the construction is not slowing down.
Councillor Courtney felt that if he had written the report, he would have given the numbers by month, rather than by year. He felt that a third party inspector could fill the void. He went on to say that he felt that the chart in the report was beautiful and that the Service Delivery Review did not provide that (charts). He felt the comparators in the chart were good. (As someone who has read the Service Delivery Review, more than once now, the comparisons are all there. Amherstburg was compared to several other peer municipalities. It may not have been done in chart form, and rather in paragraph form, but the comparators are all there…..)
Deputy Mayor Meloche felt that the Chief Building Official had said he needed help and that he was drowning and that council doesn’t want to recognize that. (100%. I wonder if members of council and their needs are ignored by their employers at their day jobs? Just a thought. Council sure seems to ignore town staff’s cries for help….) Deputy Mayor Meloche pointed out that the building boom has been beyond any expectations. He felt it was important to support and help the employees when they say that they need help. He also pointed out, again, that this is not a taxpayer funded position. He felt that council should be good leaders and give help to staff since it would be to the town’s benefit.
Councillor Simone said she had come into the meeting thinking she wouldn’t support the position but upon hearing Mr Aviolo and the discussion she felt she would support it. She felt she would have liked to see the position at the budget deliberations but did see that the position would not cost tax dollars.
Councillor Courtney agreed that they need help. He felt he wanted to see final numbers and wished that the landscape for this position had been laid out in the budget. (I guess he missed the gazillion times it was mentioned how nobody anticipated a massive building boom during the pandemic….). He confirmed that this new position would be a permanent, unionized position. And then…..wait for it….he made a motion to take $30,000 from the Building Services department to fund third party inspectors. Councillor Prue seconded the motion.
Deputy Mayor Meloche spoke in disagreement. He wondered what the department would do when the $30,000 ran out by October.
Councillor Courtney felt that the department had pounded out 257 inspections and that they had pulled it off last year. He felt that the numbers between 2020 and 2021 were close. He felt it would be okay to throw the department $30,000 until council can see the final numbers for 2021. He mentioned that if it came back in October, then maybe council could extend another $10,000.
Deputy Mayor Meloche explained that the numbers were not close. The 257 inspections that had been done by the end of May showed a 35% increase from 2020 to 2021.
Councillor McArthur felt it had been a good debate but he wanted to support the administrative recommendation to hire a permanent full time inspector. He felt it was important to support staff and protect the residents with top of the line inspections. He felt it was important that inspections were done properly and not quickly and that a positive message needs to be sent to developers that Amherstburg can provide inspections and development. He also felt it was a good idea to spend money to have succession planning and in-house knowledge rather than hire contractors.
Councillor Courtney’s motion went to an unrecorded vote. (To just throw $30,000 at the building department to provide contractor supported inspections).
In support : Councillors Courtney and Prue
Opposed : Councillors Renaud, McArthur, Simone and Deputy Mayor Meloche.
Then, Deputy Mayor Meloche made the motion as per the recommendation to hire an inspector. It carried in an unrecorded vote.
In Support : Councillors Renaud, McArthur, Simone and Deputy Mayor Meloche
Opposed : Councillors Courtney and Prue.
(Side note, for any of my readers who are pro-development and realize the importance of growth and development, remember those votes.)
Temporary Relocation of Amherstburg Skateboard Park
This item was on the supplementary agenda as well, so I did not read it in advance. I was quickly skimming through the report during the debate.
Here was the recommendation as per the report :
1. The Town’s skateboard park be temporarily relocated to an interim location at 320 Richmond Street until a permanent location is approved; and,
2. A 2021 capital project and related over-expenditure for construction of an asphalt pad to temporarily house the skateboard park as an extension to the parking lot at the rear of the 320 Richmond facility BE APPROVED at a total cost not to exceed $75,000 including net HST, to be funded by a transfer from Reserve – Capital New for capital costs and from current taxation for operating costs.
Here’s the link to the report : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=3286
Here’s the link to the map with the two possibilities for the skate park at 320 Richmond Street :
https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=3287
Deputy Mayor Meloche didn’t seem thrilled with the cost of $75,000 to temporarily move the skate park. He mentioned an email received from the Amherstburg Community Services and how the construction will impact their activities.
CAO Miceli explained that council will have to decide where to locate the pavement. He noted that this is a temporary measure and that in the long run, the pavement will provide additional parking for the ACS in the future, once the skate park is moved to it’s permanent home (where ever that may be.). He advised that the town has worked with the ACS in the past, in the present and will continue to work with them in the future.
Councillor Courtney inquired about a time line for a tender and felt that the ACS would only be inconvenienced for about 4 days during construction.
Ms Heidi Baillargeon, Director of Community and Protective Services spoke. She explained that a tender would be sent out and then is posted for 7 days. She also said that they will work with ACS to ensure that their driveway is accessible for their programming.
Councillor Prue asked about the parking area. Ms Baillargeon said that the new pavement would provide ACS with parking in the future.
Councillor McArthur felt that he preferred option 2 (locating the skate park in the north west area at 320 Richmond Street) but was concerned about the time line for it to come to fruition. He wondered how long until the skate park would be up and running.
Ms Baillargeon said that they would have to create the RFP, make it available for 7 days, evaluate the proposals, then get the work done. That would all take at least a month or a month and a half. (And factor in the weather too…..)
CAO Miceli explained that council has a procurement policy that must be adhered to. However, he explained that sometimes, in very extenuating circumstances, that the procurement policy can be waived, although he did not recommend it. He felt that should council decide to do that, he could work with the current bidder that had bid on resurfacing a different area of 320 Richmond and that this would be the only way to get the job done more quickly.
Councillor McArthur made a motion to waive the procurement policy. He felt that there was plenty of blame to go around, that the skate park was not ready yet. He felt that the kids have suffered and he wanted to get the kids back to the skate park ASAP. He felt that a tender for pavement had already been made for land that the town does not own, so waiving the procurement policy to put the pavement on town owned land would be okay and get the park ready faster.
Deputy Mayor Meloche explained that he felt that caution was required. He explained that the previous council had gone outside of their procurement policy for an item of $12,000 regarding the high school and they were reemed for it. (Yup. They did and they were heavily criticized for it and rightfully so. However, those circumstances were ENTIRELY different…..I think the last council had waived their procurement policy for that item out of pure political favour, a very different motivation than what was at stake at tonight’s meeting. But that’s a story for another day……for anybody who was following town politics in February 2015, you can go back and see what happened….)
CAO Miceli agreed that council could face criticism but that he felt confident he could get the work done immediately, if the procurement policy were waived.
Councillor Prue then spoke about recalling with clarity one time that the RFP wasn’t followed when he was in Toronto. He explained that some computers were purchased, then they didn’t work and it lead to an inquiry with people yelling about the issue years later. He went on that he felt that the procurement policy should be set in stone and should be followed. He said he could not support the motion to waive the procurement policy, that it’s not the right thing to do and that the kids will have to understand.
Councillor McArthur said he disagreed and felt that waiving the procurement policy was the right thing to do. He felt that the kids had been promised the skate park and that council had failed the kids. It seems some parents are driving their kids out of town to other skate parks and Councillor McArthur felt that was unacceptable. He also said he did not care what happened in Toronto 20 years ago! (I think I actually laughed out loud at home. Finally, somebody said it! We have been enduring stories about what happened back in the day in Toronto for 2 and a half years……and there was the truth! Nobody cares! We’re tired of hearing about it!) Councillor McArthur went on that council waives rules of order or other items all the time. There was then a VERY heated “discussion” between Councillor McArthur and Councillor Prue about what the CAO had said or not said……(totally worth watching for anybody that’s interested.)
Councillor Courtney then spoke. He felt that Councillor McArthur had made some good points and that council did fail and things got shuffled down. However, he said that he could not support waiving the procurement policy as it is extremely important. He then felt that the CAO was elusive in his wording and wondered what he recommended.
CAO Miceli explained that the procurement policy is in place to protect the taxpayer but a waiver of the policy would allow the project to proceed. He felt that it was exceptional circumstances for the kids in this situation. He wanted to get this project done before June 21st.
Councillor Courtney wondered if it was good practice to waive the procurement policy. The CAO agreed that it’s not good practice but that he’s seen the pressure and that the kids are very unhappy and that overall, the risk is low in this situation.
Finally, the motion to waive the procurement policy for the skate park pavement to be installed ASAP went to a recorded vote :
In support : Councillors McArthur, Renaud, Simone, Mayor DiCarlo
Opposed : Councillors Courtney and Prue and Deputy Mayor Meloche
(For those of you that know me or have followed my blog for a long time, you know that generally I am a “rule follower”…..however, I have to side with Councillors McArthur, Renaud and Simone as well as the Mayor for this one….this pandemic has been very difficult for everyone….but I feel very strongly that those who have suffered the most are our most vulnerable…..the children and the elderly…..the kids need some good, safe fun. And getting the skate park up and running ASAP was the right thing to do in my opinion. The kids have suffered and gone without long enough. They need amenities. I think the four that voted to waive the procurement policy in this one instance to get the skate park up and running quickly did the right thing for our town and for the kids. That being said, I hope they don’t need to waive the procurement policy again in the future and am hopeful that there will not be any extenuating circumstances like this again.)
It was now 9:55 PM……a motion was made to extend the meeting to 11:00 PM.
Another motion was made to install the pavement for the skate park as per Option 2, in the North-West area of the property at 320 Richmond. That carried.
Council arrived at the Information Reports section of the meeting. I realized I had been sitting, without moving for 4 hours. I also got a data usage warning on my phone……so I switched to Wi-Fi…..then it started to cut in and out…..so I took that as a message from above that I had done my duty and hung on as as long as possible…..so I shut the meeting off, closed my computer and walked away.
The Marathon meeting was back. Another evening of inefficiency and lack of preparedness was back……I knew it was too good to last.
So, what happened after 10:00, I don’t know, and well, I don’t care! Just like I don’t care about what happened in Toronto 20 years ago! LOL!
Have a great week Amherstburg! Hope to see you out enjoying our Open Air Weekends!
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