ARTICLE ON 95.1 PEAK FM

The battle over recreational facilities in Collingwood will heat up again today with a march on town hall this afternoon.

Opponents of council's decision to put a bubble-like structure over Centennial Pool and build a new arena at Central Park will gather at the YMCA at four o'clock.

They claim council rushed a decision to spend 11.6 million dollars on the facilities without public input.

A steering committee recommended a 35 million dollar multi use rec centre at Central Park with a larger pool, twin ice pad and community space.

Blog Post By Ian Adams, from East-End Underground Blog

… The Simcoe-Muskoka YMCA, in an open letter to its members, indicates it has met with municipal officials and presented an option for aquatics.

It included a breakdown of costs that the local rumblings suggest would make it (gasp!)cheaper financially more efficient for the Y to operate a 25-metre pool at their Hume Street site.

Let’s see: covering Centennial Pool will cost $3.2 million, with operational costs of about $250,000. Over five years that works out to about $4.4 million in total costs to the town; in 10 years the cost is $5.7 million. A new pool at the Y, in 10 years, will be about , uh, $5.7 million – based on the town giving/lending the Y the capital costs, plus the $100,000 or so the town would have given the Y for operating costs in the first four years (and not including any fundraising the Y has done for the project – that’s estimated to be around $600,000). The Y pool, at that point, would be paid for, from a town perspective, while Centennial Pool would be, uh, still being paid for in operating costs. 

Please join us on Monday, September 17th at 4 pm at the Hume Street sign for Central Park. At 4 pm, all Friends of Central Park will walk as a group to the Collingwood Town Hall in protest of the lack of transparency in the town's recent decision.

We will have signs available that read "DO IT ONCE, DO IT RIGHT!". If you still have your sign from the previous protest, please bring it along. 

PLEASE PASS ALONG THIS MESSAGE. We hope that more than 300 people will commit and help to voice this collective concern. 


For the event page, please visit:
http://www.facebook.com/events/337855672970772/ 

ARTICLE FROM THE ENTERPRISE BULLETIN

On Monday night, Councillor Keith Hull asked for — but was declined — the opportunity to ask 20 questions related to the purchase of two fabric structures for recreational facilities. He provided his questions to the Enterprise-Bulletin:

Finances:

1. The estimated cost of the project is $11,633,000.00 not including commitments to renovate the Eddie Bush Arena. Regardless of the price tag, $5 million, $10 million or $35 million, the Central Park Steering Committee (CPSC) recommended moving forward with a second committee to pursue all funding and fundraising options. Why would Council still not pursue this option in an effort to reduce the overall cost on the Town Finances? Collingwood Minor Hockey has a building fund, have they been asked to contribute to this project and if not why? (Library) 

ARTICLE FROM THE ENTERPRISE BULLETIN

COLLINGWOOD – A couple of hundred people turned out in front of town hall, Monday night, to tell councillors to do it once, and do it right.

‘It’ is the direction council is taking with recreational facilities, and its Aug. 27 decision to buy two architectural membrane structures from Sprung Structures – one to cover Centennial Pool, and the second for a new arena in Central Park.

That will cost $10.6 million, plus another million - approximately - for site servicing. Municipal officials expect funding to come from a combination of development charges, and $1.5 million that had been set aside for the new pool at the Y. Municipal staff have also suggested the $8 million in cash realized from the sale of 50% of Collus Power to PowerStream could be put toward the project, thereby not needing to rely on tax dollars. 

ARTICLE FROM 97.7 THE BEACH

The way a recent Collingwood council decision was made prompted a noisy protest outside town hall late Monday afternoon.

About 120 people, including a number of children, carried signs and chanted "Do it once, do it right."

As councillors entered town hall, the protestors got louder. 

ARTICLE FROM THE CONNECTION

COLLINGWOOD –Do it once, do it right. This was the message from about 200 protestors outside town hall Monday.

Residents held signs and chanted to show their displeasure with a decision council made two weeks ago to cover the outdoor pool at Heritage Park and build a new ice rink at Central Park at a cost of about $11.6 million.

The group is disappointed with the process council went through to make the decisions.

As Collingwood councillors arrived for their Monday meeting,  they were greeted by a crowd of more than 100 people outside town hall protesting a decision about recreation facilities.

The crowd chanted "do it once, do it right."

A protest against town council's decision not to push forward with a 35 million dollar multi recreational facility at Central Park will take place in Collingwood today.

Town council voted last month to build a so-called bubble covering at a new ice rink at Central Park and place another one over Centennial Pool, all for about 11 million dollars.

Rally organizers say a steering committee recommended two ice surfaces, community space and a 25 metre pool at Central Park, yet council did not take the time to even look at funding options.

The rally outside the town municipal building begins at four this afternoon.