Reduced Budget for Park proposal
The objections to the proposed Fountain and Ice-Skating Rink in Rotary park seem to have been solved (except noise). With the recently revised version there is now more green space, no need for a special tent for the Rotary Waterfront event and lower cost so that most of the cost is paid by the Provincial Grant. It looks like the Town Planning staff have “found a way” to make it work! I will not personally be skating there in Winter but it will certainly be a year round attraction for Cobourg - in the same way that Nathan Philips square is for Toronto. And it has to be in the middle of town or it misses the benefit for downtown - so the Victoria Park idea misses that benefit.
The remaining issue is noise to nearby residents. I hate to think what these people will think of the July 1st weekend! But maybe that’s excused because it’s short whereas skating lasts a few months. I think the residents have to rely on closed windows and remember that they do live in the “heart of the ‘city’ “. Let’s hope the work can be completed in time for this winter.
John Draper
June 12th, 2007 at 7:46 am
Interesting note in the Cobourg town staff report.
Adjacent property owners who will be affected the most have been made aware of the potential active use of the area through specific clauses in their site-plan agreements,” the report noted.
The report includes copies of that document, where a clause on page 8 reads, “The Owner acknowledges that the lands to the south and west of the Subject Lands are owned by the Municipality and are used for both active and passive community, marina, public recreation and open space purposes, and that such uses operating within the limits of applicable legislation may infringe upon the use and enjoyment of the Subject Lands by the Owner.”
So much for all the “wasn’t told, didn’t know” rhetoric of the condo owners and their supporters. One can either have privacy and peace and quiet or live close to throbbing, pulsing heart of downtown Cobourg, but one can’t have both.
June 19th, 2007 at 1:45 am
Well a blow was struck against NIMBYism and pomposity, it’s over all in one fell swoop. The vote 4/3 in favour of the Rink and Fountain. My favourite part and there were so many theatrical highlights…was when June ” Lovey Howell III” Mackenzie was heard to wail and lament as she headed down the steps out of the council chamber; “This is not democracy, this is not democracy”… of course had the vote had been 4/3 in her favour it would have been democracy at it’s very righteous best!
But the level of arrogance and again pomposity was unfathomable, another amazing laugh out loud highlight came when Peter D. read out a line from one of the anti delegates bloated remarks that he forgot to read, the part where the delegate clearly said in his speech the biggest blight on the view and grrenspace came from the condo’s themselves. It was the height of hilarity. Oh wait and when Michael “Thurston Howell III” Mackenze argued that Delanty was not allowed to vote, not again knowing anything apparently about municipal matters about the rules of Recorded Votes.
Then it was Delanty had somehow mesmerized the Council and used undue influence by voting first on the 11th. Again it was wonderful when Clerk Stinson reminded the group Delanty when first as it was a Recorded Vote which meant alphabetical… LOL
But never fear “Thurston and Lovey” are no talking about suing…LOL the only problem is they signed legally binding waivers agreeing that the so called greenspace ( For God’s sake you would think it was the Amazon) is actually town property to do what it wishes not their private garden. But should the ” Howells” choose to sue the Town will win and counter sue for costs and maybe then the “Howell”s will lose their condo and be forced to move back to whatever Island they came from.
Oh and lets not forget Dear Miriam whose thunder was wonderfully taken by Stan Frost ( Miriam dear that is who the NIMBY Elitists Condo Owners will actually back for Mayor next time Dear if no one told you yet).
Then the “Hated Delanty Crew” what a bitter pill they will not be running again and so will never ever be voted off Council. For another 3.5 years they will stop the actual obstructionist, gentrification agenda.
The Rink will be long built and Miriam and her puppet masters can shake their fists in faux fury and ignorance for the next three and half years. While we enjoy a wonderful skate in OUR park in the winter and enjoy the cool mist of OUR fountain in the summer.
This was always about certain elites thinking they shold be able to control DElanty but from his 2nd term in they realized they couldn’t and their anger has been mounting and all this baloney hullabaloo about the rink/fountain is just their flashpoint and now their Waterloo. How inronic the Brits in question were the Bonaparte’s of this story…
Oh wait over 2100 names on their supposed petition, to be a valid petition to anyone anywhere at anytime the question or statement the undersigned is agreeing to by signing said petition has to be carried on every single page as signed. Not in our NIMBY”S petition, one page question/statement on the front page only… it is not one shred valid! The petitioners could have agreed to sign anything and had their name attached to a front page.
Given the B.S. coercion to get people to sign would not suprise me.
June 19th, 2007 at 8:34 am
My own “survey” showed that there was not the overwhelming opposition claimed by the people gathering the petition. I would estimate about a 50/50 split and most of the opposition did not have any real facts and had not even thought about it much. I’m glad our council was able to show leadership.