Archive for June, 2011
Pier to cost $15m, completion in 2013
The pier will cost $15 million, excluding legal fees and staff time spent on the project, based on a budget presented last week at council’s Community Services Committee meeting. The committee (myself excluded) supported an additional $5.7 million for this phase of the project, planned for completion in 2013. The hope is to recoup some of these cost overruns through legal action. The recommendation needs a final vote at council July 4.
My take: Like you, I’m disappointed in the cost and time to complete this project, I’m concerned about the growing legal bill, and think the pier money is better spent on other priorities. But we are on this path now. My commitment is to ensuring that we stick to the new timeline and budget, and maintain openness and accountability. Making the budget public is a step in the right direction. We need to do the same with our legal fees, staff time spent on the project, and the costs of other options considered by council, back to the original offer from the contractor in September 2010. I would also consider demolition if the bids are unacceptable.
Waterloo forced to reveal legal costs
Can pier legals likewise be released?
The city of Waterloo has been forced by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario to publicly release the amount of its legal costs in an ongoing legal battle over the financing for a park development. Until now, officials have insisted costs would only be willingly disclosed once the lawsuits are settled.
A resident gave me a copy of the news article about the case at our Ward 2 Citizens Advisory Committee last week.
“Just change the word ‘park’ for ‘pier’,” she said, advocating for voluntary release of our own legal bill on the pier design dispute.
My take: Given this ruling, I support the city voluntarily releasing its legal fees, and immediately releasing the value of staff time spent on this project.
Residents to have a say in community benefits
Residents at my Ward 2 Citizens Advisory Committee had raised concerns about the use of Section 37 community benefits (named for the relevant section in the Planning Act), and specifically about the benefits negotiated on the Molinaro project on Brock & Elgin. It was approved 6-1 by council (I dissented) at 14 storeys, where the Official Plan allows seven; $500,000 in community benefits were negotiated, including burial of hydro wires, landscaping, playground improvements and public art.
My take: We’ve taken two steps in the right direction to improve public input on major developments and on community benefits, and I’m pleased to have worked with residents and my colleagues to achieve that. I remain concerned about the use of community benefits, and can see only limited opportunities for their use, for example securing low-cost assisted living units. I don’t support community benefits funding items that should be funded as part of our regular budget, for example public art.
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