Blog Archive
December 8, 2011
It’s been a year since the Municipal Election and it’s been an extremely busy time at Barrie City Council, within Ward 7 and in my role as Chair of the Economic Development and Transportation Committee.
I received many comments about how pleased people are with the way City Council has been functioning. From the outset, the Mayor and Councillor recognized your desire for Council to work as a team and I think we are doing that and more. Now obviously, we’re not going to agree on every issue but it’s the manner in which those disagreements happen, with respect and decorum at Council that is critical to your local government functioning and I believe we have functioned very well under the leadership of Mayor Lehman. We have been working very closely with all levels of government including our friends at the County because it’s important, especially given the current economic conditions that governments work closely on issues related to the economy and jobs, which is our number priority here in the City of Barrie.
One of the things I’ve learned over the last 5 years in my role as a City Councillor for Ward 7 is that no matter how much you are involved at a City level, whether it’s meeting with senior government officials or working to attract employment to the City, you better take care of you Ward and the multitude of issues that come to your attention on a day in and day out basis and I’m very aware of that whether I’m meeting with potential investors to Barrie or travelling on Economic trade missions like the recent one we led to Calgary.
To that end, the past year in Ward 7 has seen the installation of a temporary sidewalk on Essa from Roberta Place to Mapleton to increase safety for the residents of the Lodge and Long-Term Care Centre as well as the townhouses on Essa. I’m pleased that Council supported this as a matter of safety and I’m even more pleased when I see young and old using it.
The Sunfield Homes subdivision has been a challenge but were seeing progress with many of the works that should have been completed by the developer now being done by the City using the developers Credit facilities. It’s been a frustrating time for those residents. My next step is to have the park completed as soon as possible.
Council has approved a new Fire Station in the King and Veterans area that will increase response times for the residents to the south and southwest in the Ward. It’s expected that the station will be operational by late 2012. I want to thank Council for their support on this because the Fire Station will provide critical service to residents of Ward 7 and the entire south end of Barrie.
The Painswick Library is expected to open soon. Councillor Prowse and I are still working towards having Library presence in the southwest part of the City. The good news is that the Library Board agrees there is a need for it, what we disagree on is what type of library branch we need.
I asked the Director of Engineering for an update at Council last week on the construction around the Mapleview and 400 interchange and the good news is that it should be completed very soon. There is no question of the impact to both businesses and people in this area but the reality is that the work was necessary to accommodate what has become the commercialization of this area and had the work not been done, the outcome with respect to future traffic in this area would have been much worse than it has been.
Briefly, lights will be included in the 2012 budget for McKay and Veterans. I’ve asked City Staff to do a review of safety in the Marsellus corridor as it relates to Holly Meadows and WC Little School. Initial feedback is that a Pedestrian signal will be requested for Farmstead and Marsellus and we’re looking at another in the Sundew/Timothy/Marsellus area. The TD Data Centre is coming along and will be completed in 2012. Road lines have been re-aligned near the Canterbury of Mapleview near Marsellus. This came as a result of a request from residents because it gives them a better and safer access to their building off of Mapleview.
Finally, there was a public meeting December 5th on a proposed development at Essa and Mapleton. The applicant is proposing to rezone the subject lands to Residential Multi-Unit Special Second Density RM2(SP-) to permit a four storey multi-unit apartment building. This is the second time, this particular developer has come forward with an application. I’ve been working with him to try and come up with a plan that is suitable for the adjacent residents and the Essa Rd. corridor. Not just for now but for future planning.
I want to thank you all again for your support and I continue to work hard for you and your family. Remember to follow me on Twitter for the latest updates on what I'm doing and what's happening on Barrie City Council at @CouncillorWard7.
John
August 16, 2011
Heading into a 2 week break at Council for the annual Association of Municipalities Conference, we have been dealing with some big money issues since the return from the summer break.
Last night, Council heard a presentation from the Chair of the Police Services Board and the Chief of Police about the need for a new consolidated centralized police facility. We're expecting a staff report on August 29th on options that I suspect will generate significant debate.
Over the past several years, Council has made decisions that have resulted in a significant investment in infrastructure projects, two of which, the Surface Water Treatment Plant and expansion of the Pollution Control Plant that required the City to finance the cost of these projects. These two projects alone cost $230 M plus interest. Add this to the 52.5 million dollar committment to RVH and other projects that were advanced in the Capital Plan as a result of the Federal Stimulus Program and other stimulus initiatives, there is not much room to move both in practical terms and in the comfort level of Councillors to incur more debt to finance additional projects at this time.
Examples of projects that were advanced with Federal and Provincial money given to us was the new Downtown Fire Station, the Community Theatre, the Transit Garage ( a Federal Private-Public partnership arrangement), Anne St reconstruction, expansion of the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport, the restoration of the Allandale Station (not a stimulus program but a Community initiative), Lake Simcoe protection initiatives, and there are others that we have committed to causing debt to occur but the good news is that there are plans to manage it going forward.
We are nearing the end of the stimulus project cycle and governments are now looking at reducing further spending to avoid further debt and so are we. An advantage to borrowing at this time is that interest rates have been at historic lows resulting in less borrowing costs for the City that again allows for better control.
In saying all this however, Council is aware that the Barrie Police Service needs and wants to consolidate and centralize so we will have to weigh that need with the need to be cognizant of our debt and the need to manage it responsibly.
Around the Ward.....
- I am working with staff to come up with some solutions to the grid-lock happening around Wal-Mart. Traffic is causing economic issues for the businesses in that area and it's important that we maintain the flow of traffic.
More to come
June 11, 2001
Busy times with Council in my role as Chair of the Economic Development and Transportation Ctte Chair and of course my on-going focus in serving Ward 7. Things are going very well with the Mayors Plan for Transit with lots of work, data, and public input being considered as we work to improve the Transit system in the City. On Friday, we had a meeting with City Staff and our transit advisors to review what's been gathered so far and I can tell you that it looks like our thoughts that the Allandale Go-Train Station will be a significant hub for Transit. Part of what we're working on involves more direct routing, increased frequency of the buses and more transit hubs other than just the downtown terminal. I'm frankly excited about what we're doing.
We are also seeing alot of activity on the Economic Development front. R and M Plastics Manufacturing announced they are coming to Barrie. In addition, Council has approved a site plan application for another data center on Bayview which is important as we see an increase in sector clustering. Munro Concrete, just outside of Barrie in Utopia is hiring 100 skilled trades for contracts they have received and we have worked with them to advertise this to Barrie residents. Within 3 days, Munro received 300 job applications. Simcoe Regional Airport and the potential to attract employment because of it is a focus for us as we move forward. Add to that the additional interest in development and employment we are seeing as well as the 1100 jobs coming to RVH and the 400 for Georgian Colleges Health and Wellness Centre and were moving in the right direction. The Mayor and I also met with the Mayor of Calgary recently about setting up an Economic Trade Mission to help Barrie business do work in Alberta.
Around the Ward, I was glad to help residents of Sundew not have a community garden set up on the gas line corridor adjacent to their homes. It was the wrong location for it and the residents didn't want it there.
I'm still dealing with issues in the Sunfield Homes subdivision. A new builder has taken over the remaining lots and is not constructing homes. It will still be awhile before the City assumes the subdivision. That won't happen until all construction is completed.
As part of our traffic calming policy, I have asked City Staff to place the portable speed bumps on Girdwood for the Summer. I have also asked that the speed boards, which shows the speed driversare going to be placed on Athabaska. I receive complaints weekly from residents about speeding on streets within the Ward. This years budget for traffic calming was $65,000 dollars. At $6,000 per measure and over 90 streets in the Ward, it would have cost over $500 K just to put speed bumps in Ward 7 alone. Recently, I asked for Councils support to pursue Corporate sponsorships to help us implement more portable speed bumps and not have it come solely from the tax base. I am pleased they supported this and look forward to community safety parterships with businesses in Barrie.
As I drive around the Ward, I notice an increasing amount of Boulevards not being cut and have had to ask City Staff to do it. We are looking at a Boulevard cutting policy so that it is clear who is responsible for what boulevard. The challenge of course is that when boulevards don't get cut, it makes the whole area unkept and less than desirable. The City has a property standards by-law but I think we need a boulevard policy so things are clear.
I'm working with City Staff on the re-zoning of 540 Essa Rd. I'm concerned about the site plan and want to make sure that the streetscape on Essa is considered as well as the safety of having an intersection so close to Mapleton and Essa. Streetscape is important because Essa is considered an intensification node and we will likely see more applications in the future like this. The Province through Policy requires Cities like Barrie to become more compact communities by encouraging higher density developments. The reality is we are going to get more of these type of higher density applications so I want to make sure that what we end up looks pleasing to the eye and is something we can be proud of. I don't want a mish-mash of development that doesn't flow. Essa Rd will be 5 lanes and continue to be a major corridor into the City. I want the developments to reflect what we should expect on a major arterial road in the City.
For example, at Veterans and Harvie, Pratt Developments was very accomodating when the City expressed concern about streetscape fronting onto Veterans and Harvie.
In other Ward 7 news,
- The temporary sidewalk on Essa between Roberta Place and Mapleton should be installed by no later than August
- I will be sending out a letter to residents of Mapleton between Essa and Veterans shortly outlining plans to reconfigure the lines on the road and allow for parking in an attempt to slow people down in that section of the road.
- You will notice line painting soon on Mapleview near the Canterbury. this came as a request from the Condominium Assn to have a safer in and out entrance at that location
- Barrie Police have a new service on their website that allows for you to track various crimes to see whether they are near you and what crimes are occurring so that you can be more vigilant. It goes without saying that you need to make sure you lock your cars and garages at night and it's a good idea to do that at all times.
- I've been interviewed by the Barrie Examiner about the roadworks on Mapleview and safety on Veterans at both McKay Rd and Commerce Park. It should be in the paper this week.
- My summer newsletter should be available soon. I will not be mailing it out but will make it available electronically, on twitter, and on my website as well as Holly CC. It's just too expensive to send it out to every household.
April 28, 2011
It's been awhile and for that I apologize. It's an extremely busy time for the new Council and for me personally with lots of meetings and events and of course dealing with issues like the budget and development in the Ward.
I'll start by backtracking to the budget. This years tax increase is 2.63 % and is the second lowest increase in 10 years. Within the budget, I'm pleased to tell you that Fire Station 5, that will service a large part of Ward 7 was approved and a temporary sidewalk on the west side of Essa Rd. from Roberta Place to Mapleton was also approved. I asked City Staff to look into the sidewalk two years ago and this will improve safety for the residents of Roberta Place until the first phase of Essa is started which is scheduled for 2013.
On the development front, two residential developments are being sought. One is at Veterans and Harvie and the other is the first lot north of Mapleton on Essa. The Veterans development is already zoned for townhouses requires a slight re-zoning while the developer on Essa is seeking a re-zoning from single famile residential to mutiple dwelling residential. He is proposing 12 units on the lot and the public meeting is scheduled for this Monday May 2, 2011 at 7 p.m. There is some opposition from abutting property owners on Boag and Mapleton for this application. During my first term on Council, there were no residential re-zonings that I had to deal with but in the first 5 months of this term, there have been 2.
The City announced today that R&M Plastics Manufacturing will be re-locating from Brampton to Barrie in July. The company will be located on King Street in Ward 7.
The TD Data Center was officially anounced and will be located in Ward 7. It's a large center similar to BMO and will generate over 2 million in tax assessment to the City. Anytime these type of developments occur, it helps to relieve the tax burden on residential taxpayers and we are actively pursuing other opportunities.
The traffic calming program will be rolling out this summer. I've asked City Staff to place portable traffic calming measures on Girdwood for this summer and I have a motion coming to Council Monday that will ask staff to pursue partnerships for community safety. My intent is to have local companies sponsor traffic calming measures in residential neighbourhoods so that we can roll out more of these measures alot quicker than we would if the City was to fund this on our own. I see some value in this if you're a company looking to advertise because the City can leverage other marketing opportunities that we have and combine good value for whoever considers this as an option notwithstanding the fact that every company wants or should be seen as a partner in promoting commmunity safety.
I have been involved in several meetings with the Mayor, City Staff, and Metrolinx to look at completely overhauling our transit system and I must say that I'm excited about what were are working on. It's an initiative that the Mayor proposed during the election campaign and while nothing is finalized at this point, the plan does consider more direct routing, a multi-hub syatem, re-locating the terminal, better use of technology, and re-branding our transit system with a more contemporary feel and look. Council recently endorsed further work on the plan and to schedule a series of public meetings so there is one scheduled for tonight from 4-7 p.m. at the bus terminal downtown.
Around the Ward,
I'll be sending out a letter to residents on Mapleton between Veterans and Essa on proposed changes to Mapleton that in my view will help solve some of the speeding issues on that stretch of road. My intent is to set up a meeting at the Holly Community Centre to discuss the changes.
Also, this is a reminder that as summer approaches, you cannot use dirtbikes and ATV's within the City limits except to access a trail. There is a by-law against it.
That's it for now, I'll be updating regularly as I have now settled in to my 2nd. term and past what was an extremely busy 5 months.
Thanks for your support,
John
February 4, 2011
Well, the snowmageddon that was predicted for earlier this week didn't quite happen the way it was supposed to but it did cause some snow related problems for residents, specifically the plowing in of some driveways and the increase in the size of snow banks at the end of driveways. The City unfortunately does not budget for reducing the size of the snowbanks for individual or private driveways but will do it at intersections when safety is being compromised. I tell people to look at the bright side, there is only a month and a bit left for the snow to stick around with spring just around the corner and I personally can't wait.
The fight to keep Barrie Central open is heating up. Closing Central really does compromise our attempts at attracting investment and revitalizing the downtown and would cause serious overcrowding issues at outlying schools like Bear Creek SS. All of the current high schools are over capacity and this would only add to the problem of overcrowding until a new south end high school is built, and that's not expected until 2019. This would mean that a generation of students would know nothing else than being educated in portables. To expect that other High Schools in Barrie would pick up the students from Central, would in my view exasperate an already over-crowded situation and I truly believe that not all options have been explored to prevent the closure of Central, including partnership opportunities. This issue has the potential to affect our City in so many ways and that's why City Council has become so involved.
More to come.....
January 9, 2011
Happy New Year to everyone and although there was alot of communication throughout the recent election campaign, this is the first blog I have posted since June. I'll keep it short but there are a couple of important things coming up that you should be aware of.
The traffic calming report is finally coming to Council tomorrow night and in it will be the policy for implementing traffic calming measures in residential neighbourhouds including a criteria for implementing permanent and temporary measures. This is something I put forward and received support on from Council after the 2006 election so I'm very pleased that it has finally arrived.
The second issue is that the City of Barrie is undertaking a review of both the Property Standards by-law and the Clean Yards by-law. These by-laws govern the maintenance and up-keep of all properties and structures in the City of Barrie. I know there are many of you who have expressed concern over the years about the standard by which properties are kept, the type and scope of structures on properties, as well as the parking of certain types of vehicles on properties.
Within the review, there is an opportunity for you to have your say because there will be two Open Houses held in the Sir Robert Barrie Room located on the second floor of City Hall 70 Collier Street from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on:
Thursday January 13th and Thursday January 27th 2011
There will be an opportunity to review the proposed property standards. Staff will also be on hand to answer questions, accept comments and suggestions. If you are unable to attend either one of the Open Houses, please visit www.barrie.ca under “What’s New” to view a copy of the proposed standards and get a copy of a survey that you can complete to share your opinions.
That's it for now. I'll provide more information soon on Council's Startegic Priorities for the coming term and will be updating my blogs regularly.
John