City council was urged Monday to either abandon its planned changes at Terry Fox Circle or defer the project until after the next election.
Mel St. Onge took to the public forum of Monday’s virtual meeting to make the plea, suggesting, “come budget time, this $3-million (project) not be passed by this council.”
More than 6,200 people signed a petition, indicating “that they want the park left open, as is, with the vehicles,” said St. Onge, a member of a residents’ group that organized the petition.
“Surely to God, the taxpayers in Orillia should have a say.”
Council initially opted to close Terry Fox Circle to vehicles. However, in a reconsideration vote earlier this month, they decided to go with a smaller circle that will have fewer parking spots and be farther from the waterfront.
The group cited worries about accessibility, a loss of parking spaces and a diminished view of the lake.
St. Onge also pointed to the cost as a concern. He noted the city had taken on plenty of expensive projects in recent years and that it’s looking at a tax increase of about 3.5 per cent.
“I’m asking each councillor and the mayor to think deeply about all the people of Orillia and find a way to try to get a lower (increase) than 3.5 per cent,” he said, adding getting rid of the changes to the park and Terry Fox Circle would help with that.
“I’m not criticizing. I just want to represent the people of Orillia and surrounding areas who want that park left the way it is, with some minor upgrades,” he said.
St. Onge thanked fellow group members David Robbins, Janet Maconachie, Marcel Rousseau and Peter Hislop “for an outstanding dedication to the project.”
He also thanked those not in the group who collected signatures, and the business owners who allowed for the petition to be in their shops.
