City council was brought up to speed Thursday on a number of projects underway in Orillia.
Staff outlined the progress made on its corporate plan during the special council meeting.
At the top of the list was the recreation centre.
The “milestones” completed so far include reconstruction of Queen Street and installation of sanitary/sewer infrastructure, explained Kent Guptill, director of facilities and special projects.
Over the next few months, he added, the building’s roof and exterior should be finished, as well as a parking lot and electrical cabling.
“The site is progressing very well,” Guptill said, noting the recreation centre is still set to open in the spring of 2019.
Coun. Tim Lauer asked about the “derelict building” owned by Orillia Power Corporation that is at the corner of the property. He was told it is up to Orillia Power to approach the city with a demolition permit. Lauer wants the city to encourage the utility to do so. City CAO Gayle Jackson said the matter is on her to-do list, and added if the sale of Orillia Power’s distribution arm to Hydro One goes through, that property will be transferred to the city.
Whether the deal will happen is still unknown. The hydro sale was also on the list of updates Thursday.
After the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) put a stop to the deal between the city and Hydro One, that decision was appealed in May. A hearing on July 10 was to held to determine whether the OEB would reconsider. Jackson said she had hoped to hear back by now, but that hasn’t happened.
There was a brief update on the former Huronia Regional Centre (HRC). The city wants to secure public access to the Lake Simcoe shoreline on the Memorial Avenue property, but not much has changed since the last time council was brought up to speed on that file.
“If the Huronia Cultural Campus initiative gains momentum, or if the province decides to offer the former HRC site for sale, council would need to provide direction to staff to negotiate the acquisition of the lands required to secure public access to the shoreline of Lake Simcoe within the boundary of the former HRC site,” the report stated.
Coun. Ralph Cipolla suggested it’s time for staff to set up a meeting with the appropriate provincial minister, or even Premier Doug Ford.
“It’s been going on for so long now,” Cipolla said. “It’s time we wrapped it up.”
There has been some action on the city’s goal to expand its employment land in west Orillia, at the Horne Business Park. Before that can happen, a “land needs assessment” must be completed. That process is expected to begin in September. An employment plan would follow.
The city’s communications plan was also on the agenda.
The city released a communications and engagement survey June 11. It was open for almost a month. Residents could fill it out online or pick up a paper copy at city hall or the library.
The survey was completed by 463 people – 460 of whom did so online. More than half of the respondents were older than 50, and the most sought-after information pertained to operations such as snow removal, snow maintenance and line painting, as well as major construction projects, waste collection and the landfill.
Cipolla suggested the city mail, through the post office, information and updates, as he felt it would reach the older residents who might not access their information online.
Coun. Ted Emond, who lives in an area with many seniors, wasn’t so sure. Many of his neighbours use the internet and prefer to receive their community updates electronically.
“We shouldn’t be seduced to look in the rearview mirror,” he said.
