While a last-minute attempt to have the Drayton skate park project included in the 2016 budget failed, Mapleton council left open the possibility the proposed facility could still be built this year.
Councillor Michael Martin introduced a notice of motion at the Jan. 27 meeting to have the municipality contribute funding required to complete the project in the 2016 budget.
Plans for the facility called for the one third of the estimated $100,000 cost to come from the municipality, with a third each to come from community fundraising and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
However the project has been in limbo since December, when the municipality learned its Trillium application was unsuccessful.
Martin’s notice of motion called for council to up the township contribution to two-thirds to get the project completed in 2016. Martin suggested the money be reallocated from within the proposed budget, so as not to add to the levy increase currently projected at just over 17 per cent in the draft budget.
With a vote to approve the budget scheduled for the next regular council meeting on Feb. 9, council passed a resolution waiving normal procedure and allowing immediate consideration of Martin’s motion.
While conceding “the timing’s off” on the motion, Martin said it was “borne out of a little bit of frustration personally, in that I really think this project needs to go somewhere … I really think this is a project that’s gone on long enough.”
Martin added, “I really would like to see this project get shovel in the ground and get this park up and going, otherwise honestly its going to be another year.”
CAO Brad McRoberts said the question is “where do we find $33,000?” He added, “If there’s reserves in a park fund that we could draw from, that could be a fairly simple solution.”
Treasurer Yufang Du advised council the township has a little over $50,000 in a parks reserve fund.
“In order to get our tax increase down to 2.9 per cent (in the draft 2016 budget) we took some money out of our other reserve accounts. Are we going to be looking at a higher tax rate next year to replace those funds we didn’t put in reserve?” asked councillor Dennis Craven.
McRoberts clarified the township did not take money out of reserves to lower the proposed increase, but rather deferred 2016 contributions to reserves.
“We haven’t used reserves to reduce the tax rate,” he stressed.
Craven also asked, “Is there any changes that we could make that would reduce that to a $66,000 skate park rather than $100,000?”
“The concern I have is if we reduce it down to a smaller project, we basically would sacrifice the project. In the end you’re building something less than what you really want, just because that’s all the money you’ve got,” said McRoberts.
“You could build something smaller. Would it meet what your community needs? Maybe not.”
Mayor Neil Driscoll pointed out there are other options that could be investigated, including a suggestion offered at the Jan. 14 budget open house that a skate park using portable ramps could be set up in the PMD arena parking lot.
“We have to make sure we make the right decision for everybody,” said Driscoll. “I’ve got to answer emails as to why we’re not redoing the 6th this year, why we’re not redoing the 8th Line. It’s tough, but we’ve got to make a decision.”
Martin suggested council reconsider its philosophy on projects of this nature, particularly the idea of relying too heavily on grant funding.
“I think we should revisit using grants as part of a solution for these projects,” he stated.
Councillor Marlene Ottens said she wished members of the Drayton Skatepark Committee were present so council could ask questions.
She also said it might have been better if fundraising efforts had been directed to local farmers “instead of businesses in the community.
“There’s a lot of money out there and just because you don’t live in town doesn’t mean you don’t participate in these things,” said Ottens. “Some people have said farmers aren’t paying their fair share of taxes, but maybe they’d be willing to donate to some of these projects,” she added.
Driscoll said he saw merit in the idea.
“Maybe lay off the business and go to, maybe not even just farmers, but personal individuals,” he suggested.
“Our businesses get asked every week or every month for more money,” observed Craven, adding “farmers are businesses too.”
“I challenge every chicken farmer in Mapleton to donate to the skate park,” stated Ottens, who lives on a local broiler and cash crop operation with her husband, John.
Councillor Lori Woodham agreed additional fundraising might be the way to go.
“If they fundraise for half, maybe we could contribute the other half,” she said. “Unfortunately the way this model was, of hinging on this grant, I don’t feel comfortable going ahead.”
Craven pointed out “part of reason we’re not getting this grant money is there are other municipalities worse off than us. If we go ahead and complete the skate board park … will the Trillium people say ‘Well they got enough for that one,’ will they say we’ve got enough for the next application too?”
“No that’s not a fair comment,” said Driscoll. “Don’t even go there.”
Martin said, “I think enough people put enough time in for this that if we have the capacity to get it built we should go ahead.”
Woodham asked if the motion was defeated if it could be revisited even after the budget is passed, “since it’s coming from reserves.”
“This doesn’t stop the process of communicating with this group,” said Driscoll, adding the funding picture could change “If the chicken farmers ended up picking up on Marlene’s challenge.”
“If this is defeated now, there’s no treason it couldn’t’ come back at some future date,” McRoberts confirmed.
A resolution that the township draw $33,000 from reserves to make an additional one-third contribution to the proposed skate park was defeated, with only Martin voting in favour.
