Orillia’s proposed recreation complex should be scaled down and relocated to rural lands earmarked for Lakehead University’s permanent campus, a city councillor believes.
“There is certainly enough property there to have both (the school and recreation centre),” Don Evans told Orillia Today at the conclusion of a public meeting focusing on the long-delayed recreation project.
While acknowledging the municipality retains full responsibility for the care of a contaminated site currently proposed for the MURF, Evans said the project in its current form is simply too expensive.
“The community cannot afford the $70 million that is being proposed for a single recreation facility,” he said.
Cost was a running theme during a two-hour forum organized by a local citizens’ group, and held at Twin Lakes Secondary School on Thursday evening.
Armed with figures provided by the city treasurer, Coun. Ralph Cipolla told the crowd of 200 that an increase of about $100 to the average tax bill annually for the next 14 years would pay for the MURF, a library, a newly-built fire substation and a planned fire/police station.
“I have not spoken to one person who is not willing to donate a hundred dollars a year for the next 14 years to build all those facilities,” Cipolla said.
Not until the project is tendered will council know the true cost, he added.
“If we figure it is way too much money, then we can have the conversation (about scaling it back),” he added. “The question then is: what do you cut out? Do you cut out the pool? Do you cut out the seniors’ centre, or the baseball diamonds? They are all facilities that are needed.”
However, council colleague Michael Fogarty, a vocal critic of the project’s surging price, believes the proposed budget is more than double the amount Orillians should be shouldering.
“Thirty million dollars should be doable,” he said.
Fogarty urged audience members to consider all the information presented that evening and then contact their council representatives – regardless of whether they support or oppose the current project.
“Don’t let this end here tonight,” he added.
Concerns over the presence of industrial chemicals such as vinyl chloride beneath the site surfaced several times over the course of the meeting.
“This is a world-class disaster we have here,” said Allan Millard, a member of the group that hosted the event.
Added resident Frank Gauthier:
“Would you let your children and your grandchildren play on that site? I wouldn’t.”
The polluted property is “yelling at us – no, no, no,” Gauthier said. “Why aren’t we listening to it?”
Resident Brian Hare charged that the West Street property had been unfairly demonized, likening the former industrial site to “the boogeyman.”
“You would get the impression from these people that (the industrial chemicals) would be jumping out of the ground and biting you,” he said later. “If it was so bad, why has the (Ministry of the Environment) not condemned the property? I would love to see the MURF built on that property.”
Organizers of the event said the projected cost of $63 million does not take into account other related expenses, including the tonnes of contaminated soil that were trucked from the site to the city’s landfill.
Together the costs amount to more than $70 million, the group said.
Discussions of the ironclad transfer agreement that resulted in the city accepting the former industrial property from brewing giant Molson Canada prompted calls for an investigation.
“These people should be held accountable,” said Michael Marlow. “We’ve got this site and now we are all responsible.”
Marlow, a personal support worker, echoed the call to relocate the project to another property.
“I won’t want my kid at risk,” said Marlow. “He means everything to me in the world.”
Participants in Thursday’s forum were asked to complete a two-sided questionnaire focusing on the proposed project and potential alternatives to the current plan.
Results of the survey will be forwarded to council, the group said.
