Brant News photo
Mayor Chris Friel
Chris Friel
BRANT NEWS
Every once in a while, we are offered a unique opportunity with nothing but positive results.
This is the case when it comes to the development of the YMCA-Laurier athletics complex proposed for the south side of Colborne Street.
Laurier and the Y are proposing to build a $58.4-million building and the City of Brantford has been asked for 10 per cent in support.
The previous council had a memorandum of understanding that offered the land for free but, with the introduction of potential funding from the federal government, there is a requirement for the benefitting municipality to contribute the aforementioned 10 per cent.
For $5.84 million, Brantford will have an architecturally significant and environmentally significant building that will become iconic for our community for generations to come.
We benefit in a variety of ways, not just from the building itself. First, we were involved in creating an absolutely unique partnership that demonstrates the future of municipal community development in the 21st century. No municipality can develop projects of this scope on their own anymore and partnerships are the only way to grow the community without creating an unnecessary financial burden on citizens.
Brantford has benefitted from almost $120 million in investment in our downtown, while contributing not quite $17 million. A recent economic impact study demonstrated that our community has benefitted from $43.3 million annually due to the presence of post-secondary institutions. (I took the most conservative estimated dollar amount from the report to demonstrate the significance even at the low end of the scale.)
While I understand that having tax-paying investments in the downtown would be the ideal, let’s not lose sight of the fact that, prior to the university, we were receiving barely any tax from a predominately empty downtown.
And the amount is a fraction of what we receive from current and future economic impact.
Brantford also benefits from having a destination location in the downtown that is for the entire community, not only for students. People by the thousands will be attracted to the new YMCA and that means people in the thousands from all over the community with a reason to come downtown. This is exactly the long-term view that has been presented over the years as a catalyst for a community-wide economic revitalization.
The other benefit that will result is that we will see the value of the remaining areas on the south side increase to a point that they become economically viable for more high impact development. A community discussion will ensue on how the land should be developed. (Or not developed, keeping open space, as is the desire of many.)
The YMCA has community programming for young people that will benefit the community and that community programming will only grow over time.
Lastly, this is the foundation to support the growth of Laurier Brantford to achieve the desired goal of 15,000 students.
The economic impacts are obvious and the return on investment for the municipality would make the private sector green with envy.
A win!
Chris Friel is mayor of the City of Brantford.
—The math used in this explanation of cost to benifits analysis is flawed by overlooking huge costs of which 5.8 million dollars is simply the latest installement planned on behalf of the tax-payers of Brantford. To ignore the other bigger costs that we have alredy incurred, the costs that we will incur in the future and the costs that others will incur is typical of this sort of Pollyanna propaganda. I guess I am one of those Boo-Birds who is criticized for being too negative, but here I stand. There is a lot of waste in this city in the name of progress, so far I reckon that hill has cost the tax-payer’s of Brantford about 40 million dollars. I really do hope that all our mucking around there does not cause the pipes to break under Colbourne St. It is a hill. We are building a swimming pool on a hill. To me that sounds expensive. Maybe that is why the last proposal I heard for it it, is only six swimming lanes wide. The old Earl Haig pool that was demolished would be twice as big? This is just one more way we are being told that something really expensive is going to make our lives better. It is sort of like the Tourism Centre. I remember the stuff that was said when that was sold to us. We are buying these things people and city hall does not have a printing press for money in the basement. In fact the basement is where a lot of these ideas get polished up before they are presented to us.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I think it is important that if the News Outlets are going to allow Politicians to submit columns that they insist on them using correct statistics.
Our Mayor says we have only invested about 17 million in the down town
I am somewhat taken aback by his memory loss when it comes to Harmony Square, the cost of Market Square, the cost of the South Side of Colborne St
The reality is the City has invested over $100 million in the downtown.
He also mentions no tax income from the downtown, when in fact all those buildings were paying property taxes,they may have not been full of retail outlets, but they did in fact provide a tax base to the City. He leaves that out, and also leaves out that the City generates no tax income from the Laurier buildings, it is a per head tax,regardless of how much property they own in the City, they pay a set tax.
It is unfortunate that this article will land of the doorsteps of 100′s of homes with inaccurate information.
It is important that Brant News ensures that the information going out under its names is correct.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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—John I agree. Perhaps you undestate your case though. There are about 7,400 mailboxes in Ward 5. A goodly sum of them recieve the expositor. Of course any paper carrier could make a better guess then me but I am guessing maybe 40%. They might have there circulation posted somewhere? This hear is an open discussian. Even a thumbsdowner who is usually quiet could use this opportunity to show us all how wrong we are. John I also feel certain individuals use the paper to spread one inaccuracy after another, and the sad thing is thatmost people believe it because they don’t go on the blogs so for them any inaccuracies remain the last word on the subject. I was happy hugo called us Boo-birds, because it may have given us more readership, although I doubt it does anything for paper sales.
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I meant for that to read 1000′s thousands
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