Council agrees to restore Creemore bridge
A majority of Clearview councillors have agreed to take ownership of the Collingwood Street Bridge in Creemore, if they can get enough money from the county to restore it.
During a two-hour council meeting Monday, April 13 councillors heard six deputations and discussed the fate of the 102-year-old steel bridge.
The discussion was prompted by a report tabled by Deputy Mayor Barry Burton recommending that the township take on the bridge in order to restore it, rather than leave it in the hands of the County of Simcoe. The county has already issued a tender to replace the bridge this summer.
Burton said the bridge replacement was scheduled for 2016 but it was moved up, creating an urgency to save the bridge.
Burton has been working for many years to stop the county from replacing the bridge, which is located close to his home. Through the campaign, Burton became engaged in local politics, prompting him to run for office. In the previous term of council members voted twice against designating the bridge as a heritage feature, as a way of stopping its replacement with a two-lane concrete bridge.
Burton asked fellow council members to support a recommendation that would see the bridge transferred to the township as long as the county also transfers $1.3 million to pay for the restoration, a cantilevered walkway and other works associated with the project. The initial offer from Simcoe County was $900,000 based on the tax portion of the project to be expensed in 2015, reported Burton. Other funds, such as development charges, may not be applied to a project if there is no expansion.
In the opinion of local experts who have been advocating for the restoration in an effort to see the historic bridge preserved, the money will be enough to cover the expenses but not all council members and township staff have confidence in the estimates.
John Boote of Burnco Manufacturing and John Hillier, a landscape architect with DTAH, presented a restoration estimate of $1,302,945.
“We’re quite comfortable the total value of the restoration is appropriate,” said Boote.
He said, as a steel manufacturer, his company would not bid on the job if and when it is tendered.
That made Councillor Shawn Davidson question the validity of the estimate, saying it would make him more confident knowing for sure someone could do the job for $1.3 million. Nevertheless, he suggested the resolution be amended to $1.5 million to build in a bit of a buffer, which was supported by the majority of council.
The county had slated $2.5 million to replace the bridge.
Those advocating for the restoration argue that more than $1 million of taxpayer dollars will be saved and a historic landmark and tourist attraction will be preserved.
“Normally, the conversation is about how much extra are we willing to spend to save it,” said Hiller. “The fact here is that we are saving money.”
And there are other costs. Another environmental assessment is needed, or an amendment, to proceed with the restoration.
Councillor Deborah Bronée did not support the recommendation, saying that the township already has a number of bridges it cannot afford to maintain. She was also critical of the way the issue was brought before council.
“I am somewhat dismayed that the deputy mayor brought this forward without notice,” said Bronée adding discussions have taken place without input from staff and council members.
“I support the county and I do not want future taxpayers burdened with another structure they cannot afford.”
Councillor Robert Walker agreed, saying taking on the bridge carries the burden forward and he was surprised to see the issue on the agenda and to find out that Burton was meeting privately with the county.
“We talked about communication, being open and transparent,” said Walker.
Burton said Mayor Chris Vanderkruys was with him when meeting with the warden and the deputy warden.
“They put the offer on the table,” said Burton.
He said he sent the report to councillors two weeks earlier when they found out the county tender was closing and also discussed the matter with Clearview CAO Steve Sage and left it up to him to involve what staff he needed to involve.
Councillor Doug Measures said he too supports the county’s plan.
“We have to look at publically owned transportation infrastructure. It has to be maintained,” he said.
Councillor Kevin Elwood says he sees this as a second chance.
“There has been a disconnect at the county level. The county hasn’t listened to the residents. They didn’t respect the county’s wishes as a whole,” said Elwood.
“I think we should take the opportunity and renegotiate but I wouldn’t want to accept the outcome until we know what they are,” he said, adding he wants all of the information before making a decision. “I do support preservation of our heritage and we have been given a second chance.”
“Why can’t county council direct staff to restore the bridge? I will put my hand up when they want to download it to us,” said Davidson. “If everybody’s wrong about the numbers, it’s just us in Clearview that will have to pay. Get them to fix it, once it’s fixed, with a little reserve for maintenance, I’ll gladly accept it… We already have 78 bridges, I don’t want 79.”
Councillor Connie Leishman said she supports the recommendation as written, as she has always been in favour of preserving the bridge, even if it means not doing other projects because of the cost of taking on the bridge.
“I may not know bridges but if we lose it, it’s gone and I have a problem with that,” she said.
Thom Paterson said, in the end, what makes the restoration practical is that it is supposed to save taxpayers $1 million.
At a county council meeting on Tuesday, council members agreed to hold off on proceeding with the bridge tender, which closed Thursday, and bring the issue back on April 28.
