Foundation has final say over park project

Editor:
The current turmoil about the fate of the TD building should not come as a surprise. It is true that there were two public meetings but after that the whole process was opaque and secret. When you asked a member of the TLC what sort of discussions were held as a result of those public meetings you were told that all the committee meetings were confidential.
What considerations were used to come up with the two options? We can’t tell you. How did small decide what was the community wish of keeping the building versus tearing it down? No way of knowing. Did small consider the financial feasibility of keeping the building commercial? That wasn’t their mandate.
I submitted to the TLC some rough calculations on maintaining the building as commercial, using operating costs (very high), very cheap sale of the bank building and minimal renovations, to show that even then the rent needed to be charged to cover costs would be 2 or 3 times the going rent in Creemore. Was that information ever considered? Did anyone ever present a business plan on the possibility of keeping the building? Who is to know, all discussions were secret.
The Station on the Green and the Log Cabin projects were managed by a group of dedicated volunteers. Money was raised but none of the financial contributors imposed their views about the work to be undertaken. No one should doubt the generosity of the financial backers of the TD land project, but understand too that it is the Foundation that will make the decisions. They decided on who would be asked to submit design proposals, they will decide who is the finalist, and they will make the final decisions on the design. Advice is welcome but he who pays the piper calls the tune. City people, who in order to please their city donors, pick a city design firm so that Creemore can get a park that would not look out of place in a city.
This project had its genesis last June when the Creemore Horticultural Society was asked if they would be in favour of expanding their horticultural park. They agreed, with the understanding that they would have control over the outcome. A year later, and they have little control, there is no expansion of the park space, and the existing Horticultural Park designation will disappear. A far cry from what they agreed to. Some members feel betrayed.
Paul Vorstermans,
Creemore.