While a recommendation to pursue a joint feasibility study for a multi-use recreation facility with the Town of The Blue Mountains was defeated by councillors at their committee of the whole meeting earlier this month, the tables turned during their last council meeting before summer break on Monday.
During a July 31 special meeting of Collingwood council, councillors voted 5-4 in favour of pursuing the blending of resources with its neighbours to the west to investigate each municipality’s recreation needs, as well as whether it makes sense to collaborate on some aspects.
Mayor Yvonne Hamlin said she had always been a proponent of looking at solutions alongside Collingwood’s bordering municipalities.
“This is a tough one,” she said. “There are so many things we’re doing these days where we’re looking to our adjoining municipalities.”
She noted she didn’t see harm in gathering data to identify the current needs of residents.
“There’s no sense in pretending we’re an island unto ourselves,” she said.
A feasibility study is used to confirm community needs, by priority, for both the current time frame and a defined future scope. The assessment also reviews business alternatives to determine the most effective means of delivering services. High-level costing and next steps recommendations may also be included in a feasibility study.
The Town of The Blue Mountains approved funding for a feasibility assessment through its 2021 leisure activities plan. Collingwood approved funding through their 2019 parks, recreation and culture master plan. Both plans indicated opportunities to review regional potential.
“The intent of this is not to come up with a joint project between the municipalities, but rather to join resources to get a feasibility study to support the needs of each of our municipalities to inform a future decision,” Coun. Kathy Jeffery said at Monday’s meeting. “I’m prepared to support.”
Deputy Mayor Tim Fryer said he was generally in support of regional approaches, when they are appropriate.
“We aren’t a region and we have separate governance situations,” he said, noting he was not in support.
Coun. Rob Ring also didn’t support spending all of Collingwood’s money earmarked for a feasibility study on a joint one.
If the Town of The Blue Mountains agrees to the joint study, Collingwood town staff have suggested the approved $100,000 budgets of each municipality be blended to $200,000 for the enhanced project scope.
“I don’t think it’s money well spent. This is the third crack we’ve had at trying to get a multi-use recreation facility in Collingwood and I think we have to do it right this time,” said Ring.
“I think this is only going to confuse and prolong the situation.”
Coun. Deb Doherty echoed Jeffery’s comments, in support.
“This is not a collaboration meant to come up with a regional community centre. It’s a collaboration to determine our individual needs and whether there’s an opportunity to collaborate,” she said.
“Even if we come out of this study and find there are no commonalities, we are still going to be able to come up with information about our own particular needs.”
Doherty also noted there are cost savings associated with taking up the study jointly, as well as potential for upper-tier financial support for regional collaboration.
“We are a region. We need to act like a region,” she said.
During the committee of the whole vote on the matter on July 24, Jeffery and Fryer declared conflicts as they both said they have family members who work in the recreation departments for either Collingwood or the Town of The Blue Mountains.
At Monday’s council meeting, both said they had since consulted the integrity commissioner on the matter, and were advised declaring a conflict wasn’t necessary.
Council voted 5-4 in favour of pursuing a joint feasibility study with the Town of The Blue Mountains, with Coun. Chris Potts, Coun. Steve Perry, Ring and Fryer opposed.
