The following community update has been provided to CollingwoodToday by Mayor Yvonne Hamlin.
Hard work does pay off! I am proud to bring news of three recent accomplishments in Collingwood.
$70 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR OUR WATER TREATMENT PLANT ANNOUNCED
Over the past year I have been busy arranging numerous meetings regarding funding for the water treatment plant expansion with Premier Ford, Minister Calandra who is the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Minister Surma who is the Minister of Infrastructure, as well as the Provincial Budget Committee.
In addition to our needs for a new hospital, I have been clear about the need for the Province to step up and assist in the funding for the expansion of our water treatment plant.
Last week, the Province delivered.
An announcement was made in our Council chambers of funding in the amount of $70 million dollars - an historic grant for our community! MPP Saunderson was on hand to publicly announce the news. Our County of Simcoe Warden Clark and others on his team, and Mayor Norcross of New Tecumseth and others on his team, were also present. The Town of New Tecumseth is participating in the cost of construction in exchange for water supply, further reducing the cost for Collingwood.
Working with our Provincial partner was an honour, as was working with “Team Collingwood”: our cohesive Council which voted to move this project along every time it made sense to do so, and our professional staff whose expertise guided us.
SIGNED 20-YEAR DEAL WITH THE BLUES JUNIOR HOCKEY TEAM
The initial 5-year deal between the Town of Collingwood and the Blues came to an end in August 2024, and after lengthy negotiations, I am pleased to announce that a new 20-year deal was signed in September.
This deal relates to the use of the Eddie Bush arena and is intended to transfer to a new facility should one be built. The 20-year term includes one renewal at year 10.
My goal in the negotiations was to make sure that the new agreement was fair and mutually beneficial. We reached that goal. The directions from Council, made earlier in 2024, were all implemented including operational use guidelines for the W.J.(Scotty) Carmichael Collingwood Sports Hall of Fame room.
I have been proudly boasting that our team became the first Ontario Junior Hockey League champion in well over a dozen years to win Canada's National Junior A Championship. I am looking forward to another great season in our downtown arena!
THIRD PARK IN TWO YEARS OPENED IN COLLINGWOOD
Council and I were on hand for the official opening of the den Bok Family Park on September 18th.
This is the third awesome park opened in our community in two years, serving our young, growing number of families.
The first, Sunset Point Park Playground, is still receiving rave reviews for such amazing features as the lighthouse play structure, a zip line, a ship play structure, a town village structure for tots, the discovery beach (think a very big sandbox, inlaid “fossils” for kids to discover, and water table), and shaded social hub area with picnic table.
The second is our Awen' Waterplay Park located at Harbourview Park. Features include a waterfall, a splash pad, spouts and interactive water activators. Total fun based upon the squeals of delight I hear every time I walk in that area!
The third, den Bok Family Park, is in the Summit View subdivision on Plewes Drive. This neighbourhood park includes a multi-use court, play structure, pavilion, open space, trees and looped concrete path (great for those learning how to ride a bike!).
The den Bok farm was originally located where the Summit View subdivision now resides. Many of the family members of the “first” family which arrived in the 1940’s, still live in the Collingwood area, and I was pleased to recognize them at the official opening of the park.
I want to give a heartfelt thanks to the design consultant David Wood who applied his considerable creative and thoughtful design skills to what he heard during community engagement, together with input from our parks staff, to create each of these three beautiful parks.
TERMINALS POINT PROJECT – INVESTIGATIVE DRILLING AND MORE!
Lastly, although it may seem quiet on the Terminals revitalization project front, lots of behind-the-scenes work is taking place.
The Town and the developer have entered the “due diligence” stage, where the parties have six months to make a final, informed decision on whether the project will proceed.
Over the next several weeks, you might notice drilling taking place in a few spots, including on the north and south sides of the Terminals. This is further work needed to confirm the land is suitable for the development proposed.
Design work is also being completed. For example, our engineering team is looking at whether all of the work proposed for a redesigned Heritage Drive is manageable (think such things as fire, electrical support, conservation issues).
Stay tuned for next steps in the spring at the end of the due diligence period, when active community education, engagement, and consultation will begin to help inform the design and establish a final concept for the lands.
These are a few of the photos I took recently from the “bin floor” when touring the terminals with the winners of the “Tour the Grain Terminals with the Mayor” contest. The bin floor is proposed to include a restaurant.
There are so many opportunities to have input into all of these projects and plans. To learn about how to participate and subscribe to receive updates visit each project page here.