Council gives rec centre decision

Earlier this week, there was a partnership. Wednesday night, it’s a divorce. Hamilton City Council has decided to drop it’s plan to build a new, recreation and seniors centre in the lower city in conjunction with the construction of a new high school.

Scot Urquhart was at city hall, when the vote was taken, and has the details of a somewhat surprising development at council.

It’s going to cost us more money. But councillors decided that a new recreation centre on the Scott Park grounds will be worth it.

Everybody got on board for this proposal even though there are plenty of unanswered questions attached to it. For example, the council isn’t completely sure exactly how much the stand alone seniors, and recreation centre will cost in total. They aren’t sure what the ultimate fate of the existing Jimmy Thompson pool will be or what will happen to the existing Scott Park school building which is in private hands, and will now “not” be expropriated.

They do know that the Scott Park ice pad will be demolished, with no certain replacement in store. They also know that the school board will have to build its new high school elsewhere in the lower city. And that it’s unlikely that the new project will be finished in time for the Pan-Am games.

So you may be wondering why council decided to potentially spend an extra $3 million rather than go ahead with a proposed partnership, with the Hamilton District School Board?

Well, the declared reasoning was that many councillors simply don’t trust the school board and they would rather go it alone than risk losing the project altogether.

And they feel that they will have better control of the project on their own, both before and after construction.

That suggestions of bad blood was later played down by school board chair Tim Simmons: “We’re best friends but we’re not going to be roommates on this one. We’ll always go forward when we’re dealing with our partnerships no matter who it’s with, with goodwill, and faith, and make sure that we create something better than what we can create by ourselves.”

But there was also an undercurrent that council was united in the desire to pay tribute to long-time Ward 3 Alderman Bernie Morelli, who has just recently returned after a severe illness.

Money will be pulled from several budget envelopes across the city to make this project happen. But councilor Morelli cast it more in the light of fellow councillors being fair than as any particular personal legacy:

“well, I’m not a big legacy guy. All I know is that it’s needed. It’s one I’ve believed in. It’s one I haven’t let go of. I believe in the fact of the demographic. I can see that change coming. What legacy? Legacy is doing the right thing and everyone around that table wants to do the right thing. They’re not playing fair ball. There comes a time and this is it now.”

You heard Councilor Morelli say the time is now. And certainly with the Pan-Am precinct proposal moving ahead, this would seem to be the perfect opportunity to commit to such a project. Even so, there seems to be an unusual sense of urgency, and unanimity on Council, regarding this particular project.