Buses and Toilets

20 Minute Buses Suck (Funds)

Although Guelph Transit riders have been enjoying the more commuter friendly advantages of a 20-minute schedule during weekday hours, there haven’t been enough of them to justify the costs. Rudy Stehle, interim manager of Guelph Transit characterized projections for increased ridership before the initiation of the new service last summer as “overly optimistic,” she told the Guelph Tribune. “[T]he hope was that the ridership by the general public would increase, but that hasn’t proven to be the case, not in the numbers that were forecast.”

Although there has been a increase in ridership, that number comes from a greater use by University of Guelph students who pay a flat rate per semester for their bus pass in their student fees whether they use it or not. The result of these lower than expected revenue numbers has been the watch word of the day: Budget deficit. Not that that’s the sole cause as snow removal, increased fuel costs, higher utility costs and overtime pay were also cited as contributors to Transit’s lopsided numbers. Already action’s been taken to stymie the slide with the city's emergency services, community services and operations committee voting to cease stat holiday transit for the rest of the year and New Year’s Day 2010. The vote was called without discussion at a committee meeting last Monday. The city says it’ll revisit the decision in the New Year and that the move is expected to save the city $87,000 this year.

Outdoor toilets: Take 3

Speaking of money going down the toilet (I kid), the debate over public facilities in the downtown continues with the Night Life Task Force bringing an amendment to council’s amendment suggesting that more money be spent on the project than original suggested. City Council voted last month that they’d be willing to spend $5,000 on a pilot project that would see outdoor urinals installed in the core on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Last meeting, council sent the proposal back to the Task Force to see if there was any way to spread the cost to bars and late-night restaurants who being all the rogue urinators downtown

Instead, a new proposal came before the Emergency Services, Community Services and Operations committee last Monday seeking a $14,200 buy-in from the city for new, even swankier outdoor toilets which will be installed on a full-time basis. The total cost to run the pilot until the end of the year will now be about $18,400, although downtown businesses have pledged $4,200 to the project out of their own pockets. So to recap: more that three-times as much money, plus they’ll be operating 24/7, and they’ll still be of a design where in slightly more than one half of the population can’t use them. Naturally, the committee approved the plan, although slightly modified. This includes the change that they’ll be installed on a full-time basis, but only during the months of September and October. But the whole thing still needed approval of the full council at this past Monday’s meeting.

For updated information on these and other stories, go to Guelph Politico at http://guelphpolitico.blogspot.com

Flood Cheque, Hearing Delayed and Free Rides

Receipt for River Run Flood

Damage to the River Run Centre after a flood this past Victoria Day long weekend, including repair to the stage and lost revenue, is estimated to come out to about $300,000. Won’t insurance cover that, you’re probably asking. Well yes, the insurance will cover much of that 300 grand price tag, but there’s still the small matter of the $50,000 deductible and the $10,000 temporary set up of lights and stage that allowed the Centre to continue its pre-booked program for the two weeks during the clean-up. On the bright side though, the next time the River Run has a false fire alarm it won’t require the clean-up from the flood damage of 8,000 gallons of water. "We're replacing the water wall system with a fire curtain," general manager Colleen Clack told the Guelph Mercury. "That will come out of the $2.2-million infrastructure money we received.''
 

Hearing Delayed

The Ontario Municipal Board hearing in regards to the disputed Lafarge lands in the city’s west end has been postponed a week due to “member availability.” The hearing was scheduled for July 27th, but has instead been moved to a week later for August 4th. Because I’m sure we’ve all forgotten, let’s reminisce a little about what the deal is with that triangular tract of land just off the Hanlon Parkway. Last January, the neighbourhood group Howitt Park Neighbourhood Residents' Association opposed a plan brought forward to council three years ago which would see heavy commercial develop on the site. Through mediation, the HPNRA, the City of Guelph and Silvercreek (Guelph) Developments Ltd reached a deal which would see the commercial space reduced by half with more residential areas worked into the compromised plan. The so-called fifth dentist in this matter is Armel, who don’t like any commercial space in the area because they’re worried about losing traffic on their own developing shopping centre at Imperial and Paisley. The hearing will take place in the council chambers at 1 Carden Street.
 

No More Free Rides

The University of Guelph and the City of the same are looking at upgrading student bus passes to something more high tech after a 26-year-old student was caught using a counterfeit bus pass a few weeks back. "It's not a huge problem, but it's a problem. We get some each year,'' says interim manager of transit services Rudy Stehle. "But we don't really know how many are out there. There may be more than we even know of.'' It’s particularly a problem during the summer months when the Central Student Association gives out only a limited number of bus pass stickers going mostly to students taking summer courses. The problem of fakes, says Guelph Transit, has become particularly pronounced in the last few years. So much so that a $50 fine was instituted last school year in an attempt to stymie the number of fakes being made. Stehle told the Guelph Mercury that there is money currently in the budget to eventually change the passes to something more like a smart card, akin to the TTC Metro passes in Toronto. "Next year, we're going to take the first steps (toward change),'' Stehle said. “But as soon as you come up with something new, someone comes up with a method to fool it.''

Construction, Canteens and Chemistry

Hans the Builder says Lots of Construction Ahead

We all love summer construction, right? Who’s with me?

Well, that’s too bad because if you live, work or do anything in, near or around downtown you’re going to have a heck of a time avoiding big, yellow vehicles and dug up streets. Already work on a stretch of Norfolk between Waterloo and Macdonell Streets is underway, and soon it’ll be a section of Wyndham Street, between Wellington and Farquhar streets that will be getting an urban makeover. City engineer Rick Henry told the Guelph Mercury that the Wyndham Street reconstruction, and a similar job on Norfolk between Quebec and Norwich, should be underway by mid-August and are to be completed by the end of this year.

By now you’re asking who’s to blame for the stifling vehicular isolation of the core that will make getting anywhere in the centre of town more difficult as we head into fall? As it turns out, it’s your federal and provincial governments whose Infrastructure Stimulus Fund is pleased to bring this and six other similar projects to town this year. In total, 21 different infrastructure improvement projects have been approved for funding. The remaining 15 will proceed next year to be finished by the deadline date of March 31st, 2011.

Away from downtown, the city is also going to begin pavement resurfacing along Woodlawn Road, which will be an endeavour taking up two summers of work. City chief administrative officer Hans Loewig adds that the other three projects slated for this year are non-road approved projects and that they will also go before the hammer and chisel this summer. These include the rehabilitation of the Watson Road transit facility, and improvements to the River Run Centre and the main firehall downtown.

Canada Day featured Clean Canteens

It could have been a riot on Canada Day as the Rotary Club, while trying to score one for Mother Earth, kicked up a bit of dust when they banned the selling of bottled water from celebrations at Riverside Park. “The Rotary Club of Guelph is helping to reduce plastic water bottle waste by offering onsite water solutions for Canada Day in the Park,” said the Club’s Canada Day event webpage. “No bottled water will be permitted or sold on site.” The Rotary Club did have stainless steel water bottles available for purchase on site for $10 and anyone with a reusable water bottle received unlimited refills from a City of Guelph water truck. The city has already been proactive in curbing the use of bottled water by banning it from City Hall and city meetings.

Dropping Chemistry for Art

Guelph artists, long suffering for affordable studio space, must have thought they were dreaming at the announcement that Real estate broker Orval Gates had issued a request for "expressions of interest” about turning the former Uniroyal Building on Huron into a functioning arts centre. Gates has been trying to keep it on the DL, but local artists are buzzing at the prospect of $4 per square foot studio space, especially since the going rate is two or three times that. "It's an incredible asset possibility to the community if it is made available," James Gordon, local musician and activist, told the Mercury.

He said that the building is "in a pretty raw state," having toured it last month, but it’s definitely got potential. Securing an arts centre in the city has been the subject of much discussion, including the possibility of using the current home of the Guelph Civic Museum once it moves to the Loreto Convent in 2010. Gates believes that while his deal will benefit artists it will have the dual effect of revitalizing the community in St. Patrick’s Ward. More news as it develops.

Guelph Green(?), Party Hard and Washroom News

Guelph on Green Leader’s short list

National Green Party leader Elizabeth May is hoping the third time will be the charm in securing a seat for herself in Parliament and she may be hedging her bets on the Royal City to make it happen. May ran in Central Nova in the last Federal election in October 2008, a riding notable because at the time, and currently too, it was held by Conservative cabinet minister Peter MacKay. Before that, May ran in London-North-Centre in a by-election in Fall 2006, but lost to Liberal Glen Pearson. But Central Nova was May’s home base, although now it seems the strategy is to find somewhere she’s more electable "Now the party is convinced that our Number 1 goal is to elect me to the House of Commons. So that changes quite a lot of things,'' May told Eastern Ontario Greens and reporters at an election-preparedness briefing a few weeks ago.

Owen Sound or Vancouver Island are also strong contenders, as well as Cumberland-Colchester in Nova Scotia, which is now vacant because of the retirement of independent MP Bill Casey, a former Conservative. But Guelph is certainly an attractive choice too. Last summer, the Greens felt they had the momentum going into the by-election only to have their thunder stolen when the polls opened nationwide. Last October, local candidate Mike Nagy, on his third campaign, came in third, garnering over 21 per cent of the vote, and just 11 points shy of the winner, our current MP, Frank Valeriote. May said it comes down to the question: "Where is the greenest riding in Canada? Where is the place where people are more likely than anywhere else to say, 'We want that voice in the House of Commons?' ''

Party On Guelph

After postponing the official celebration of the opening of the new City Hall last month after the accidental death of Isabel Warren in a city washroom in a south end park, a new date has been set for the festivities: September 19th. The free, day-long celebration at 1 Carden Street will feature five stages filled with music, dance and demonstrations. The building’s historic Winter Fair Wall will serve as a backdrop for Farmer’s Market vendors, community exhibits and displays including the City’s plans for the Civic Square and water feature in front of City Hall. Also, throughout the day people will be welcome to wander through the entire first floor of new City Hall to see Council Chambers, the ServiceGuelph counter and the living wall. Guided tours will showcase accessibility features, the offices of the Mayor and City Councillors and the building’s green features including the green roof. In addition, the City will provide free transit service from 5:40 a.m. to 6 p.m. to encourage people from all over the city to join the celebration downtown.

Recommendations made for City washrooms

An independent report about city-owned public washroom facilities was completed last week, and recommendations have been proposed for each building with respect to the partition walls, privacy screens and attachments. The structural report from Gamsby and Mannerow Engineers were for the public buildings in St. George’s Park, Guelph Lake Sports Fields and Hanlon Creek Park. The inspections were meant to identify any structural deficiencies that could be an immediate safety concern, and how they can be addressed. Because of this report, the City re-opened the men’s and women’s change/washrooms in Hanlon Creek Park last Saturday, but they will continue to keep buildings in St. George’s Park and Guelph Lake Sports Fields closed until upgrades and improvements are complete.

Report Cards and Public Urinals

Who’s Cool with GCL?

The Guelph Civic League (GCL) last week released their second annual Voting Record round-up. The civic advocacy group compiles data from councillor votes cast in the year 2008, and ranks each member of the city council according to how closely their vote aligns with the values of the GCL. Obviously, the GCL’s values lean towards the progressive, but their main goal is to help facilitate an informed and active local electorate. “The purpose of the report is to facilitate interest and to increase accessibility to council's record, often difficult to ascertain due to the sheer volume and format of the minutes of council meetings,” said a GCL statement issued with the report. “The hope is that these reports might provide a forum for discussion between residents and their council representatives.”

So who’s most inline with the ideals of the GCL? Well, Ward 5 Councillor Leanne Piper gets that honour with Ward 2 Councillor Ian Findley who tied for 86.7 per cent each. Both councillors won points for supporting a pesticide ban by-law, and for voting against the 6&7 development expansion on Woodlawn and the Hydro merger. Reversely, Ward 4 Councillor Gloria Kovach is at the top of GCL’s naughty list with 35.7 per cent while Ward 6 Councillor Christine Billings follows close behind with 42.9 per cent. Overall, council’s average is 73.4 per cent, with eight councillors scoring 80 per cent or more.

“By the 2010 election, there will be four reports in all - one for each year of this council's term in office,” says GCL, who added that their report this year involved the input of more members than ever. “A volunteer working group selected sample votes, representing GCL's community values, from each month. This list was then posted for several weeks in February. GCL's member organizations and supporters were invited to come in and indicate which of the 25 votes, were most significant to them as individuals or groups. The final 15 votes represent those chosen most frequently.”

Strike Averted

As Toronto faced the cold, hard, smelly truth of an outside workers’ strike, Guelph quietly settled a potential labour dispute of its own by reaching an agreement with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 231. The two parties announced last Tuesday that a tentative agreement has been reached for a three-year collective agreement, effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011. The details of the deal reached with representatives of 67 full-time and 59 part-time paramedics of the Guelph-Wellington Emergency Medical Service won’t be revealed until a ratification vote on July 6.

Pee Freedom Costs Bars

In a follow-up on last week’s piece about potential installation of public urinals on a trial basis in the downtown this summer, the full council approved the staff proposal last Monday but with one addendum. In an amendment proposed by Councillor Leanne Piper, the council approved the staff recommendation, so long as downtown bars and restaurants foot the bill. Piper noted that if the project costs $1,000 per week - as staff have suggested - it would be about $50 per weekend for each business that would benefit from the urinals. That seemed reasonable to most councillors who didn’t like the idea of taxpayers footing the bill for a problem caused by late night libations sold at the establishments in question. "I'm not sure it would solve the problem and I certainly don't think the citizens should be paying for this," said Councillor Bob Bell in the Guelph Mercury.