If you follow the Hawthorne Villager forum, you will see there’s been quite the discussion amongst the posters about the potential velodrome in Milton. There is one more report to go and that will be received by council on January 23rd for review. As soon as the report is made available online, I’ll post a link.
UPDATE: I am including links to the Town of Milton’s website for the velodrome reports that council has reviewed during this process. Please take some time to review them and feel free to email or post here any questions you might have.
If you’ve been following my blog recently, you will have noticed I have posted quite a bit of information on the progress. Someone tweeted me recently to ask “what does Mike think?” So here it is.
The basis behind this facility is that its more than just cycling. Its a facility that can be and will be multi purposed. As with those other velodromes others talk about as failures this will provide more than just cycling. Basketball courts, indoor tennis, or if turf there’s indoor soccer, cricket maybe, football practice field (Ticats are you listening?)
As I mentioned during the special council meeting, the $3.8 million has already been budgeted for similar use facilities. Its in the bank so to speak and not coming out of taxes. We have been able to stand above other municipalities in the Greater Milton Area for a reason….partnership with the private sector.
This deal could NOT have been done without the assistance from the private sector. Mattamy is just ONE of the companies involved in the fundraising process for this deal…there are many many more. Tim Hockey, President and CEO of TD Canada Trust who is also an avid cyclist, is getting behind the project personally and will assist in fundraising for the velodrome. The pool of resources isnt just in Milton, its national organizations…international organizations as well that can assist in the fundraising.
That’s where other municipalities failed. They couldn’t harness the power of the private sector in getting things done. We as a council made it very clear that if we were to move forward on this there has to be minimal to NO impact on taxpayers. This can only help in growing our business base … and hence more tax revenue in town.
The Milton Education Village is just one of the keys to that success. The land is ready to go, our partners are ready to go and the provincial government needs to see that by approving Milton as one of the locations for satellite university campuses (as they have already acknowledged) it will go a long way for THEM to keep a promise made in the last election for increasing the number of post secondary spaces in Ontario. This MEV project moving forward can help kick in the pants OTHER things that Milton needs, like an interchange at Tremaine Road so that everyone on the west side of town doesn’t have to drive along Derry and or Britannia to go to the 401 and help with the backlog of traffic that way.
With moving the Canadian Cycling Association here to Milton with this facility we can help increase travel and tourism to the area. Right now we only have 2 hotels. We WILL need more (any entrepreneurs out there?) for when they hold national/international events that’s even more businesses that can benefit…from hospitality to restaurants to local businesses the impact can be huge.
Having the velodrome on campus adds some other benefits that can be looked at for revenue generating possibilities. The parking lot can be used at the university and we can charge a monthly fee for profs using it or what have you. There’s also the matter of the legacy fund set up by the Pan AM games … we don’t know the amount yet, but that should evolve through the business plan process over the next 4-6 weeks.
Is it a done deal? Not yet. ONE more report to go. That report will outline the needs for commitments at all levels so that we feel comfortable the project will stay under $40 million (contingencies are already built into that number) and that we can get the job done with our fundraising partners so that we don’t have to dip into the tax pool on this.
Sorry for the rambling and Im sure Ive missed a few points but I wanted to make sure we let people know that theres one more step in the process before its a go and I can assure you if the numbers don’t add up for me, even though Im excited about the project I wont want to see it move forward.
This town has shown others that we’re not the sleepy town we once were. I watched a Hamilton city council meeting recently when they were discussing their umpteenth attempt at getting it back and the almost disdain in their voices when they mentioned MILton of all places. We aren’t 35,000 people anymore. I know I sound sales-y by saying this but its true. Milton is a force to be paid attention to from now on. This is a project I know we can put together, that can be used for the games and years after so its not abandoned like the others and that it can help kick start the business growth we need in town to add more revenue to the town and to be the “new” centre of the universe in the GMA.
It’s that time of year again Milton. No, not the long lines at the shopping malls, the honing of Christmas lists of your kids and the never ending list of holiday parties to attend. Its budget time at the Town of Milton.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is a fun time for your local councillor as well. Over the last year I have talked with you on what your budget priorities are. This past summer myself along with a number of other councillors sat down with you to discuss the issues you found to be important. I have received close to 100 emails over the course of the year of you letting me know what you would like to see.
All of the comments received were sent to staff and what you will see here is a list of the budget documents. This budget will come before council on December 12 and 13th for review/debate/approval. Members of the public are more than welcome, and encouraged to take part in this process as well. If you’d like to know how you can be a part of this important process, please email me mike@mikecluett.ca for more details.
Over the course of the next week or so as I dive into these documents, drink lots of coffee and find more dark circles under my eyes due to lack of sleep, I will be posting more details, my thoughts and attempt to get as many of your comments ready for the budget committee meeting on the 12th. If you want a hard copy of the budget, they can be purchased at Milton Town Hall as well. Email me for details.
A quick overview of the budget will find that it recommends at 4.18% increase in the tax rate. That doesn’t mean your taxes will go up by that amount, its the rate of increase in budget spending. In the past I have stated I wouldn’t support a budget with an increase over the rate of inflation and I look to keep that same commitment here. That rate doesn’t include education, the Region of Halton, the Library levy or DBIA.
I’ll post more details on what can be done to reduce the impact of the tax increase in the coming days. Again, if you have any questions at all, please email or call me anytime. With over 400 pages in the budget document, odds are I will be up late reading it.
Here are the links online from www.milton.ca for the 2012 Budget Documents
Operating and Capital Budgets
The Town’s annual budget is developed by staff in consideration of the guidelines approved by Council in July and input received from the public. Council deliberates and approves the budget in December of each year ensuring an approved budget is in place for the start of the new year.
This coming Monday June 20th is the Administration & Planning Standing Committee meeting at Town Hall starting at 7pm.
This Committee consists of five Councillors and the Mayor. Committee members review all reports, formulate policy and make recommendations to Council on matters over which Council has authority under the Municipal Act, the Planning Act and other legislation. Recommendations are made in the areas of corporate administration, personnel, legal issues, planning and finance.
The Administration and Planning Committee reviews the operating and capital budgets as well as various financial matters affecting the Town of Milton.
As always you can watch online on Monday night at 7pm. If you have any questions or comments for any of these reports, please email me mike@mikecluett.ca
The survey collects information from residents asking them questions on the priorities YOU would like to see Milton Town Council & Staff focus on for next years budget. Personal information collected will not be used/sold for any other purpose.
Some of the priorities it will ask you about is fire services, winter control, transit, roadway maintenance, parking, traffic signals, parks, recreational facilities among others. It will ask for your opinion if we should increase funding, maintain service levels, or decrease them.
Your comments are important and there are options for you to provide your opinions including if you support property tax increases to allow for increase in levels of services or new services. Another question it asks if you support the dedicated tax levy for hospitall expansion and if you have any additional comments. This question is very important and we’d like to hear your opinions on the matter.
So please take some time, if you havent already, to complete the survey. It should take no more than approximately 5 minutes for you to complete but the input is important.
As always if you have something specific you’d like me to bring to council regarding these issues, feel free to call or email me mike@mikecluett.ca
The Town of Milton will continue to ask for input throughout the year as will your councillors to make sure that this upcoming budget represents what you feel our priorities should be.
The Budget Call report will be delivered to council this month and of course, there will be opportunities to meet with me and others over the next few weeks to have more comments submitted.
Democracy is a two way street and we need as much input as possible. Dont be shy, complete the survey today!
During the last municipal election campaign, one of the most common themes I heard from voters was that they want to be kept informed and have more of a say in budget matters. That message was heard loud and clear by myself and other councillors and we are happy to announce that there is an opportunity for you to have your say.
The Town of Milton has set up a survey that you can log into here, to have your say and answer questions about the upcoming 2012 Milton budget process. This is an opportunity for you to tell US what YOU think the town’s priorities should be for the upcoming year and years beyond.
Although this survey is set to finish on June 8th, the town will continue to take input from residents, as well as through your local councillor (yours truly) to come up with priorities you find important.
Public input sought on 2012 municipal budget
Christina Commisso, CANADIAN CHAMPION
This year has yet to reach the halfway point and the Town is already looking ahead to Milton’s 2012 budget.
The public is encouraged to provide their input on the next year’s budget in an online survey (at www.milton.ca) until June 8.
The survey, open to residents and business owners, asks participants if they’d like see increased, decreased or the same level of service in respects to: fire service, winter snow control, transit, road maintenance, municipal parking lots, traffic signals and streetlighting, parks and open space, recreational programs and facility conditions.
The survey asks if there are new services or programs the Town should offer, existing services/programs that should be eliminated and if participants would support a tax increase to increase or add services.
Participants can indicated what per cent tax increase — between zero and five per cent — they’d support and whether or not they’re in favour of the dedicated tax levy for the hospital expansion implemented in this year’s budget.
The survey is one of the first steps in preparing Milton’s 2012 budget. During Monday’s council meeting, the Town’s senior manager of finance Sheryl Hill touched upon forthcoming budget pressures and new capital infrastructure to carried out next year.
The ongoing sports centre expansion and community park development, the completion of the Centre for the Arts, new staff positions, annualizing the 2011 transit enhancement for 2012 and the construction of No. 3 fire station and new headquarters are pressures Hill incited during her presentation to council.
The 2012 capital forecast includes 119 projects worth $72.5 million that are split fairly evenly between growth and non-growth projects. Hill said about 70 per cent of the expenses are pegged for road work.
At the meeting resident Kim Macdonald asked council to include the renewal of community parks in the older areas of town, including downtown, Timberlea and Dorset Park, in next year’s budget.
She said a lack of shade isn’t uncommon in some of the older parks and she often runs into parents from old Milton who drive out of their way to the new parks.
Councillor Rick Malboeuf said he’s heard similar concerns from Ward 4 residents and expects to see some movement in bringing the older parks up to date in the 2012 budget.
A budget call report will be presented to council this month.
As promised, Im attaching a copy of the 2012 Pre Budget Consultation report to council for tonights meeting. I havent read through the presentation in detail as of yet, but if you have a few moments click and download for review.
Does anyone remember the movie BIG? Tom Hanks and the famous giant piano scene?
Would you like to see those similar piano keys on the steps of the Milton Arts Centre? Councillor Huffman asked staff for a report on the viability, cost, etc of installing these piano keys on the steps of the Arts Centre. That report can be found here.
The picture here is of something similar, but not to the spec’s of the Milton Centre for the Arts. The cost is approximately $92,000. The staff recommendation is to approve the project once there is a sponsor available to pay for it.
After speaking with some people around town, some feel it will look tacky and cheapen the look of the Arts Centre that we just spent MILLIONS of dollars on and its not even open yet and we will have to tear up the steps removing the tile and replace it with this.
Do you think this would be a draw for tourism? Would you come from out of town to see this? This installation is apparently popular overseas and this would be the first one in North America.
Feedback?
There has been a lot of feedback on the Hawthorne Villager Forum (which is administered by ward 7 Councillor Rick Di Lorenzo) and you can find the comments on that thread here.
Here are some of MY comments:
This process is backwards as far as Im concerned. We have the approximate costs for the stairs done, which is fine. Council can receive the report for information.mike@mikecluett.ca with your comments/input for Monday’s meeting.Any other comments?
Next part of the process should be feedback from the Arts Centre. Does this “fit” into the vision of the MAC or does it take away from the feel of the building. For those who havent been inside, despite the outside appearance, its really well done and elegant on the inside. If I can get in or if anyone has any pics we should show them for sure.
After feedback has been received and given an “OK” that the MAC would support something like this, THEN we go out to the business community and search for a sponsor. That way we have the approx cost of the stairs AND the thumbs up from those who will be running it.
If we cant find a sponsor or sponsors for the full amount then the project should be shelved. Im not comfortable as a CSAC member and as a councillor suggesting these sponsor(s) make an application to the community fun for the difference. I’d hate to be on CSAC and have to deny funding for someone who qualifies under the Community Fund guidelines because $X was given for the piano steps.
If the private sector cant come up with the funding for this, I think we should pass. That wont be known until we hear from that business/arts community which is the reason why council (IMO) should wait before giving the project the green light.
We can receive the report for information, consult the people involved and address any maintenance issues/safety issues etc that might be on peoples minds, then go to the business community and get the full cost.
There are more important things for council to be considering right now like the 2012 budget call reports, hospital expansion funding, building/maintaining our roads and traffic calming policies.
Feel free to post here or email me mike@mikecluett.ca
The next meeting of Milton Town Coucil is on Monday May 30th starting at 7pm at Milton Town Hall.
The governing body of the Town of Milton is Town Council, consisting of the Mayor and 10 Councillors who represent Milton’s eight wards. Milton residents elect members of Council for a four-year term of office. You can find a link to watch the Town Council meetings here. The meetings are also broadcast on TV Cogeco (Channel 14).
You can register to be a delegate at the meeting if you have any questions or concerns regarding these or any other item on the Town Council agenda. Email townclerk@milton.ca for more information.
I look forward to seeing you there. If you cant, please watch online via www.milton.ca
Recently the Tiger Jeet Singh Foundation started a fundraising campaign to help the families and children of Japan affected by the massive earthquake and tsunami. The Tiger’s are international stars with a very large following in many regions around the world including Japan and they have never forgotten this. They were touched as other Canadians were at the plight of families in Japan and in the hope of helping them out, they are raising funds through their foundation by selling these wristbands.
From the Tiger Jeet Singh Foundation site:
Tiger Jeet Singh’s connection to Japan is longstanding. He has spent the majority of his 45-year wrestling career in Japan and his son Tiger Jr. made his professional debut close to twenty years ago in Tokyo. Both fondly refer to Japan as their second home and have also held the country, and even more so the children of Japan, in a special place in their hearts. That is why this event focuses on the students’ contribution along with corporate support, to provide emergency supplies and relief to help those young lives following this disaster.
The Foundation will provide Halton schools with customized red and white wrist bands symbolizing the colors of the Canadian and Japanese flags, and decorated in a manner to demonstrate support for the students in Japan. There will be an inscription of “KIDZ 4 KIDZ – United We Rise” illustrating the children supporting one another and paying tribute to the Japanese flag of the ‘Rising’ Sun. There will also be a Japanese inscription, which translated means “We Pray for Japan”.
You can help support these efforts by purchasing your wristbands either through the Foundations website or by going to Troy’s Diner in downtown Milton and each one costs only $5 each.
All proceeds from the sale of the wrist bands will go towards the Japan Relief Campaign. The bands are available for $5 each and are offered in both small (7″) and large (8″) sizes.
Description:
Customized red and white wrist bands symbolizing the colours of the Canadian and Japanese flags and decorated in a manner to demonstrate support for the young students in Japan. There will be an inscription of “KIDZ 4 KIDZ – United We Rise” illustrating the children supporting one another and paying tribute to the Japanese flag of the ‘Rising’ Sun. There will also be a Japanese inscription, which translated means “We Pray for Japan”.
Please help support the campaign and ask Troy for your wristband and together we can help families and the children of Japan. You can find out more information by going to www.tigerjeetsinghfoundation.com
TigerFest returns to festival – High school strength challenge added to pro wrestling show
Wrestling fans, the countdown is on.
Just over two weeks remain until the return of TigerFest, which — as part of the Milton Downtown Street Festival — attracted more than a thousand onlookers last year.
Put on by international wrestling legend Tiger Jeet Singh and his son Tiger Ali Singh, this year’s event — set for Saturday, June 4 across from Troy’s Diner on Main Street — promises to pack ’em in once again. But not just because of the squared circle action.
Local teens are sure to come out in droves to watch their peers take part in Tiger’s High School Challenge, which will see five-guy, five-girl teams from each of the three high schools test themselves in strongman style competition.
Along with bragging rights, the challenge — culminating with a giant tire flipping contest — will serve as a fundraiser for the schools.
TigerFest t-shirts, with personalized school colours, will be sold leading up to the event, with net proceeds being donated back to each of the schools by the Tiger Jeet Singh Foundation.
The idea originated from Milton District’s request for assistance in its ongoing efforts to raise money for a new fitness room.
Set to begin around noon, the high school challenge kicks off a full slate of TigerFest activities, which continue with boxing and CrossFit demonstrations by Milton’s FirePower and performances by pop recording artist Prita Chhabra and Milton’s own soul singer/songwriter Khalel.
From there, the pro wrestling — which is scheduled to include former WWE stars Tatanka and Robbie McAllister and ex-TNA star Sonjay Dutt, as well as some notable names from the independent circuit — gets underway at 5 p.m.
Wrapping up with a wrestlers autograph session, the card won’t include a competitive showing by Tiger Jr. this time around, as an Achilles injury will keep him out of action.
However, an in-ring cameo role by the former WWE heel — who won last year’s card-ending battle royal — is a distinct possibility.
While the event is free, organizers are asking for a minimum donation of $5 for a spot in the provided seating area. Proceeds from this will go to the Milton Salvation Army.
In conjunction with this, Miltonians are asked to drop off non-perishable food items to local Scotiabank locations starting in mid-May in support of the food bank.
TigerFest t-shirts will also be sold during the day, with the money raised going to the Tiger Jeet Singh Foundation in support of the Japan Relief Campaign, Halton Learning Foundation and McMaster Children’s Hospital.
January 5, 2012
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Posted by Mike Cluett
Categories: Uncategorized
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Tags: city of hamilton, hawthorne village, hawthorne villager, january 23 2012, mike cluett, mike cluett milton town councillor, milton canadian champion, milton issues, milton town council, milton town council report, milton town councillor mike cluett, milton town hall report, milton velodrome, miltonsearch.com, town of milton, ward 6, ward 6 town of milton
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Does anyone remember the movie BIG? Tom Hanks and the famous giant piano scene?
Wrestling fans, the countdown is on.
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