By Staff
June 2, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The City has launched a new, free community space called “Haber Hub” at Haber Recreation Centre at 3040 Tim Dobbie Dr.
This is a great example of giving sponsors value for their money. In June of 2013 Chris Haber, a personal injury lawyer, signed a 20 year deal with the city for the naming rights for the new Recreation Centre in the Alton Village. The $1.3 million dollar deal was for a 20 year agreement.
The Haber name gets a bit of a boost with the Haber Hub added. No word on if the city picked up any additional funds or f they gave it to the family as a freebie.
From the left, Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster signs the 20 year $1.3 million naming rights deal with Chris Haber in the Centre. Chris Glenn, Director of Parks and Recreation is on the right.
Haber Hub space is free to any neighbourhood or community group looking to provide free community programs and events to Burlington residents.
The space is also available for rent for those looking to host an event or program that is charging a user fee or is a private program or event.
This is a good first step, it will be interesting to see how this innovative program come to life.
Part of the massive gym set up in the Haber Recreation Centre
Follow up on this at – www.burlington.ca/communitysupport or email communitysupport@burlington.ca.
Denise Beard, Manager of Community Development explained that “The ultimate goal of community development is to have community groups working to provide their own programs and events that benefit either the smaller community or the city on a larger scale.”
That’s rather interesting that there is free space at this community centre which has been overtaken by Dr. Frank Hayden high school as classrooms.
It is appalling how overcrowded that high school is and that thousand students need to overtake the Burlington public library, community centre rooms, to be able to have an education.
It’s also appalling that there are 13 portables with the potential of going up to 18 portables that have overtaken the parking lot and there is no parking to be able to access that community center. I can certainly speak by personal experience with my son playing for the Burlington Stampeders and there is no available parking at that facility.
Shame on the halton district school board, and the board of trustees who voted to close Lester B Pearson High School a mere 2 km away from the very overcrowded Dr. Frank Hayden high school. Lester B Pearson High School could have been the relief valve to help alleviate the overcrowding to allow those students to have a proper education and to remove the portables from those grounds allowing Burlington citizens to gain access to that community center.
This was certainly shared throughout the parc process and through many delegations but it fell on deaf ears. Shame on the school board for not fixing the overcrowding at Dr. Frank Hayden high school with the closure of two amazing high schools here in Burlington.
How does that make any sense to anybody that they close two high schools and left Dr. Frank Hayden Bursting at the seams at 135% overcapacity likely exceeding 150% overcapacity with no firm concrete plan of fixing the overcrowding at this high school. There should have been no school closures but rather to re-look at boundaries helping to relieve the overcrowding at that school
Well said Cheryl.
Many things became known during the PARC.
Overcrowding and portables at Hayden became a known fact in 2015.
Then, there were only 6 units, and the taking of parking started.
Bursting at the seams has only gotten worse, and was evident all through the PARC. It didn’t count.
Big time crowding there didn’t matter – the two schools were doomed. Now we see Pearson spaces rented, and it seems that space can be found at Hayden for money.
We learned that Hayden was built on the backs of the students and parents of Pearson and Bateman, and taxpayers.
In the end, we learned that the HDSB lives by its own rules. They do what they want, with no fear.
In creating a distinction between what should be and what is, this Board has created a conflict that will continue to arise systematically.
They have no shame.