By Pepper Parr
February 28th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Earlier in the month Denise Bears, Senior Manager Community Planning with Recreation Community and Culture (RCC) reported to Council on what she had done to date on engagement on the former high school, the Live and Play Plan, and the Direct Delivery Program review.
Our focus in this report to readers is on the engagement that has taken place on the Robert Bateman Community Centre. Beard said that “community sentiment and comments have been consistent regardless of what the community was being engaged on..
That same could not be said about how her dialogue with Council members went. Beard reported that specific to the former high school staff held four community visioning sessions and attended Food for Feedback and the Appleby Line Street Festival to gather the community’s visions for the former high school. Staff also launched the Request for Expressions of Interest to assess what business or not-for-profit interest there might be for exclusive uses within the building.
There were 71 expressions of interest. More than 50 people attending in person sessions (which is really not an impressive number) and 67 ideas added to the Get Involved page.
Denise Beard, Senior Manager Community Development
There were four public events:
- August 22 at Appleby Arena,
- August 23 at LaSalle Pavilion; and
- October 18 at Tansley Woods Community Centre
- October 19, 2023 virtual
Those who did attend the public sessions had a lot to say. They offered the following:
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- Space for STEM programming
- Access to Tool Shop/Library
- Black Box Theatre (similar to Queen Elizabeth Park CC in Oakville)
- Theatre Rehearsal Space
- Indoor Bike Park
- Sports and Recreational Programming for Children and Youth
- Drop-in and Program
- Living Wall Atrium
- Repair Café
- Household items to be repaired by local makers/artisans.
- Pickleball Programming/Courts
- Apartments for the Homeless
- Dedicated Art Space/Gallery
- Open Gym Time for Youth
- Cooking Classes/Kitchen Space
- Flex Space for Community Use
- Newcomers Programming
- Craft Programming Space
- Art Programs/Classes
- Drop-in Studio for Youth/Children
- Soundproof Room
- Indoor Cricket
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- Family Programs
- Inclusion Programming
- Art Collective
- Daycare Space
- 50+ Resources and Training Centre
- Community Job Café
- Dancing Lessons
- A Re-Use Emporium
- Kids Game Night
- Clay, Fibre, Drawing, Painting and Mural Art Space
- Community Garden Plots
- Extended Learning Centre
- Dog Training
- Squash Courts
- Office Space for Organizations
- Coffee Shop or Restaurant
- Alzheimer’s Support Spaces
Some of the ideas reflected program that were already being given at other city facilities; what was evident was that people had ideas – good ideas.
A rendering of the Robert Bateman Community Centre as seen from New Street
The challenge was how to make them work in the community centre that will open phase 1 in September of 2025 when Brock University students will show up for classes on the second floor of the building.
In a feature article we published earlier this week you get to read how members of city council dug in and talked about what they wanted and didn’t want.
It is a three part feature, the third on is lengthy – but if you want to get a really good feel for how council members think on the fly; how they begin to reveal what they want this city of yours to be as we work our way to the point where we have 29,000 new homes and, as Councillor Sharman said, 121,000 new people from around the world – do click on the links and read on.
Recreation, Community and Culture (RCC) staff are not academics, they are not social scientists; they are bureaucrats (a word that is sometimes used as a slur – not in this instance). They are working to make the community they live and work in better knowing that the rate of change is so rapid that it is hard to keep up.
Reacting on the fly and pressing council members to be clear on what they want the RBCC to do for the residents of the city.
The RCC department, led by Executive Director Emily Cote, who directed Denise Beard, as she worked her way through meetings where the sentiment was not always clear.
There was some good work done – I urge to take the time to read all three parts – the pilot program is not the kind of thing one sees at the municipal level very often. No idea how it will work out.
We get told on occasion that we put too much attention on insisting members of council and city staff be both transparent and accountable. They were certainly transparent when they talked their way to a point where they realized the work was not yet done. This is one of those Receive and File reports you can expect to see a lot more of.
Link to the article
Part 2 – The pilot project plans.
Part 3: Figuring out what they wanted and didn’t want.
