Initially published in the Alliston Herald on February 13, 2009
The Good: Over the years I have occasionally poked fun at Tottenham Counc. Jess Prothero and in the process he has revealed a relatively thick skin. Prothero also appears to possess a characteristic that is particularly admirable in a politician. Specifically, if he commits to support you, or advance a cause on your behalf, or vote a certain way, he will honour that commitment come hell or high water. He will follow through no matter how unpopular the decision may be. It's a refreshing contrast to some who have a fence firmly planted in their bottom and lift a leg from one side to the other with remarkable, yet predictable, frequency.
The Bad: Last year Councillor Dennis Egan resigned from several committees. The decision, and the fact it was picked up by the press, did not go over well. Egan subsequently acknowledged that he regretted the resignations and has expressed a desire to return. By all accounts Egan was a dedicated member of the committees on which he sat. Further, it is not as though there is a long line of individuals seeking the positions - the work is often time consuming and thankless. Unfortunately, although Egan has made it clear that he wants to return, his overtures have been met with stone cold silence! Surely it's time to let him return and do the work he is eager to resume.
The Ugly: I don't purport to know all the details of why the town changed the locks to the premises it leased to Hutchinson Sports at the new recreation facility. I understand that Hutchinson encountered some difficulties when the expectations of the parties did not pan out and traffic at the new facility (especially during the summer months) turned out to be far less than anticipated.
Ironically, the town found itself in a similar predicament a few years ago when its expectations did not pan out and it was "unable" to sell water to another municipality. As was outlined in this column last week, the result was an inability to make payments to the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) towards the water pipeline debt. Fortunately, OCWA didn't turn off the water. Instead, according to its 2005 Annual Report, steps were taken to "write down" the pipeline loan.
The town's actions with Hutchinson were far less conciliatory. Significantly, Hutchinson had not asked the town to take a write down on any rent. Rather, a central feature of his recent proposal was the negotiation of terms that adequately reflected the reality of summer traffic. As he said in an e-mail this week, "To go through a second summer in a negative revenue situation was just not an option."
We should all be grateful the OCWA was more conciliatory than the town was with Hutchinson Sports.
More Ugly: Back when the initial request for proposal was issued for the pro shop, Hutchinson submitted a proposal that contemplated rent would be paid based upon a percentage of gross sales. In the course of the negotiations that followed the town declined to enter a deal on this basis in part due to "accounting" issues.
You might therefore imagine Hutchinson's surprise when the town entered into a lease agreement with respect to the operation of the new restaurant facility at the arena that provides for rent to be paid based on a percentage of gross sales.
The Good: Kudos to Ann-Marie Craig (president of the Alliston Soccer Club) and Chris Barnett (president of South Simcoe United FC), together with their respective executives, for taking steps to merge their rep soccer programs. It is a welcome move that I expect will make each club stronger.
The Final Ugly: Last week I referred to the current pipeline indebtedness as being $31 million. If one assumes that the current practice of not making any payments towards the debt continues, then the total pipeline indebtedness will be approximately $67 million when it becomes due.
