The second of three public information sessions for Tiny Township’s administration centre was held virtually on Tuesday morning, and while the aim was to inform residents about the upcoming facility and ask for feedback on community hub areas, opposition to the build came out to dominate the question period once again.
Offering a near word-for-word information package as the previous session held last week, senior project lead Janet Stewart of Unity Design Studio Inc. provided an overview of the conceptual ambitions for the future project for 45 minutes while Tiny staff and Mayor Dave Evans joined her to answer questions for the remainder of the two-hour session.
Stewart noted five project goals – to design a low-impact site development with universal accessibility, enhancing public services and spaces, as well as achieving regenerative design and a design to meet post-disaster standards – aimed to have the building reach a 60-plus-year anticipated lifespan.
“That is the benchmark established for lifecycle assessments for buildings by authorities such as the National Research Council, the Canadian Standards Association, the Canadian and U.S. Green Building Councils, and the National and Ontario Building Codes,” said Stewart.
The intent of the proposed regenerative design looked to a net-zero energy and net-zero design that would contribute more to development environment aspects than would be produced in the construction of the facility.
As context for the opening presentation and upon its conclusion, public works director Tim Leitch reinforced that the intent of the meeting was to receive input and field questions regarding the community aspects of the public areas.
Vocal opponents to the project, standing behind their no-compromise stance to ‘Stop the Build’ as they had repeatedly stated during nearly every council event since January, returned with questions continuing where they left off from the first meeting.
Despite the municipal request for questions to focus on the community hub, a majority of questions were directed at supposed costs for the build, its need, queries into the minutia of fiscal decisions recent and in the past, and some misinformation on where federal funding is applied.
The first question was fielded by Evans personally regarding why council wouldn’t take the build to a public vote; Evans replied that council had previously approved a new administrative building and that the current phase was moving forward with that decision.
“For those of you who are still trying to understand what the reasons and the rationale are,” offered Evans, “we have a full FAQ section online, and that will outline the reasons for the building.
"And the benefits of the building are frankly numerous and frankly irrefutable. We need this facility, it’s something that’s been in the works for a long time in the township.”
Many questions reflected those in the previous session, where two reports were continually referred to by Deputy CAO Haley Leblond and public works director Tim Leitch: a site selection report from late August, and a public works report from early April that included updated cost estimates at that time.
Of new questions, one noted that the cost of a curved facility could cost more than a typical rectangular build, but was replied by Stewart that a modular design to be assembled onsite would mitigate that expense. Another pointed out the potential weakness of a skylight over a 60-year period, addressed by Stewart that replaceable components such as the HVAC and more would be replaced but at a mitigated cost once the net-zero build offset the overall operation cost.
As environmental assessments were being undertaken, one question asked what potential opportunities could happen in the future for recreation or community use; the question resulted in keen interest from Leitch.
“That’s really the heart of what we’re trying to accomplish through these three PICs, is to get this type of input. This is what we’re looking for,” Leitch exclaimed.
"With the environmental items that we do note within the property, we can treat these, make them very public, we can show the public what’s these are about, we can help maintain that.
“Also, we can provide education to our residents and our visitors to the township; when they come on our site, they can see some of these environmental items that we’ve identified, and how the township is being responsible in managing these, and also providing education for all of our residents and our youth,” Leitch added.
Throughout the opening remarks by Evans to the final moments by Leitch in the information session, members of the municipality reiterated that the Tiny Township Administration Centre ad hoc committee was still open for applicants, but with a deadline of noon on Monday, July 29.
With many of the questions from opponents being addressed over the two sessions, the third hybrid public information centre on July 31 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in council chambers at 130 Balm Beach Road West as well as online could allow those residents unable to attend the first meetings their opportunity to provide input and ask questions not yet put to council.
Archives of council meetings are available to view on the township’s YouTube channel.
