The Citizen, 2019-09-12, Page 3THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019. PAGE 3.
Grant could aid Brussels arena expansion
Those working on the renovation
and expansion of the Brussels,
Morris and Grey Community Centre
are hoping an Investing in Canada
Infrastructure Program grant will be
the answer to their prayers.
Members of the renovation
committee spoke to both Huron East
and Morris-Turnberry Councils on
Sept. 3, seeking support for their
grant application. The program is
offering grants through a partnership
between the provincial and federal
governments that could pay for up to
73 per cent of the cost of a new
project up to $50 million.
Glen Boy and Nicole Duquette of
Campaign Coaches, the consulting
firm brought on to conduct a
feasibility study for the campaign,
and Melissa Jacklin, chair of the
Brussels, Morris and Grey
Recreation Committee, spoke to
council that night. The trio outlined
the findings of the study, which was
reported in The Citizen in late June,
and asked for both councils’ support
for the grant application for their
project, which is expected to cost
approximately $4.5 million.
While Morris-Turnberry Council
was supportive of the proposal and
the grant application, Huron East
was a little more cautious, feeling
that a funding structure should be in
place before submitting the
application.
While council was supportive of
applying for the grant, Mayor Bernie
MacLellan said Huron East staff
should look into the application a
little further. He also said that
council should have some discussion
with Morris-Turnberry Council as to
just how much of the project the two
municipalities would be willing to
pay for in addition to funds from the
public and potentially from the
grant.
Regarding the Campaign Coaches
report however, some councillors
were concerned with some of the
responses. While many of those
interviewed were positive about the
renovation and expansion of the
centre, there was an equal amount of
trepidation and doubt from those
wanting to ensure that a business
plan, effective programming and
municipal support would all be in
place if they were going to donate to
the project.
Duquette said that positive and
concerned comments were split, but
that those who expressed concerns
would then offer generous gifts
toward the project. She said those
interviewed weren’t against the
renovation and expansion of the
community centre, just wanted to
know their money would be well
spent and that the centre would be
set up for success for the foreseeable
future.
The report indicated that 33 of the
36 people approached would be
capable of raising approximately $2
million. Boy said that number
consisted of “qualified responses”
meaning they were gifts from donors
the committee could count on. He
acknowledged that donors could
come on board from the general
public and that more could be raised,
but he said the report’s formula is
based on a philanthropic guideline
that says 80 per cent of money raised
for a project comes from 20 per cent
of donors.
Boy said the results from the
Brussels study, for a small
community, were staggering. Being
able to raise nearly half of the
proposed cost through members of
the public is nearly unheard of, he
said, with most campaigns hoping to
raise between 15 and 25 per cent of
the cost of a project through
members of the public.
Campaign Coaches, she said,
approached business owners and
community leaders they felt could be
relied upon for the project.
Jacklin spoke to improving the
programming at the centre and said a
number of concepts have been
suggested, including a gym in the
community centre, operated by a
third-party entity that would pay rent
to the centre to host a gym in
Brussels. She also said that members
of the committee would look to step
up and improve communication with
the community and help get the
word out.
Deputy-Mayor Bob Fisher had a
number of concerns with the report
and the proposal.
First, he said he felt that the
negative comments were down-
played significantly in the report.
Duquette said they purposely sought
to generalize many of the negative
comments, as many of them named
identifiable individuals in
complaints about the current centre.
Fisher also wondered about the
potential for a “Plan B” if the
municipalities’ grant application
were not approved.
Jacklin said there was no way to
create a “Plan B” proposal that was
anything better than a Band-Aid fix
for some of the more glaring issues
at the centre. She said no
improvements had been made at the
centre in the last 40 years and that
even if $2 million was spent to
slightly improve the dressing rooms
and replace the roof, the centre
would still be far behind the other
community centres in Huron
County.
Chris Blake of BlakeStyle Design
and Drafting, who worked on the
design for the renovation and
expansion alongside a qualified
architect, agreed with Jacklin,
saying his professional opinion is
that anything short of the $4.5
million proposal would be a very
expensive Band-Aid that wouldn’t
get to the heart of the issues with the
centre.
Councillor Joe Steffler, however,
said he had confidence in Brussels
and felt that council should support
the $4.5 million project regardless of
the outcome of the grant application.
“I know Brussels residents will
step up to the plate and I think we
should step up to the plate with
them,” he said.
Boy agreed with Steffler, saying
the support shown just in the early
stages of the study promise a high
level of commitment. He told
councillors about a recent project
Campaign Coaches took on for a
community near Hamilton with a
much larger population than
Brussels, saying that community’s
study only showed the capacity to
raise $1 million, adding he has rarely
seen the level of support for a project
that came out of the Brussels
research.
The grant application will have to
be submitted this fall and the
municipalities will find out if their
application is successful by the
middle of 2020. MacLellan thought
that would slow down the
momentum of the project, but Boy
said that would not be the case.
If council were to approve the
project that night, he said, he would
still suggest that Campaign Coaches
not formally begin the campaign
until February, 2020.
Boy said there are many ways to
keep the momentum of a campaign
going, so losing momentum because
of the grant approval schedule was
not a concern of his.
Steffler said the big question now
would be the level of support the
project should get from Huron East
and Morris-Turnberry Councils.
Huron East Council opted to discuss
that at a later meeting ahead of the
Nov. 12 application deadline.
A proposed business development
coaching system at the Huron
County level met some harsh
criticism when it was presented to
Huron County Council at its Sept. 4
meeting.
Huron County Economic
Development Officer Alexander
Ripley, in his first presentation to
council, introduced the new system.
It is a roadmap the Economic
Development Department has been
working on for over a year to ensure
investment dollars are being
nurtured in Huron County, not being
turned away.
In his report, Ripley said the
system will help the private sector
navigate bureaucracy and access
resources offered by Huron County
and its partners. He also says it
provides a traceable, scalable and
replicable economic development
strategy with clear roles and
responsibilities.
“The business development
coaching system will help clients
navigate government and connect
with needed resources,” Ripley said
in his report. “The business
development coaching system is
predictable, transparent and well-
suited to the collection of key
performance indicators. This allows
Huron County Economic
Development to track resource use
across the lifecycle of its services.
This will ultimately allow the
department to better serve its clients
and the general public.”
The system works essentially as a
roadmap for economic development
once a potential client makes initial
contact with the department.
Economic Development Officers
would then work to connect the
client to boards, bodies and
employees who will help them work
through anything they need, whether
it’s a building permit, services or any
number of other queries. It would
also include the new business
concierge system that had been
discussed by council months ago.
However, in an effort to provide a
unified, universal approach to
economic development, some
councillors were concerned about
the lack of county-wide co-
operation. As one councillor pointed
out, if one of the county’s lower-tier
municipalities doesn’t opt in to the
system, signing a memorandum of
understanding with the county
department, they won’t be included.
Director of Economic
Development Cody Joudry said that
the county wouldn’t work to take
business away from a municipality
that opts out, but in order to achieve
a universal system throughout the
county, the department would need
complete buy-in to ensure everyone
is operating from the same
playbook.
This rubbed some councillors the
wrong way. They felt it was
vindictive of the county department.
However, Joudry said that was
simply the reality of working to put
a universal system in place;
everyone has to be doing the same
thing and adhering to the same rules.
Warden Jim Ginn and Huron East
Mayor Bernie MacLellan backed up
Joudry on this, saying it only made
sense to have everyone on board if a
consistent, cohesive approach to
economic development is what the
county is after.
North Huron Reeve Bernie Bailey
said he was conflicted about the
proposal. While he and North Huron
had been working with the county
on a number of projects, he said he
was disappointed when no one from
the department would sit on the
township’s Economic Development
The worst calamity is the wisest and
the kindest thing which could befall me!
(Charles Spurgeon)
“We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God
– to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8: 28
Upon some points, a believer is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance, that an
invisible hand is always on the world’s rudder. He also knows that wherever providence
may drift – Jehovah steers it. That reassuring knowledge prepares him for everything.
He knows that God is always wise, and knowing this he is confident that there can be
no accidents, no mistakes – that nothing can occur which ought not to occur.
He can say, “If I should lose all I have, it is better that I should lose it, than have it – if
God so wills. The worst calamity is the wisest and the kindest thing which could
befall me – if God ordains it!”
“We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God
– to those who are called according to His purpose.” The Christian does not merely hold
this as a mere theory, but he knows it as a certain fact. Everything has worked for good
as yet. Every event as yet has worked out the most divinely blessed results.
So believing that God rules all, that He governs wisely, that He brings good out of evil
– the believer’s heart is assured, and he is enabled calmly to meet each trial as it comes.
The believer can in the spirit of true resignation pray, “Send me what You will, my God
– as long as it comes from You. There has never come a bad portion from Your table, to
any of Your children!”
A Grace Gem
Submitted by: Immanuel United Reformed Church,
Listowel, ON 519-291-1956
From the playwright of last year’s sold out comedy
The New Canadian Curling Club comes a slap-down drag ‘em out
comedy about being truly “out” in small town Ontario. For a limited
run. Two more of Mark’s plays premiered at Blyth: Stag and Doe
and The Birds and the Bees.
BED AND BREAKFAST
Written by Mark Crawford| Directed by Ashlie Corcoran
Season Sponsor Media Sponsor Hospitality Sponsor New Play Sponsor
For Tickets Call 519.523.9300 Toll Free 1.877.862.5984 or visit blythfestival.com
Image by Kelly Stevenson
September 11 to September 28
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 12
Business system proposed
Pull!
While the big boys and girls were on the tractor pull track,
there was plenty of tractor pull fun to be had for the younger
enthusiasts as well, complete with pedals. (Mark Nonkes photo)