Town of Bracebridge Council Correspondence

Transcription

1 Town of Bracebridge Council Correspondence TO: COPY: FROM: Mayor G. Smith and Members of Town Council J. Sisson, Chief Administrative Officer Management Team Media L. McDonald, Director of Corporate Services/Clerk DATE: February 14, 2018 CIRCULATION: Item # Description SECTION A STAFF INFORMATION MEMOS: A1 Nil. SECTION B GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE: B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 Correspondence from Robert Auger, L.L.B., Clerk, Legal and Legislative Services, Town of Essex, dated February 1, 2018, regarding Offering School Property to Municipalities. Correspondence from Kimberley Armstrong, Deputy Clerk, Corporation of the Township of Norwich, dated February 5, 2018, regarding Ontario Building Code Amendments. Correspondence from Michael Anne MacDonald, MacDonald Law, dated February 8, 2018, regarding Tammy Parchem 41 Fairlawn Blvd., Bracebridge Request for Variation of Fence Height, Appeal of Decision of Committee 7 February, Communications Memorandum from the Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce, dated February 12, 2018, regarding Board of Directors Meeting and Topics of Interest. Correspondence from Ashley Boone, Director, Muskoka Yoga Festival, regarding camping at Annie Williams Park during Muskoka Yoga Festival July 14 and 15, Page 1.

2 February 1, 2018 Association of Municipalities of Ontario(AMO) 200 University Avenue, Suite 801 Toronto, Ontario M5H 3C6 Rural Ontario Municipal Association 200 University Avenue, Suite 800 Toronto, Ontario M5H 3C6 Ontario Municipalities Re: Offering School Property to Municipalities Dear Sir/Madam, At its regular council meeting of January 15, 2018, Essex Town Council discussed the ongoing issue of school closures throughout Ontario. These school closures in many cases result in properties that are left as vacant and unused for substantial periods of time and this often results in properties that not only become eyesores for the affected communities but as well often have further negative impacts on the social and economic development of that community and its municipality. Many municipalities might be interested in purchasing these properties for development and sustainment as a hub in their community. However the feasibility of this certainly becomes more daunting and for some municipalities even impossible when municipalities that are interested in purchasing must first (pursuant to current regulations) purchase these properties at fair market value with taxpayer dollars and then may need to spend further taxpayer monies in order to retrofit and/or remediate the building (s) on these properties. Given the fact that these properties were already originally purchased and developed into schools using taxpayer dollars we ask that consideration be given to the fact that the taxpayers should not again have to purchase these properties at fair market value if the intent

3 is for the particular Municipality to develop and/or sustain these properties for the betterment of its community. As a result of the discussion the following resolution was passed by Essex Town Council at its January 15, 2018 regular meeting: Moved by Councillor Bondy Seconded by Councillor Voakes (R ) That the Town of Essex send a request to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), ROMA and all other municipalities in Ontario requesting that when schools boards make decisions to close schools, that they have to offer the building to the local municipality for a dollar. Carried Council believes that providing the opportunity to purchase the buildings for a dollar would give municipalities a meaningful opportunity to ensure that these properties remain a key hub for social and economic development in their respective communities. Should you have any questions or comments regarding this matter, please feel free to contact the undersigned. Yours truly, Robert Auger, L.L.B. Clerk, Legal and Legislative Services Town of Essex rauger@essex.ca RA/lm

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8 Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce Communications Memorandum To: From: Mayor G. Smith and Members of Town Council The Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce Date: February 12, 2018 Re: Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce - Board of Directors Meeting and Topics of Interest Executive Director's Report: Port Sydney Chamber of Commerce: Bracebridge and Port Sydney Chambers of Commerce continue to work together and discuss the partnership. Both Boards are working together through a Strategic Planning process which includes a Member consultation. We look forward to sharing our work with Council in the near future. Annual Business Achievement Awards: This event will be held on Thurs. March 8, 2018 at the Bracebridge Sportsplex. 11 award categories. Nominations have closed. 115 nominations received. Voting will run from Feb. 13 to 26. Visitor Information Centre: Walk-ins have dramatically decreased since the silver bridge has been closed for repairs and the road closed sign was erected. Members Meetings: In 2018 our networking events will include breakfast meetings, lunch meetings and evening meetings on different days to give our members more options Bracebridge / Muskoka Map: Advertising opportunities are available now for the 2018 Bracebridge / Muskoka Map. Dates to Remember: Mar. 8/18 Apr. 6/18 24th Annual Outstanding Bracebridge Business Achievement Awards Gala. Deadline to submit artwork for 2018 Bracebridge / Muskoka Map 6:00pm-11:00pm Page 1

9 Muskoka Yoga Festival Ashley Boone 23 Curling Road, Bracebridge Attn: Graydon Smith & Bracebridge Town Council members Town of Bracebridge Re: Public camping in Annie Williams Park July 13th and 14th, 2018 Greetings, I m writing in regards to offering camping in Annie Williams Memorial Park during our event, Muskoka Yoga Festival, happening July 14th and 15th, We are currently in our second year of Muskoka Yoga Festival. Last year, we welcomed over 500 participants to Muskoka to participate in two days of nature, yoga, meditation, and healthy living. It was a huge success for the wellness community of Muskoka as our patrons enjoy getting outside, camping, eating fresh local food, and exercise. It was also the FIRST YEAR of our event and the fact we brought out so many people for a brand new event shows that we ve hit the nail on the head. The health industry is only getting bigger and we have ambitions to put Muskoka and Bracebridge on the map in these trending fields. This year we are expanding our offerings: - Shuttle busses to and from the GTA to reduce traffic pollution and congestion - A mandatory plastic free vendor and local vegan food market - Broad programming highlighting conservation in Muskoka in affiliation and donation to the Muskoka Conservancy - Pre-festival community events in Muskoka, Central Ontario, and the GTA that give back (community service, free yoga class, and education in conservation) The noteworthy feedback we received from patrons of 2017 was to include lodging as part of a ticket package to decrease commuting to and from the park. Our patrons stayed in the limited lodging options close to Annie Williams Park such as Santa s Village Campground and the Quality Inn or they commuted from their respective communities both days.

10 From my experience in Bracebridge over the past 7 years, accommodation options are either unaffordable or unavailable because of high tourism, specifically high income tourism. We wish to offer an alternative and additional accommodation option for our patrons. We do so in the name of health and offering accessible positive programming to our community. We are kindly requesting the temporary lift of the no camping by-law for Annie Williams Park on Friday, July 13th from 2pm to Sunday July 15th at 6pm. By offering organized public camping for our event, we are able to bring more people into our community for the entirely of the weekend. This leads to a boost in not only our success as a festival, but the Town of Bracebridge will see tourists dining, touring, and enjoying a true Muskoka summer weekend. Our patrons are young professionals and small families from across Central and Southern Ontario with disposable income (our festival ticket prices range from $99 - $189) who enjoy healthy lifestyle choices, especially in nature. Our festival is the first of its kind in Muskoka to cater specifically to the wellness and yoga communities of Ontario, work with and directly donate to Conservation non-profits, and we plan to host this festival in the Town of Bracebridge for many years to come. Most importantly, our ability to offer accomodation is a critical aspect of bringing people up to our festival. Simply put, if they don t have anywhere to sleep, they can t or won t come. Our window of opportunity to establish Muskoka Yoga Festival as Ontario s Premiere Yoga Festival is small and the inability to offer camping this year could very well hamper our ability to grow our brand for wider recognition. Working with the Town of Bracebridge Council, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the Annie Williams Memorial Park Board, Muskoka Yoga Festival commits to the following standards for Annie Williams Park: 1. No Noise after 11pm until sunrise, in line with noise by-laws 2. Tents only, no trailers 3. Fire free, including no camping stoves 4. Cleaner than we found it by employing MYF volunteer staff for trash removal and general upkeep (ie. in the case of rain we redirect campers to higher ground) 5. Alcohol and drug free with security checks at the front gate and 24-hour security patrolling the park from Friday July 13th at 4pm to Sunday July 15th at 6pm 6. Fully insured in case of any liability accident to protect the patrons, the Town of Bracebridge, and Muskoka Yoga Festival 7. Additional washrooms for camping participants 8. Notification for residents, for consideration and safety 9. Camping location clearly marked near alternate entrance near graveyard (second entrance to the park) a. leaving ample space for non-festival participants to freely use the park and for cars to pass through

11 If granted the opportunity to host public camping for our event, we would ask for 75 four-person camping spaces for two nights and organize the spaces near the second, alternative entrance to the park close to Santa s Village Road and the graveyard. We feel starting small with only 300 potential campers allows us to gauge interest, generate a successful template for future festivals and future years for this initiative. Lastly, we fear that the inability to offer camping and the lack of affordable accomodations for our festival patrons means that we realistically would move the event out of Bracebridge in We have been approached by a few private landowners who have asked to host the Muskoka Yoga Festival on their property. They ve offered spaces with camping options and a suite of other amenities, but are located in other municipalities. Part of why we want this Festival in Annie Williams is to support local businesses and help Bracebridge grow and profit. Bracebridge is very dear to our hearts and we desperately want to build our community here, but we cannot do so at the risk of our businesses survival. If we are unable to offer the facilities required for a proper festival, we may have no other choice but to leave. We are ready and open to making this happen. Any requests, questions or comments are best sent to ashley@muskokayogafestival.com until March 3rd. After March 3rd, we would be happy to meet in person to discuss this possibility. We look forward to working with you! Much gratitude, Ashley Boone Director, Muskoka Yoga Festival