"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Sunday 20 October 2013

I Gotta Tell You This

I don't intend to bog myself down  in the  unwanted school site issue on Mavrinac.

But  there is an issue and  a decision to  be made.  A long as something relevant I will tellit as it occurs.

Lincoln and The Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin  lies at my hand.  I have not seen the film. If I see it before I read the book, enjoyment of the book is spoiled If I read it before  seeing the film , the  latter is seldom  worth  viewing.

I know within a page when I start a book if  a book is worth reading.

It used  I would keep reading waiting for the story to begin. Not any more.

If it's a good book,I have no discipline. I will read throughout the night .  With Michener,I discovered he filled pages with  endless details. I  would flip pages to get  back to the story line. 


Then , when it wasover, I 'd be sorry.

I never read  a book twice.

Doris Kearns Goodwin 's book is waiting .  I have been introduced to  the people who occupy the pages  and something of the society they occupied.

If I tell now  what I learned about the Mavrinac situation, I can go back to the book.

I have told this before but bear with me .It needs to be told again  to its logical conclusion.

Neighborhood  parks were planned. A huge ravine, now public land, traverses the property from north to south . There are gaps in srvice but not in Block B where this school site is now surplus.

Four school sites were chosen .Three Separate  elementary and one public  high school  site which is considerable larger.

Parks and school are usually built in tandem to maximize  function.

The Public school board bought their site. They had approval from the Province to build a new high school.  Williams was old and outdated. Modernity has transformed schools.

The Board's  intended to sell the Dunning Avenue site and transfer  the high school to  the North east.

Susan Walmer and The Presence saw a political opportunity and brought  board  trustees to their knees.

Plans were changed. Millions have  now been spent renovating  the old school  and the board owns a site they can sell to the highest bidder .

It  was purchased with tax dollars.

Our real and pressing need , identified in the Master Recreation Plan is for a "community" park designed to accommodate sports fields needed  yesterday and in the future.

Council were informed in the last term,  of  a last  opportunity available at raw land price.

The advice was dismissed.

The public school- board - owned site would be perfect for us. The last  opportunity
within the town's boundary.

They don't need it. We do.

We could pay the board what they paid and carrying costs with the Cash in Lieu Reserve fund.

It's a larger site thn the one  on Mavrinac. It would accommodate more  houses Add more cars.

It need not be sold to the highest bidder. Need not be developed  as a town house project . That purpose would be its highest return.

The school board would be speculating with tax dollars.

It could be a community park. At an appropriate price.

It's an aspect of the issue that needs to be considered.




10 comments:

Anonymous said...


You won't really know the cast until you read the book.

I have read it three times.

Forget the movie.

Anonymous said...

I have all the info on that school site. Thanks. The ball is now in Councils's court.
Re the other matter - Read the book first & save the movie for later. I've never trusting casting since that little twerp Tom Cruise gave himself the role of the massive Reacher.

Anonymous said...

This is like watching a preventable accident. If they blew it on a few trees,........
Argh !
Oh, and read that book first. She is very good.

Anonymous said...

You've earned your book.

Anonymous said...

A good book is an excellent sanctuary.

Anonymous said...

I see a contradiction here in your philosphy of the land.

You say "... It need not be sold to the highest bidder...".

Is it not in the best interest of the School Board to do exactly that? You have been vocal about the QYR moving into the Hydro Building. You indicated that it could be have been used by Town departments or it could have been sold to the highest bidder.

Clearly that is not always the best route as you have just stated about the vacant land.

Anonymous said...


@ 7:55
It is entirely possible to state that a situation exists without providing all the background information of how it came to be that way. Surely it is not necessary to connect all the dots for you ?

Anonymous said...

I don't think that those residents are willing to consider the various options if it prevents them from attaining Their Park. We can only hope that saner minds on Council will be more open.

Anonymous said...

It is Tuesday, which means its GC day!!!!
Hurray- cannot wait to see what the latest news will be for '33Longthorpe" and 'the park".

I wonder if the owner will keep the firewood himself or donate it to the town so it can be used at the "marshmallow roast" (site still undecided)

Anonymous said...

I guess we aren't going to get a community park. Just one which is going in instead of homes which could produce revenue for the town. What narrow-mindedness.