2015 panam games velodrome

2nd Annual Budget Input Session

Mike Cluett

This coming Monday night will begin the process for receiving input on the 2013 Town of Milton Budget.

It will take place at our council meeting this coming Monday May 28th at 7pm.  **UPDATE** Here are the links to the agenda and reports for Monday’s Budget Committee meeting and full Town Council meeting.

http://www.milton.ca/MeetingDocuments/Council/agendas2012/BC01_May_28_2012.pdf

http://www.milton.ca/MeetingDocuments/Council/agendas2012/CL06_May_28_2012.pdf

Also, this means I am arranging another budget input session for Milton residents during this course of time.  ***UPDATE* Date and time have been confirmed.  The date is Thursday June 14th at 7pm at the Milton Sports Centre Room 2.

This is a time where town councillors, like myself, have an opportunity to bring up items to be considered for the 2013 budget year.  Do we need more transit routes?  What about parks maintenance and weed control?  Recereational services and the growing demand from Milton residents on our facilities/libraries etc? 

During the course of the last few months I have heard from many residents in ward 6 and throughout the Town of Milton about our parks and their importance to our lives.  Recently, I have been in contact with many residents along Storey Drive regarding a playground that instead of wood chips has sand.  Most of the time, that park is not very usable and having sand makes it difficult for kids to play in it.  Through discussions I have had with staff, its estimated that revamping the park will have a potential cost of $25,000 or more. 

Its ideas like that I’d like to hear from you.  Should we spend more on parking control now that the bylaw is going to be changed from 3hr parking to 5hr?  These are important issues and I want to hear from you.

As soon as the date and time has been confirmed, I’ll announce it here.  Until then, I’ll see you at the doors.

Milton Velodrome FAQ’s

Mike Cluett

Milton Velodrome FAQ’s

Courtesy of www.milton.ca

What is a Velodrome?

•An arena for track cycling (approximately 120,000 square feet)

•A banked oval track consisting of two 180-degree circular bends, connected by two straights (The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement curve)

Multi-purpose Infield

•The infield (middle) of the track can be used for other recreational/event purposes, such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, soccer and trade shows, and is approximately the size of three basketball courts.

Existing Velodromes

•Carson City Velodrome
•Manchester Velodrome
•Manchester Velodrome, infield event

How was Milton selected as the preferred velodrome site for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games?

September 23, 2011

•Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games committee approached the Town of Milton with the possibility to bid for a permanent velodrome

October 12, 2011

•Toronto 2015 committee invited the Town of Milton to submit Expression of Interest

October 17, 2011

•Milton Council resolution to explore two location options – the Milton Education Village as a permanent location and Derry Green Business Park as a temporary location

November 21, 2011

•Council Report: COMS-047-11

•Indication of support received (including letters from Laurier University, the Canadian Cycling Association and land donation)

•Further direction required from Toronto 2015 to reduce capital cost and local host share

December 5, 2011

•Council Report: COMS-050-11

•Milton Council authorized the Town of Milton to commit to funding local share based on a $40-million project

•Next step identified was to engage Sierra Planning to undertake Business Plan

•Required to report back to Council with results of Business Plan and due diligence process

Where is the money coming from to build the velodrome?

•$22 million: Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games organizing committee

•$19.8 million: Local share (includes 44% of the project cost at $40-million, plus site servicing/parking costs)

◦Town of Milton share confirmed at $3.8 million: Re-allocation of funds for future recreational facilities to serve community needs

◦Milton Education Village commitment at $2.5 million: Town of Milton to finance the Milton Education Village commitment; if timing is delayed, a contingency plan will be developed

◦Private sector partnership commitment at $13.5 million: This includes – pledged donations, sponsorship, in-kind services and fundraising support

•Peter Gilgan/Mattamy Group: $9 million committed

•TD Canada Trust: Tim Hockey and team

•Milton Energy and Generation Solutions

•TSAM Investment Group Inc. •GreenLife Energy

•Local suppliers/consultants

•Legal counsel

Where will the velodrome be located?

•Within the Milton Education Village: Louis St Laurent and Tremaine Road

•Adjacent to proposed location for Laurier University

Planned transportation links to the velodrome location:

•Public transit routes

•Cycling lanes on Tremaine Road

•GO station proposed at new Tremaine Road 401 interchange

•Town undertaking Secondary Plan for Milton Education Village and update to Trails/Cycling Master Plan in 2012

What will the velodrome be used for once the Pan/Parapan American Games are finished?

•Sierra Planning and Management, in cooperation with the JF Group have been retained by the Town to undertake a Milton based business plan for the legacy phase of the facility:

◦Discussions have been initiated with local/regional/national/international cycling groups with meetings, surveys and interviews planned to determine demand for the facility.

◦Discussions will be initiated with local sport organizations for infield use potential.

◦The extent of municipal risk associated with business plan projections will be verified.

•The facility will be used for a number of international, national and provincial competitions, creating a positive economic impact on the business community in Milton.

•There will be a significant opportunity for a high performance and local cycling legacy, as well as community recreational use.

What are the Milton velodrome timelines?

•January 2012: Business plan commenced

•Late January 2012: Report to Milton Council on business plan recommendations

•Late January 2012: Binding agreements to be signed following project approval by Milton Council

•Spring/summer 2012: Ground breaking and construction commences

•Summer 2014: Targeted completion date

•June/July 2015: Pan/Parapan American Games

Special Council Meeting RE Velodrome December 12 2011

Mike Cluett

Again for those who missed the special council meeting last night regarding the velodrome issue, please click the following link.  More details and comments to come.  If you have any questions or concerns please email me mike.cluett@milton.ca

Town of Milton Special Council Meeting Velodrom December 12 2011

 

  

Here is the article from todays Milton Canadian Champion followed by Daniel Nolan from The Hamilton Spectator

Veledrome moves forward

Council overwhelmingly endorsed a commitment to move forward as the Pan Am velodrome’s preferred site during last night’s special council meeting.Council voted nine to two in favour of committing to funding 44 per cent of the costs of the velodrome, with only Ward 2 Councillor Greg Nelson and Ward 4 Councillor Rick Malboeuf voting against the staff-supported recommendation.

While it’s looking like a strong possibility world-renowned bikers from across the Americas will be descending on Milton during the 2015 Pan Am Games, a business plan will have to be worked out before council enters into a binding agreement with Pan Am organizers over the estimated $40 million facility.

“You hear that other municipalities tried and turned it down, so why are we moving forward with it,” said Ward 6 Councillor Mike Cluett. “We have a good working relationship with the private sector. That’s the only way this project will move forward. This is going to put a big spotlight on the town of Milton and that’s exactly what we want to do. We want to bring people to Milton.”

If approved by council, Milton will be on the hook for $17.6 million in velodrome funding, plus the cost of land and servicing the site.

Council was presented with letters of support from Mattamy Homes and TD Canada Trust, to name a few, during last night’s meeting.

Mattamy President and CEO Peter Gilgan has committed $7 million in pledged donations and $2 million for exclusive naming rights of the velodrome. Gilgan and Tim Hockey, TD Canada Trust president and CEO, also pledged support to rally behind a $3 million fundraising campaign.

“We recognize that the establishment of a permanent velodrome in Milton, already a hot bed of cycling, is a ‘game-changer’ for the sport in Canada,” wrote Hockey in a letter to the Town.

Staff will take the next month or so to work out a business plan that will identify any financial risks the Town may face in hosting facility and verify a cycling legacy in Milton.

Council will decide whether to give the project the final stamp of approval or not once the business plan is presented sometime early next year.

The Town has hired Sierra Planning and Management, the same firm that developed the Hamilton velodrome business plan, to draft the Milton version at a cost of no more than $95,000.

Malboeuf questioned the cost of the business plan. “How much money is it to edit out Hamilton and put in Milton?” he asked.

However, staff said the plan must be drafted using Milton data and taking into account the shared amenities and partnerships with the Milton Education Village, the planned site for the velodrome.

Malboeuf insisted since the velodrome debate came to light, he hasn’t heard any support for it from residents. “My concern is any time government gets involved in something, it doesn’t come out as planned…should something happen and the fundraising doesn’t come about, it’s the people of Milton who are on the hook.”

But Mayor Gord Krantz, who’s remained a strong supporter of the facility, said the velodrome would put Milton on the map. 

Milton to pursue Pan Am Games velodrome

MILTON Town council is pedalling forward with the idea of the 2015 Pan Am Games velodrome being built here after Hamilton and Vaughan parked their interests over funding questions.

Council voted 9-2 Monday night to accept a report from community services director Jennifer Reynolds to have staff look at the scheme — but with strings attached.

They committed to funding the local share of $17.6 million required for the indoor cycling facility, but only if the project cost does not exceed $40 million.

They committed to hiring a consultant to prepare a business plan — Sierra Planning and Management, which did a report for Hamilton — but not to spend any more than $95,000 for it and any other analysis. Council was told the due diligence could take four to six weeks.

Councillors also agreed Mayor Gordon Krantz would not sign any agreements with senior government levels and 2015 organizers until completion of the business plan and verification of operating costs, community use and cycling legacy needs.

Milton staff had been lukewarm to the velodrome idea after Hamilton turned it down, but the town lately received letters of financial assistance — or what Reynolds called “significant commitments” — from the private sector. This included a promise from Mattamy Homes president and CEO Peter Gilgan to donate $7 million from his firms and foundation, plus $2 million for naming rights.

The proposed site for the velodrome is in the Milton Education Village, where the town is hoping to locate a Wilfrid Laurier University campus, at Tremaine and Derry roads.

Krantz and Councillor Mike Cluett were excited about what the velodrome will mean for Milton, with Cluett saying it was a good investment, would create jobs “and will definitely put Milton on the map.”

Both men said, however, it would not be going forward without support from the private sector.

“The only way this project can move forward is with co-operation from the private sector,” Cluett added. “It helps lessen the burden on the taxpayer.”

Reynolds’ report outlined $19.8 million coming from the “host” community. She said $3.8 million would come from the town, $7 million from Gilgan, $2 million from naming rights, $3 million from a fundraising campaign, $2.5 million from the education village partner (not confirmed) and $1.5 million from in-kind capital.

Councillor Rick Malboeuf, who had opposed the velodrome at the outset last month, complimented staff on the report. He said, however, all calls he got from residents were against Milton getting involved and that his comfort level had still not been met.

“My concern is that when governments get involved with something, it doesn’t come out as planned,” added Malboeuf.

Murray Noble, senior vice-president of infrastructure for the 2015 Games, attended the meeting. In a letter to council, he said Games officials would work closely with town staff over the next four to six weeks as the velodrome plan is finalized.

Voting to proceed were Krantz, regional councillors Colin Best and Tony Lambert, and councillors Cluett, Sharon Barkley, Rick Di Lorenzo, Zeeshan Hamid, Arnold Huffman and Cindy Lunau. Voting against were Malboeuf and Greg Nelson.

dnolan@thespec.com