Mayor Gord Krantz says he has learned more about velodromes in the latter part of 2011 than in his whole life.
That learning curve is expected to continue into this year, as the velodrome is one of many Milton projects on the agenda for 2012.
The long-serving Milton mayor told the Champion in a recent interview that he hopes to see a funding commitment for the indoor cycling track this year — one of his many New Year’s wishes.
“This is a huge international sport and it’s growing. There will be 20 to 25 international meets in Canada each year, and they could happen right here,” he said.
Tourism boom could erupt
The 74-year-old mayor said if the velodrome business plan is approved by Milton council and construction is given a green light, he envisions a hotel or two popping up in the immediate area and a tourism boom for the town. “Tourism is a huge industry in Canada, and we’re looking for our piece of that industry.”
The velodrome is closely tied to the Milton Education Village (MEV). The 150-acre parcel of land at Derry and Tremaine roads will serve as home to the cycling track and to a Laurier University satellite campus if Milton gets its way.
Krantz said he was hoping to see more movement on the MEV campus in 2011, “but I’m far from being naïve,” he said.
“The Province has a cash crunch issue…I can’t blame them for being a little cautious,” adding that he’d like to see the funding come through in the next couple of years.
“Where else are they going to get 150 acres of free land? The Province is roughly 60,000 (post-secondary) spaces short and here we are ready and able and willing to help.”
Mayor wishes for ground-breaking
The mayor’s final wish for the new year is a ground-breaking for the Milton District Hospital expansion, a long-awaited promise that came to fruition this past summer.
As for predictions for 2012, the mayor said one thing will be inevitable in Milton — traffic.
“I’ll apologize for that in advance,” said Krantz, pointing to the Main Street grade separation just east of Ontario Street. “It’s going to cause a disruption and I’ll be the first one to acknowledge that.”
Asked why the Town didn’t plan the construction pre-population boom when the traffic impact would be less intense, Krantz said there was simply no way to fund the $50 million, four-year project.
“Development charges are paying for a huge portion of the project,” he said.
Krantz said while Milton is far-removed from the financial crises taking place around the globe, he believes the Town could feel some of the pinch.
“The federal and provincial governments can have an indirect impact,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if certain government services are downloaded to the municipal level.
If you follow the Hawthorne Villager forum, you will see there’s been quite the discussion amongst the posters about the potential velodrome in Milton. There is one more report to go and that will be received by council on January 23rd for review. As soon as the report is made available online, I’ll post a link.
UPDATE: I am including links to the Town of Milton’s website for the velodrome reports that council has reviewed during this process. Please take some time to review them and feel free to email or post here any questions you might have.
If you’ve been following my blog recently, you will have noticed I have posted quite a bit of information on the progress. Someone tweeted me recently to ask “what does Mike think?” So here it is.
The basis behind this facility is that its more than just cycling. Its a facility that can be and will be multi purposed. As with those other velodromes others talk about as failures this will provide more than just cycling. Basketball courts, indoor tennis, or if turf there’s indoor soccer, cricket maybe, football practice field (Ticats are you listening?)
As I mentioned during the special council meeting, the $3.8 million has already been budgeted for similar use facilities. Its in the bank so to speak and not coming out of taxes. We have been able to stand above other municipalities in the Greater Milton Area for a reason….partnership with the private sector.
This deal could NOT have been done without the assistance from the private sector. Mattamy is just ONE of the companies involved in the fundraising process for this deal…there are many many more. Tim Hockey, President and CEO of TD Canada Trust who is also an avid cyclist, is getting behind the project personally and will assist in fundraising for the velodrome. The pool of resources isnt just in Milton, its national organizations…international organizations as well that can assist in the fundraising.
That’s where other municipalities failed. They couldn’t harness the power of the private sector in getting things done. We as a council made it very clear that if we were to move forward on this there has to be minimal to NO impact on taxpayers. This can only help in growing our business base … and hence more tax revenue in town.
The Milton Education Village is just one of the keys to that success. The land is ready to go, our partners are ready to go and the provincial government needs to see that by approving Milton as one of the locations for satellite university campuses (as they have already acknowledged) it will go a long way for THEM to keep a promise made in the last election for increasing the number of post secondary spaces in Ontario. This MEV project moving forward can help kick in the pants OTHER things that Milton needs, like an interchange at Tremaine Road so that everyone on the west side of town doesn’t have to drive along Derry and or Britannia to go to the 401 and help with the backlog of traffic that way.
With moving the Canadian Cycling Association here to Milton with this facility we can help increase travel and tourism to the area. Right now we only have 2 hotels. We WILL need more (any entrepreneurs out there?) for when they hold national/international events that’s even more businesses that can benefit…from hospitality to restaurants to local businesses the impact can be huge.
Having the velodrome on campus adds some other benefits that can be looked at for revenue generating possibilities. The parking lot can be used at the university and we can charge a monthly fee for profs using it or what have you. There’s also the matter of the legacy fund set up by the Pan AM games … we don’t know the amount yet, but that should evolve through the business plan process over the next 4-6 weeks.
Is it a done deal? Not yet. ONE more report to go. That report will outline the needs for commitments at all levels so that we feel comfortable the project will stay under $40 million (contingencies are already built into that number) and that we can get the job done with our fundraising partners so that we don’t have to dip into the tax pool on this.
Sorry for the rambling and Im sure Ive missed a few points but I wanted to make sure we let people know that theres one more step in the process before its a go and I can assure you if the numbers don’t add up for me, even though Im excited about the project I wont want to see it move forward.
This town has shown others that we’re not the sleepy town we once were. I watched a Hamilton city council meeting recently when they were discussing their umpteenth attempt at getting it back and the almost disdain in their voices when they mentioned MILton of all places. We aren’t 35,000 people anymore. I know I sound sales-y by saying this but its true. Milton is a force to be paid attention to from now on. This is a project I know we can put together, that can be used for the games and years after so its not abandoned like the others and that it can help kick start the business growth we need in town to add more revenue to the town and to be the “new” centre of the universe in the GMA.
Last night was the third public information session held by the Region of Halton at the Boyne Community Centre. This is phase 3 of a phase plan that is working at finding out the best solution for Britannia Road to deal with the increased amount of traffic now and until 2021 and beyond.
This is the link to follow for more information. They said the details of the presentation, the information boards, comments forms etc will be online later today so keep checking.
From the comments I received last night from a very full house of concerned residents is that it was very informative and they were happy with the level of communication they are getting. Councillor Best, Councillor Barkley and myself were in attendance for the presentation. Councillor Rick Di Lorenzo was there earlier but had to leave and had an opportunity to ask about roundabouts given that we have been asked by many on the Hawthorne Villager about how they can be implemented.
Roundabouts are in the plans for mainly the intersection of Tremaine Road and Britannia and lights for a majority of the other major intersections. This is not to say they will be ruled out entirely over the course of the next several years but given the fact Tremaine and Britannia will be a major intersection around the Milton Education Village, it was deemed necessary.
I can see the pros of roundabouts in certain intersections and I understand many think it will keep traffic flowing but given the information I have read, Im not quite convinced they would be a good choice at a lot of intersections.
If you have any questions once the reports go up or any detailed inquiries, please email me mike@mikecluett.ca and I’ll do my best to get the answers.
Thank you to everyone who attended last night and we will do our best to keep everyone in the loop as to whats happening with this very important project.
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
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.
It’s that time of year again Milton. No, not the long lines at the shopping malls, the honing of Christmas lists of your kids and the never ending list of holiday parties to attend. Its budget time at the Town of Milton.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is a fun time for your local councillor as well. Over the last year I have talked with you on what your budget priorities are. This past summer myself along with a number of other councillors sat down with you to discuss the issues you found to be important. I have received close to 100 emails over the course of the year of you letting me know what you would like to see.
All of the comments received were sent to staff and what you will see here is a list of the budget documents. This budget will come before council on December 12 and 13th for review/debate/approval. Members of the public are more than welcome, and encouraged to take part in this process as well. If you’d like to know how you can be a part of this important process, please email me mike@mikecluett.ca for more details.
Over the course of the next week or so as I dive into these documents, drink lots of coffee and find more dark circles under my eyes due to lack of sleep, I will be posting more details, my thoughts and attempt to get as many of your comments ready for the budget committee meeting on the 12th. If you want a hard copy of the budget, they can be purchased at Milton Town Hall as well. Email me for details.
A quick overview of the budget will find that it recommends at 4.18% increase in the tax rate. That doesn’t mean your taxes will go up by that amount, its the rate of increase in budget spending. In the past I have stated I wouldn’t support a budget with an increase over the rate of inflation and I look to keep that same commitment here. That rate doesn’t include education, the Region of Halton, the Library levy or DBIA.
I’ll post more details on what can be done to reduce the impact of the tax increase in the coming days. Again, if you have any questions at all, please email or call me anytime. With over 400 pages in the budget document, odds are I will be up late reading it.
Here are the links online from www.milton.ca for the 2012 Budget Documents
Operating and Capital Budgets
The Town’s annual budget is developed by staff in consideration of the guidelines approved by Council in July and input received from the public. Council deliberates and approves the budget in December of each year ensuring an approved budget is in place for the start of the new year.
Mayor Gord Krantz says he has learned more about velodromes in the latter part of 2011 than in his whole life.
