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Arenas top-of-mind in west Norfolk

Tough crowd at budget forum in Langton

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LANGTON – The future of arenas in west Norfolk was top-of-mind at a crowded public meeting last week in Langton.

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A host of revelations about Norfolk’s finances in recent weeks have amped up emotions across the county, west Norfolk in particular. In January, Norfolk council passed a budget that will increase residential property taxes by 8.4 per cent.

Meanwhile, the closure of the Teeterville Pioneer Museum, the Norfolk Arts Centre, the Adult Community Building in Simcoe, and the arena at the Simcoe Recreation Centre have many fearing what’s to come.

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Council and county staff have warned that the pain has just begun and that more cuts and tax increases are needed to arrest Norfolk’s drift toward insolvency.

Several speakers shared misgivings about the county’s plan to invite proposals from groups and individuals who want to try their hand at running Norfolk’s five remaining arenas. Norfolk plans to issue a request-for-proposals this spring and decide, in time for the next hockey and figure skating season, whether to act on them.

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Jim Norman, president of the Delhi and District Chamber of Commerce, said the county should throw the brakes on that idea. He asked the county to give community groups a chance to collaborate on alternatives.

“The problem with the request-for-proposals process is it’s kind of wishy-washy, whatever-you-come-up-with,” Norman said at the Langton meeting Feb. 20. “You’re putting the community at risk by doing that.

“We want everyone to understand that we’re willing to work with you.”

Eight of nine council members attended the meeting, as did a number of senior Norfolk staff. Langton stakeholders told them to tread carefully when it comes to their arena on Albert Street.

“I want council to understand how important these 140 kids are to Langton minor hockey,” veteran score-keeper Roger Demeester said.

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“One arena should not have to take the hit because all the other arenas lose money.”

Marlene VanDenWiele, president of the Langton Skating Club, said the idea of entrusting Norfolk’s arenas to user groups puts small communities in a vulnerable position.

VanDenWiele asked what happens if the group, company or individual goes bankrupt. She added user groups don’t have the expertise to operate an arena, let alone do so profitably.

Complicating Thursday’s discussion were factors not immediately related to January’s budget.

Sore points in west Norfolk include the $3.2 million Norfolk spent last year on 25 acres of unserviced land in Simcoe as the potential site of a $50-million recreation complex.

The audience was also not impressed that Norfolk is locked into a $1-million a year lease on its administration building on Robinson Street in Simcoe. Mayor Kristal Chopp responded by sharing details of deliberations which, to this point, have been confidential.

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“We engaged legal counsel,” Chopp said. “We tried to get out of the lease. If we could’ve got out of the lease we would’ve and we would’ve found another building.”

The lease at issue was negotiated by a previous council. Linda Vandendriessche, of Langton, said the expense is galling now that the county has reduced hours of operation at the county administration building on Albert Street in Langton. It’s a perfectly good facility, Vandendriessche said – one that could house an entire county division.

Norfolk’s incoming CAO Jason Burgess said a more “strategic” approach would’ve involved taking out a loan and building a county-owned facility “just like Haldimand is doing.”

Dozens of people lined up at the microphone to share their thoughts. The meeting began at 6:30 p.m. and lasted till nearly 11 p.m.

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Council was also taken to task for spending more than three hours behind closed doors Jan. 28 before emerging and approving eight significant facility closures and program modifications in less than 15 minutes. Speakers said the public should have been consulted on these measures beforehand.

Windham Coun. Chris Van Paassen, chair of Norfolk’s budget committee, said consultation would have been difficult given that the decisions involved the employment of identifiable county staff. However, Van Paassen conceded that Norfolk’s communications strategy leaves something to be desired.

“We screwed up,” he said. “Our communications need to get better.”

All members of Norfolk council attended the forum except Simcoe Coun. Ian Rabbitts. The meeting in Langton is the first of a series as council tours the county explaining Norfolk’s financial situation. Times, dates and locations of these meetings will be announced as they become available.

MSonnenberg@postmedia.com

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