Spending Motion On Downtown Local Area Plan Tabled Pending Report
The Local Area Plan (LAP) for the Downtown may have cost $95,000 when it was commissioned in 2017 but it is going to have to wait at least until the next Council and their first budget before it gets funding.
At Monday evening's regular meeting of Moose Jaw City Council a motion made by Councillor Crystal Froese to spend some of the interest from a reserve dedicated to creating a future parking lot on implementing the plan was defeated.
Councillor Froese said her motion was designed to set the Downtown LAP into motion.
“It is a great framework and a road map but if we don't look to fund our part of it the Downtown Area Plan will just sit and collect dust,” Councillor Froese said.
The LAP is a plan which looks at improving the Downtown core over a 30 year span which such things as a Manitoba Street Gateway, streetscape enhancements as well as policies designed to include economic development throughout the area. The LAP would also “preserve heritage character well into the future,” she said.
Spending the parking lot reserve interest funds on the Downtown LAP would “insure the longevity and success given our investment already made by funding this Local Area Plan.”
The parking lot reserve fund has $1.654 million in it and came from the sale of previously City-owned parking lots plus interest accrued. The money is invested in the moderate term investment pool and is part of the City's investment strategy.
About $40,000 was being sought to help kickstart the LAP.
Councillor Froese said it was important to include the Downtown Business Association, the Heritage Advisory Committee and other stakeholders in implementing the LAP through the funds.
“It would also be important to include other stakeholders who participated in creating this plan and have them consult with staff about the priorities going forward.”
Speaking on the motion Mayor Fraser Tolmie said there was lost opportunities the funds could help to address.
“From my understanding there are some really decorative street signs sitting in a warehouse somewhere in the City of Moose Jaw that match the decorative lamp posts we have along Main Street,” Mayor Tolmie said, adding a report was forthcoming about the lamp posts which all groups should have a look at making any financial decisions.
Somewhere in storage there are ornate signs which match the Downtown’s lamp posts - MJ Independent file photo
Councillor Froese said the idea for funding came out of an informal meeting about the LAP and how much heritage the plan included.
The thought was “maybe it was a good idea to attach some funds to the actual plan and from that in the long term strategy get the plan off of the ground,” she said.
“I think we have done a really good job strengthening our overall City strategy maybe not so great on actioning on plans we paid for…we need to actually action some of these plans so we are not just paying $100,000 for paper.”
Councillor Dawn Luhning, who is Council’s representative on the Downtown Business Association, said she initially had some concerns with Councillor Froese's motion but understood the intention better now.
“The concern I had is I think we got the cart ahead of the horse a little bit. As a rep on the Downtown group I think I would have appreciated that this was an idea Councillor Froese had because it kind of fired people up…as there was already a plan there to bring it forward in a little while,” Councillor Luhning stated.
Presently the Downtown business group is gathering membership and is working towards becoming a Business Improvement District (BID). A BID is where area businesses receive funding from the municipality and then make decisions on how and where to spend the funds on approved improvements.
Councillor Luhning said she had no objections to looking at the study the Heritage Advisory Committee received but added the proviso “seeing what we can do with it to possibly make it work for the community.”
It should be noted both Councillor Froese and Luhning have been at seeming loggerheads before when it comes to Downtown development.
Councillor Froese represented the now defunct RuBarb Productions Inc in a dispute with the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre and Councillor Luhning was appointed as rep to the Downtown business group over top of Councillor Froese who extensively worked with the group in their formation.
“I don’t think the Downtown group has seen it. Let’s get it to them and get some ideas gathered. I agree with Councillor Froese let’s get the stakeholders behind the scenes and maybe in a few months you know move on with this. And see what we can do to utilize some of that money when that group is ready,” Councillor Luhning said.
Speaking about the timeline for the report to the Heritage Advisory Committee city manager Jim Puffalt said it only came forward because the report's author was leaving for a new job. Any implementation agreed to would likely be later.
“We all agree having that study sitting on a shelf and not doing anything with them is not very effective,” Puffalt said.
With cast iron water main replacement poised to enter the Downtown he said it would be the only opportunity to make the LAP and historical perspective “part of the work.”
“There are some amenities Downtown that need some upgrading and the thought from (the) Planning (Department) was to try to find a way to fund some if these programs,” Puffalt said.
Programs include upgrading a plaque on the corner of 1st Ave NW and High Street West as ti what was originally on the property.
Councillor Brian Swanson said approving funding at this juncture was inappropriate but should have been part of the recently completed 2020 budget.
“I would point out we just finished the budget process and that is where spending initiatives come from,” Councillor Swanson said. “I would remind Councillors near the end of the budget process Administration was asked to take millions of dollars off of the Capital Budget and that is where these things would have been located.”
Councillor Swanson said the idea there was lots of money available was incorrect.
“It is illusory to believe there is interest lying around not being used…there is not a pile of money sitting there waiting to be used. If there were I am certain the citizens of Moose Jaw would be happy to see it paying for things that are essential,” he said.
If the initiative would have come forward during budget Councillor Swanson felt the Downtown LAP would not have made the cut as there were many other higher priority projects needing to be done.
The motion was tabled in a 6 – 1 vote until a report came back from the Planning Department on the report provided to the Heritage Advisory Committee with Councillor Swanson opposed.