Issue History
Below is an attempt to summarize the chronological history
of key steps during this continuing journey to strive to preserve
the cherished parklands of the General Brock property. A review
of the various meeting minutes, reports and presentations located
below and elsewhere on this website will aid in gaining further
insight into the history of this issue.
2000 - local citizens become concerned upon
learning of Halton Public School Board (HPSB)'s intention to
dispose of approx 6 hectares (15 acres) of the GB site. Letters
of concern sent to city and ward councilor.
2000 (Sept 12) - City of Burlington's Community
Services Committee reviews report regarding this proposed disposition.
Report includes "The disposal of school sites has two significant
impacts; the loss of green space in a community and the ability
for the City to provide adequate sports facilities for our user
groups." The report went on to state, "An additional impact
to the City is the ability to finance for the purchase of any
sites. There are currently no funds allocated throughout the
City's Capital Budget over the next 10 years to purchase surplus
school sites".
The Sale Process as outlined by city staff June 10,
2003:
Note: a number of variables with the issue have changed since
this 2003 presentation
- Introduction - why is the city involved?
- City council has always taken a keen interest in
the Halton District School Board
- Surplus School process. School sites are community
amenities
- Allows for community input into the future of the
site
- Surplus School Sites
- with funding formula changes, school boards are
in the position where they must dispose of surplus property
to get funding for new schools, so so under Ont. Reg
444/98
- city has successfully worked with the HDSB to dispose
of school sites
- Disposal Process
- the board must offer to sell the lands to a number
of public bodies including the City.
- Board must receive fair market value for the property
- City has an opportunity to decline or put in an
offer of purchase for the property
- Through our process we have always put in an offer
of purchase, with conditions
- City's Involvement
- Council approved a strategy for city to deal with
surplus school sites
- Strategy allows for public involvement so neighbourhoods
can become familiar with the process.
- allows public input to influence re-development
of the site
- allows opportunity to maintain valuable green space
in the community-often with value added opportunities.
- Conditional Offer
City's practice in dealing with surplus school sites;
- put in an offer on the site with conditions
- conditions require city to secure a private partnership
for the development of the site
- development may include re-use of the school building
or re-development of the site with a compatible land
use
- both options would require some green space be maintained
- Request for Expressions of Interest
City puts out a RFEI for proposals. Proposals are to identify
the following:
- possible partners, what a potential partner is willing
to pay for the land, types of uses that may be accommodated
on the site, parkland opportunities within the development
proposal
- RFEI Review
Proposals are reviewed by:
- City staff with input from the Ward Councillor as
to acceptable proposals and land use compatibility
- with school board staff to ensure competitive market
value is achieved.
- ideas in proposals are reviewed with neighbourhood
through a public meeting
- Public Input
- public acceptance of any proposed development
- input into next stage - request for firm proposals
- important to get right because further input is
limited until a successful proposal is provided.
- Request for Proposals
The RFP's are prepared:
- identifies the specifics of an re-development options
i.e. housing type, zoning
- identifies location and size of parkland
- addresses any conditions/requirements
- requires a firm offer with a deposit
Proposals are reviewed with the Board staff an assessed
based on same criteria as RFEI
- Approvals
Successful Proposal:
- Negotiated land deal is confidential until successful
bidder is approved
- Considered by Council and School Bd
- Enters into agreements to purchase the lands, usually
based on conditions
- Any necessary planning application requirements
follow public process
- Benefits of the process
- City has a level of control over the process
- Opportunity to have public involvement in the process
- Opportunity to maintain school building and/or green
space
- School Bid obtains market value
- Often have value added opportunities for the city
2003 (June 10) - City of Burlington hosts public meeting
at Central Library in response to HPSB's announcement
to close the GB school and dispose of the entire site.
Minutes of this meeting and
presentation by City staff.
2003 - local community members concerned about the potential
loss of this valued parkland gather to form a group to raise
public awareness of the issue. Website created, press releases
sent out to media and issue flyers distributed throughout community.
2003 (Sept 17) - community group hosts issue awareness meeting
at Roseland Park Country Club with over 130+ in attendance,
standing room only, local councillors, Mayor and the press. Petitions
signed, concerns, questions and expectations voiced and many
lawn signs sold.
2003 - pledge letters of support received from Mayor and
ward councilor Jack Dennison following Roseland meeting.
Community group joins with Councilor Dennison to form Committee
to present to city council.
(First Meeting Minutes) CITY OF BURLINGTON . The General
Brock Parkland Committee presents to city council.
[
Presentation
]
2003 (Sept-Dec) - series of meetings held as Community committee
and also with City of Burlington staff. Subcommittees formed,
initial site evaluation criteria created, committee forwards
city a number of outstanding public inquiries raised at the
June, 03 public meeting.
2004 (Jan) - City hires Phillips Engineering to conduct a
GB building assessment in addition to a Site review.
2004 (Feb 4) - Committee/City meeting to review: HPSB
timelines, information/update from city staff, technical studies
update, post secondary school proposal, public inquiries re:
expropriation of lands and the development of a general proposed
action strategy including a June, 2004 public open house.
[
Minutes 02 04 04
]
2004 (Feb 9) - receive Site appraisal : regional flood limit
affecting total of 4.05 acres(1.64ha) out of a total of 26.15
acres (10.5 ha). Demolition costs for school estimated
to be $600,000. Estimated market value of: low density($250,000),
medium($275,000), high ($300,000) with a "blended" assessment
provided of 22.10 acres = $5,500,000 +/- 10%.
2004 (June) - public meeting cancelled with City of Burlington
informing Committee group of Halton District Catholic School
Board (HDCSB)'s intent to purchase the site. Committee was thrilled
as we awaited confirmation of specifics. Group forwards letter
to HDCSB expressing interest in this proposal. Issue put on
a "hold" pending decision making.
2005 (Feb) - meeting with city staff and representatives
from both Boards of Education. The proposed acquisition of the
site by the Catholic Board off the table now and Public Board
states their position to move forward and dispose of the property
to secure funds for other priorities.
2005 - Committee continues to meet, brainstorm, strategize
and keep the issue awareness moving. Committee member presents
as delegate to council regarding the city's review of spending
significant dollars to expand city hall over priority of identified
need to preserve existing green space. Meanwhile market value
of site climbs to estimated $400,000/acre putting the cost at
roughly 10 million - getting way out of reach for local fundraising
campaign opportunities. Committee reviews and evaluates a number
of site development options put forth by the city. Very discouraging
process.
2005 (April 27) - McMaster University presentation to community
committee and city staff re: potential option for GB site. Committee
provides list of inquiries raised by general public. A scheduled
May 26 public meeting was cancelled to await further confirmation
of McMaster's proposal so that the public could be more fully
and accurately informed with this new information. The public
meeting was to be rescheduled for the fall.
2005 (May 18) - City of Burlington report to Community and
Corporate Services Committee re: that city continue to work
with our Community group and potential partners such as McMaster
and the Halton School Boards and report back to council in the
fall.
[
Report ]
2005 (October) - Our Committee contacts city staff as still
no word on next steps or issue updates etc. Meeting held Nov
3. Market value of property continues to climb to estimated
$500,000 per acre. Mayor indicates that McMaster will
likely locate in preferred downtown location and not GB. HPSB
wants to complete the deal for the site by June 1, 2006. City
staff were to prepare a report to present to Community and Corporate
Services Committee and council regarding next steps in the process
and information about potential impacts of various development
options. Our group would be provided with a draft of the
report to review prior to the Dec 6 CCSC mtg. It was agreed
that the now too late, fall public open house mtg would take
place in January, 2006.
2005 (November) -our committee reviews draft report and is
surprised, disappointed and frustrated with much of the content,
choice of site development options and general disregard of
existence of the community group efforts and input. City staff
agree to consider and include a number of the points raised
by our group and update report.
[
City of Burlington Report ]
2005 (December 5) - in response to the City report, our community
group prepared a six delegate PowerPoint presentation for the
Community and Corporate Services meeting and a follow-up presentation
at council on December 12, 2006.Council votes in support of
our group's request to offer two public open houses AT the GB
school location. Both the city and the community group options
were to be presented at these public meetings along with feedback
surveys for distribution and collection from the public in attendance.
[
Presentation ]
2005/Dec to Jan, 2006 - Our Committee works extensively to
prepare for and promote the Jan 26 public meetings. Press releases,
flyers, mailout to all households in ward, door to door contacts,
email and letter campaign and compilation of displays from vast
amount of public, user group letters of concern etc.
2006 (Jan 26) - Community and City presentations at public
open house. LOTS of support for parkland preservation at General
Brock was reflected at the two public open houses held on January
26! The approximate 500+ in attendance, listened to the various
speakers and presentations made by city staff and this Committee
on the key components and status of this issue. Most importantly,
these forums provided YOU, the interested citizen, with
the opportunity to have your voice heard. A number of significant,
constructive and heartfelt questions, concerns and ideas were
expressed.
PowerPoint presentation and
GB Public open house -Facilitators report
Some
results.....
1. The majority of those in attendance completed
our Committee's questionnaire which asked for feedback to help
guide us with next steps. The form asked for a ranking of your
concerns, park preferences, for your ideas and general comments.
See copy of open house questionnaire:
GENERAL BROCK PARK
A general summary of the completed questionnaires is as follows:
Question 1: To help us better understand what park
features are most important to you, please rank the following:
Rank 1 thru 10 (1 of greatest importance, 10 least important)
Senior Soccer Fields lit _______ Junior Soccer Fields ____
Senior Baseball diamonds lit _______ Junior Baseball Diamonds
_____
Open Space _______ Public Parking Area _____ Running track
_______
Tree Farm-woodlot _____ Existing Trees _______ Playground
set _____
The areas that were overall most important to people included:
#1 Open space
#2 Existing Trees
#3 Tree farm
#4 Junior Soccer Field
#5 Junior Baseball Diamond
** Public parking was the least important park feature #10,
followed by the Senior Baseball Diamond #9, then Senior Soccer
Fields #8**It is important to note that the soccer fields and
baseball diamonds make up much of the Open Space, which was
#1 in both surveys, and this was noted on some questionnaires.
Question 2: If any, please rank the areas that concern
you the most: 1 thru 8 (1 of greatest concern) Loss of Open
Space ____ Density of Infill ____ Traffic ____ Johnston Drive
vehicle access ____ Loss Of Senior Soccer Field ____ Loss of
Baseball Diamonds ____ Loss of Junior Soccer Field ____ Loss
of trees and habitat
The areas of primary concern included the following:
#1 Open Space
#2 Traffic
#3 Loss of Trees and Habitat
#4 Junior Soccer Field
** Area of least concern was access to Johnston Dr. #8, followed
by Baseball Diamonds #7
Most questionnaires included comments, most conveying quite
passionately about the critical need to preserve the park in
it's entirety. Some of the most common feedback included:
The majority would like to see all the park preserved.
The vision for the majority of people is that the park be
maintained as is for all generations.
People specifically noted it should be something for both
seniors and children to enjoy. Things such as walking trails,
playgrounds and open space.
Financial suggestions that have the most representation include
City responsibility to fund through Capital Budget, allocating
money annually, and taking a proactive stance. Corporate Sponsorship
was also a popular vote.
2. THANK YOU to the many of you who indicated on these questionnaires
and directly to our Committee members that you really care about
this issue and want to get involved. We need your help!
If you would like to contact our Committee's Volunteer Co-ordinator,
please email:
savegeneralbrockpark@hotmail.com
Together, we believe we can make a difference!
2006 –Feb 28: The General Brock Parkland Committee sent one
of our members as a delegate to the February 28, 06 City of
Burlington's Community and Corporate Services Committee meeting.
Our delegate presented our position in response to a report
presented by city staff on this same evening. Our Committee
strives to ensure we have presence at all City hall discussions
pertaining to the General Brock property issue.
Feb
28 presentation City Staff report:
City of Burlington Report
2006 -April 10 - Committee meets with City staff to discuss
updates on School Board process, communications
with the Province (Ministry of Education), review of open house
report, fundraising potential and more
-
[
View the Meeting Minutes ]
2006 -June 6 - Committee meets with City staff
to discuss updates, participate in fundraising information workshop
and more. Agenda available here: Note: awaiting
meeting minutes for this date from city
GBPCagenda
Jun-06.doc
2006 -June - Sound of Music Festival -
Thousands of issue brochures were distributed, Save General
Brock Parklands t-shirts were sold and LOTS of petition signatures
collected to support the important issue of parkland preservation.
The taxpayers of Burlington very much CARE about the need to
protect green spaces and places to play, exercise and connect
the community.
2006 -September to November - A spin-off group
: STTOP - Save Today's and Tomorrow's Outdoor Parkland Committee
was formed as a result of citizen interest and support for the
Save General Brock Parklands issue. Members worked very hard
during the months leading up to the municipal election day,
ensuring this priority issue was on the agenda. Countless meetings,
attendance at candidate debates, the distribution of thousands
of information brochures, snowball emails and the implementation
of a parkland preservation questionnaire forwarded to all candidates
were some of the many efforts offered to the cause. These strategies
were successful in helping the public to become more aware of
the facts associated with the devastating loss of parklands
as a result of school closures. ALL candidates were reminded
of this priority issue and some included parkland preservation
as a key focus in their campaigns. See letter of support from
Mayor Cam Jackson on the Homepage!
2007—March 6, Amy Schnurr presented to council regarding
the need to include parkland preservation as a priority when
determining the allocation of funds in the city's capital budget.
"Currently zero dollars are allocated to protect well used places
like the General Brock parklands and play fields. This
property and all future school lands that may become at risk
as growth and intensification increases , require a strategic
plan to ensure these valued lands with recreational playing
fields are not reduced to housing developments with small parkettes."
[
Presentation ]
2007—March 19, status of the property remains the same although
the Halton Board of Education was recently quoted in the newspaper
stating they have every intent of disposing of all of the GB
site. The timing is not yet known at this time.ore must remain
diligent in ensuring the City acquires dedicated parkland at
this location!
2007 -March 21, Committee member forwards letter to MPP Joyce
Savoline regarding the school closure issue and General Brock
specifically.
2007– March 28, Committee members present to council.
-
Presentation 1
-
Presentation 2
-
Presentation 3
-
Presentation 4
2007 - April 10, Committee member Rebecca Hodgson spoke to
the Budget & Strategic Planning Committee concerning General
Brock and parkland preservation within the City’s proposed budgets.
Hodgson stated that she believed current park dedication funds
were not being used for preservation of school lands and asked
council to support a new strategic land purchase fund.
[
Presentation ]
2007—April 24, Committee/City meeting held with HDSB Director
and Trustees Peggy Russell, Burlington and Donna Danielli, Milton
in attendance.
The City of Burlington is currently developing its 2002-2010
Strategic Plan. The uniqueness of the General Brock site was
well represented at the Budget meetings by the various delegations
and is being taken into consideration. Council made a strategic
decision to commit funds to a Strategic Parkland Acquisition
Fund as a direct result of
the GBPC’s presentation. This is a significant success."
"We’re looking at how the Strategic Land Purchase Fund will
unfold, and looking at the overall picture. We’re 3 to 4 months
from setting out the Strategic Plan. The bottom line is…we’re
positioning ourselves to be ready when the board makes its decision
about General Brock Park. We have an interest in the entire
site. There are no specific steps, we’re just trying to get
ready for what comes."
[
Minutes ]
2007 May 2, A number of Committee members presented to the
Halton District School Board the issue of General Brock and
the variety of concerns regarding it's future.
Bob Hicks (STTOP) presented on the value of urban green space
from a local and global environmental perspective.
[
Presentation ]
Amy Schnurr provided an overview of the Save General Brock
history and primary issues of concern."General Brock is the
largest school property of green space at risk in the history
of this city. If these lands are lost to development, there's
no turning back."
[
Presentation ]
Katie Brown shared concerns regarding the value of school
lands At a community level and the loss of 86% of school parklands
to date in Burlington. "Schools are more that bricks and mortar,
schools contribute to the student, the school system, the local
economy and the community, and these contributions must be considered."
[
Presentation ]
MMurray DePape discussed the significance of playfield use
in this City and the need to ensure adequate facilities and
services are available for current and future generations.
2007—May 8, -Committee member Katie Brown delegates to City
Council on the relevance of the GB preservation issue to that
of the Uptown Parkette agenda item. Unfortunately Ms.
Brown was cut off by Chair/Councilor Carol D'Amelio and prohibited
from continuing to share her viewpoints.
[
Presentation ]
2007 May 09, "Voters should decide park's future"
citizen letter submission to the Burlington Post:
Whoa!
Did I read your front page article -- Last ditch plea to
save Brock park (the Post, May 4) -- correctly?
"Residents ... are PLEADING with Halton's public school
board ... how it disposes of the Brock property"?
I'll be the first to admit that I do not follow how the
school board operates -- looks like I should -- but I do
vote for a trustee to act on my behalf.
I do not think that anyone should have to plead with the
school board, as it is the taxpayers who actually "own"
this property. I believe it would not only
be correct, but imperative, to have the taxpayers vote on
this very important decision. This is too big a decision
for trustees or senior management to
make!
The board should lay out the pros and cons for voters to
read/study and set a date for a general vote.
2007 May 18, Burlington Post news - regarding city funding
proposed McMaster University campus, Committee member Amy Schnurr
stated: "The city shouldn't forget about the environment as
it looks at other development projects like a multi-million-dollar
university campus or a performing arts centre, she said. Schnurr
doesn't necessarily say no to a Mac campus, but she said the
environment is a clear priority for the community and she doesn't
want to see an either-or situation emerge.
"The priority for Canadians at this point is the well-being
of the environment," Schnurr said, noting she'd like to see
money set aside to buy more parkland.
2007 June 27, Burlington Post news - regarding proposed McMaster
University Campus and public concerns over downtown location.
Committee member Kathleen Brown wrote: "Why can't the different
levels of government and educational facilities work together
to recycle and transfer lands already set up for educational
needs, instead of making the taxpayers pay again for land they
have purchased already?
This could result in a win-win solution, the taxpayers don't
have to finance yet another downtown initiative and lose its
valuable parking
amenities and the General Brock site gets reused for educational
purposes and stays in public hands."
2007 June 28, Committee members attend City's public open
house forums regarding strategic plan reminding staff to include
the environment, urban green space preservation and the need
to maintain all sports playfields in the city to provide opportunity
for healthy lifestyles.
2007 -July 3, Committee member Ian Grant (STTOP)
delegates to Council in support of newly proposed "Strategic
Land Acquisition Fund" - "When we see it recommended in the
2008 Current Budget that $240,000.00 be allocated to the Strategic
Land Purchase account, and also 10% of the actual receipts from
cash in lieu funding, we realize that we have a new City Council
which is serious about environmental stewardship. ...If you
vote to support both these recommendations, we will feel confident
that the leadership of this city will take us forward to a greener,
more sustainable Burlington with a higher quality of life for
us all.
[
Presentation ]
2007 - October 18, Save General Brock Parkland Committee
sends letter to Halton District School Board Director and Trustees
inquiring about expiry period of property disposition process.
[
Letter ]
For 2008 updates, please visit the What's
New page.
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