August 1 Council Meeting

This is a call out to everyone concerned with the Angled Parking to take some time on the morning of August 1 to head out to the Council meeting in Hickson and voice your opinion to the Council directly. With the exception of Ralph and McDonald, the members of Council clearly have a problem hearing our Rally, our emails, our phone calls, the newspaper articles, our letters to the editor, this blog and our petition, so maybe they'll HEAR OUR VOICES because clearly there is a disconnect between what we as the residents of Tavistock are communicating and what the Council is understanding, unless they are outright ignoring us!!!

It would be great to have a room full of people there to let Council know that we won't accept their ignoring us anymore! So, come on out and assist us and say your piece!!!

Great Article in the Tavistock Gazette Today

Get your paper today, Bill wrote a great article in the Gazette detailing the miss direction that council is taking.

Petitions to Sign

The opportunity to sign the petition regarding the angled parking is not over. There are petitions available to be signed at Quehls and Village Variety.

A Safer Plan

The general consensus of the Community of Tavistock is that we don't need a new Pavilion. It is a big building, there isn't demand for the two that we have and from what I understand, the Community asked for something different in the survey that was conducted. 

Not only does the Community not want this project, but there are also some major flaws with the current plan, the biggest of which is the safety factor.

Below is a drawing that illustrates the safety issues:

1. The new entrance is on a bend on a busy road that is very busy.
2. There is no sidewalk of the entrance side (south) of the road, so pedestrians will have to cross the street.
3. There is no cross walk (and if there were one, it would still be unsafe as it is on a bend)
4. The entrance is just a metres from the intersection of Minerva & Decew.

The Committee claims that the pedestrian entrance is at the east and west entrances of the Park, however Pedestrians will use this entrance. Furthermore, they stated that the Township and County Engineers didn't see an issue with the entrance. The reality is that the 4 issues noted above make this an unsafe entrance to the park.

Bicycles, pedestrians and cars will all choose to enter the park here particularly when there is a ball game and a soccer game at the same time. Think of when a ball game and a soccer game are over at the same time, traffic to and from the soccer fields, pedestrians, bicycles and cars will all be navigating that tight area with no facility for pedestrians to safely cross the street. The first pedestrian issue that occurs will result in the insurance companies targeting the Township for not addressing pedestrian traffic. Not sure how the Engineers from the Township and County thought that there isn't a safety issue but there is... it is blatantly obvious. That road has it's issues without an entrance on the bend, it is already a safety factor.  

Illustration of the current "Royal Reno" plan

Legend: Green - the park area      White - existing features      Pink - phase two features      Purple - existing buildings      Grey - Royal Reno phase 1

So, if we were to move forward with the "Royal Reno", how could we go about it in a safer manner? Well, if you look at the drawing below, you will see some ideas of how you could construct the pavilion and parking with an entrance that offers a safe alternative entrance to the park. 

This plan includes:

1. New entrance to the park at the end of Wellington street.
2. New crosswalk across Roth st to the sidewalk on Wellington street
3. Walking path on the south side of the proposed road (which is currently there just not yet paved)
4. Move the parking from the North side of the pavilion to the south side

So, now imagine that a soccer game and a ball game leave the park at the same time. Pedestrians, bicycles and cars came come and go from the park in a safe manner. via the east and west entrances to the park. It makes sense doesn't it?????

Illustration of the proposed Safer "Royal Reno" plan

Legend: Green - the park area      White - existing features      Pink - phase two features      Purple - existing buildings      Grey - Royal Reno phase 1

Petition Delivered to Council

Ladies & Gentlemen,

This afternoon at approximately 2:35 p.m. a package was delivered to the Township Office that contains the signatures of 170 individuals on a petition asking you to "halt reconstruction of a section of Maria Street in Tavistock - specifically from the lights at the 5-corner intersection south to Hendershot Street.  We believe that by moving forward with the proposed angle parking creates a serious risk to the safety of both drivers and pedestrians."  These signatures were gathered within 3 1/2 days by local residents who made the time at the end of their work day to actively demonstrate that there are many, many residents who do NOT support your recommended changes.  And many are away on vacation too who otherwise would have been happy to sign. 

Also included is documentation of the number of vehicles that were parked on both Maria Street (the one-way section only) and on Woodstock St. from the lights south to South Easthope Insurance.  These numbers include vehicles parked on both sides of the street.  We understand that no parking survey was conducted in recent months, so this should give you a good idea of what is actually happening now.  At no time was there ever zero spaces available.  Even at peak times there were still four or five spaces available in that section.

We appreciate that as Councillors for the Township of East Zorra Tavistock you do have the authority to stop this re-construction to implement angle parking.  We sincerely ask that you do so.

     

On behalf of the 170 signers

NOTE: For anyone wanting to sign this petition, there are still petitions available at Quehls and Village Variety.

The Million Dollar Outdoor Building

When I heard about the "Royal Reno" project, as it is so appropriately named, I was somewhat excited of the prospect of what might come to fruition in a new pavilion. However, once I received the "fundraising" package at my home my jaw hit the floor and my tune changed.... 1 million dollars.... WOW!!!

I then spent many hours looking over the fundraising materials to try and understand both the scope and the perceived need for such a mammoth facility. 

Last year sometime the committee sent out surveys to get our ideas for a new pavilion in the park, I even submitted a couple of my own ideas. 

So as I reviewed this information package, and I pondered... 

• did they take all of the ideas and try to integrate them all into the plan?
• is the cost is due to the large parking lot?
• who asked for such a grand building?
• is this going to interfere with the "Step dance and fiddle" campers?
• is this project going to interfere with the Airstream club campers?
• how did safety get overlooked with the entrance to the park?

The million dollars basically covers the cost of the building and the excavating. 

Also, be sure to review the package that you received closely, it is deceiving because most of the trails, parking lots and additional buildings are marked with the word "FUTURE" (so the cost does not cover the entire project). Furthermore, not only is the drawing misleading, but the actual cost of the project is actually more than the package tells you. The new entrance to the park (which has it's own safety issues) is being funded through a different project... that's right... it is being funded as a part of the controversial "Angled Parking" project! So, the cost is likely more in like 1.2 million dollars. And if you add phase 2 to the project, you could probably get close to 1.5 million dollars. Who knows what the real cost is and what kind of overruns will burden the EZT tax payer. 

And if you think the cost to the Township will stop there, you are wrong. There is a huge safety issue with the new proposed entrance to the park. These safety issues will most definitely result in lawsuits to the Township. The issues are:

1. The proposed entrance is on the bend where Decew and Hendershot streets meet.
2. Minerva street is just metres away from this entrance where most drivers turn towards the new entrance.
3. This road is very busy and provides access to the arena, the soccer fields, the memorial hall, the public school and the medical centre for most residents that live on the east side of town.
4. There is no sidewalk on the the park side of the street.
5. There is no cross walk planned for this street.
6. The street is very narrow.
7. The street has no facility for bicycles.

So this new entrance is a safety nightmare and it is clear that the Committee and the Council are ignoring this fact. It will only end up costing the tax payer more money in lawsuits when someone is injured at this entrance.

Another concern is that this building is replacing a 30 year old building that barely gets used.... hmm maybe we don't need a new pavilion if the old one isn't getting a lot of use?? Maybe we don't even need a pavilion at all... Maybe Queens park isn't the best place for a pavilion... Maybe Queens park should be turned into more of a park than a parking lot with all sorts of pavement.... But, one thing is for sure, we certainly don't need such a large scale project.

And what makes a park a nice park? Trees right, well in order to build this new building, they will be cutting down 14 old growth trees... what a waste and for what? An outdoor palace that the majority of residents don't want.

I have now sent two emails to the "Royal Reno" Committee to voice these concerns and I've only received a response on one of them which took 10 days to receive a response and it has been more than a month since I last emailed the committee with no response. 

In both emails sent to the Committee, I asked them who is asking for a new bigger pavilion and they have not yet answered, I really don't think that there is an answer to the question and that's why they haven't yet answered the question.

In the conversations that I've had with residents, many do support a new pavilion, but they are in support of a much more reasonable project, something that is scaled back that can be funded by grants and township money alone!

In conclusion, Tavistock doesn't need a "Royal" pavilion, there are a number of other things that Tavistock could use before we a "1 million dollar outdoor building".

Return to this blog in the next couple of days to see what we think would be a better way to lay out the park to provide a much safer entrance.

Regards,

Jon

Beacon Harold Letter to the Editor

Hi All,

The "Letter to the Editor" that is shown in a previous article was published in the July 9th edition of The Stratford Beacon Harold.

Thanks,
Jon

Email Updates

Hi All,

This article serves to draw your attention to the subscription feature on the right side of this website where you can subscribe to receive updates to this blog. Please use this to get your updates sent to your inbox!!!

Thanks,
Jon

Next Issue to Tackle!

Come back tomorrow to read about the issues with the "Royal Reno". If you have concerns about the "Royal Reno", please forward your comments to jonkirkross@gmail.com and I'll be sure to reference them in the articles.

Send your Comments!

Want to be heard, send emails to all councilors at once by sending your email to: council@jonrossconsulting.com.

Letter to the Editor

Hi All,

Here is a letter to the Editor that I just sent to a number of local newspapers:

"Dear Editor,

Subject: East-Zorra Tavistock Councilors Fail to Listen to the Residents of Tavistock

It is with dismay that this letter is written. It is both unfortunate and unbelievable that we the residents of Tavistock have to resort to this form of communication to get our point across to the Council of East-Zorra Tavistock. 

This action is prompted by events that started almost two years ago, when our council announced that they had sold the Tavistock Public Library to a private citizen of Plattsville (not even a resident of our community) for a measly $10,000. What's more is that this announcement came at the meeting immediately following the Ontario Municipal elections... perfect timing, no need for explanation during elections and still able to secure a chair on council. If the township Council had put that building on the open market it could have certainly brought at least $150,000. So, the Council cost the tax payer at least $140,000. 

Then, there were then a series public meetings and issues brought before Council regarding the Library and these actions served to delay the start of the construction on the old Library building. 

Now just recently, a plan was put forth by the Council to spend $600,000 to create 11 angled parking spots and 3 parallel parking spots. There are numerous safety issues with this parking, first of which is that the only way of getting to safety from the angled spots is to cross a busy street. Secondly, there is barely enough room between the angled spots and the parallel spots to avoid parking collisions. Additionally, backing out of the first parking spot could cause the driver to back into traffic on Hope Street. The wheelchair parking spot will require that passengers (including those with disabilities) on the drivers side get out of the car onto the road. Another safety issue is that this is the main access for feed trucks traveling to the feed mill. Besides all of the safety issues, the parking just happens to be within a short walk of the Library, what a coincidence. The Library, which was next to given away, is now getting free parking at the cost of the tax payers of East-Zorra Tavistock. 

On Friday of the July long weekend, more than 30 residents of Tavistock gathered to rally against the project and to save the beautiful tree that would have to be cut down for the project. The rally lasted a couple of hours and there was great support from passing motorists. 

Then at the most recent Town Council meeting, Deputy Mayor Maureen Ralph put forth a motion to stop the angled parking project, seconded by Don McDonald. However, that would be the only two supporters of the motion and the motion was defeated 5-2 (Don McKay, Linda Fulton, Clive Lawry, Don Lazenby and Jeremy Smith voted against this motion). Within an hour of that meeting, the tree was removed. 

It is clear to us, the residents of Tavistock, that those Councilors that should be representing the interests of the residents for which they are Councilors are indeed not representing our interests. The majority of the residents do not support angled parking at a cost of $600,000. So, why is the Council moving forward, what can we do? Well, we need to take a stand and send our concerns to council@jonrossconsulting.com (sending an email to this address will send directly to all Councilors of East-Zorra Tavistock).

To see the full plans of the project, pictures of the safety issues and details as they happen on this (and other important projects), go tohttp://fixtavi.blogspot.ca/.

Yours sincerely,

Jon Ross

Resident of Tavistock"

Christa Breyer Confronts Dennis O'Neil

Here are some pictures of Christa Breyer confronting Public Works Manager Dennis O'Neil and tree service workers on her property at 6 Hope Street East, Tavistock prior to the tree being cut down.

It took them less than an hour to destroy what nature took probably 100 years to produce.

Feel free to put them on the blog or send to any media outlets. 

Photo by Bill Gladding / Tavistock Gazette

Tree Be Gone!

The tree is gone. Maria Street angled parking is a go.

Council discussed the issue at their July 4 morning meeting.

Deputy Mayor Maureen Ralph put forward a motion to remove angle parking on Maria Street from the reconstruction project. Seconded by Don McDonald.

It was defeated in a 5-2 recorded vote. Ralph and McDonald voted for and everyone else against. 

That means Councillors Clive Lawry and Linda Fulton support the angled parking project.

Tabor Tree Service of Woodstock was on site and cut down the tree within an hour with the help of a large crane and half a dozen men. Photo attached.

Kindest regards,

Bill Gladding, Editor/Publisher
Tavistock Gazette
119 Woodstock St. S.
Tavistock Ont. N0B 2R0
519-655-2341

Ideas That Could Work

So, the Post Office has a patch of grass, a parking lot and some space that could be used to offer "safe" parking on the same side of the street as the Post Office...

Also, what if Maria street was made to be one way all the way to the arena....

What if we had an entrance to the arena from the end of Wellington Street...

Maybe we need to start looking at our town from a town perspective and not a case by case perspective....

Got any ideas that may offer a better alternative to the proposed plan with numerous safety issues.

Please use the comments below to collaborate as a community and come up with the right solution!

Visualizing the New Parking

NOTE: This blog is a forum created for you the reader to offer your comments and suggestions, please use the Comment section at the bottom of each article to offer your constructive comments.

Here is an image of what the parking may look like from the North and the South. This will help to visualize (roughly) where the issue are and how the project will approximately look.

North Image

South Image

Project Drawing & Some of the Issues

NOTE: This blog is a forum created for you the reader to offer your comments and suggestions, please use the Comment section at the bottom of each article to offer your constructive comments.

Here is the drawing of the Maria Street project, there are a number of issues that are clear from this drawing:

1. The wheelchair accessible spot driver door is exposed to on coming traffic, there is no safe way for someone with a disability to get out of the car without being exposed to traffic.
2. The path that leads to the post office (this is where all post office visitors currently and will ultimately continue to walk) is blocked by the wheelchair accessible spot. 
3. The angle spots are too close to the intersection and when backing out vehicles parked in the first two spots could be exposed to traffic travelling from Woodstock street south to Hope street east.
4. Cars parked on along the post office side of the street are too close to the angle parking spots and there could be collisions as a result. 
5. Feed trucks heading to the Feed Mill on Maria street will have a difficult time navigating the tight corner and will create a safety issue with the limited space with this plan. 
6. There is no sidewalk in front of the angle parking, so the only option for folks that park there is to cross the street across traffic, which is now very tight with many blind spots because of the angle parking.
7. The curb is being moved 18 inches to provide extra space for the angle parking. The angle parking however is still too tight for this to be safe. Moving the curb will require that they cut down a perfectly healthy maple that gives the downtown character.

Many of you might ask... why is it that we need all of these parking spots? And why now, is there an issue with parking.... well the short answer is NO, there is nothing wrong with the parking at the post office.... However, with the gift (... I mean sale) of the Tavistock Library to a group that is expanding it and turning the building into apartments.... there becomes a need for more parking in the direct vicinity of the Library and what better way of providing that then by putting in parking at the expense of the tax payer (again.... not only did we get ripped off on the sale price of the library but now we are funding a parking lot for them too) and at a cost of $600,000. Whew... we are getting taken by some bad decisions and it is now time that we as a community take a stand against this!!!!!

Maria Street Rally

Hi Jon

Here's a photo of the people at the rally on Friday evening, June 29, 2012 to bring attention to the safety issues related to the angled parking and reconstruction of Maria and Decew Streets. More than 30 people showed up to talk to the public and air their concerns.

Regards, Bill Gladding

Editor/Publisher

The Tavistock Gazette