PROJECT 1
Mount Brydges Master Plan
One of the things I really want to get done over the next four years is a proper Master Plan for Mount Brydges.
Mount Brydges is growing, and I don't think we should keep looking at one project at a time without stepping back and asking where we actually want this community to be 10, 20 or even 30 years from now.
We need to look at the whole picture. Where is the growth going? What roads and infrastructure are we going to need? What about water and wastewater, parks, recreation, municipal facilities, the downtown and the Highway 402 / Glendon Drive employment corridor? We need to put all of those pieces together instead of dealing with them one at a time.
Economic development also needs to be part of that plan. The Highway 402 and Glendon Drive employment lands represent an important opportunity for Mount Brydges and the municipality as a whole. Servicing, roads, employment growth and residential growth need to be planned together rather than looked at separately.
That's also why I don't believe we should rush ahead with the Mount Brydges downtown revitalization before we do this work. Let's figure out what Mount Brydges is going to look like first, and then make sure whatever we do downtown actually fits into that bigger plan.
And I don't want another study that gets finished, put on a shelf and forgotten about. I want a plan we can actually use. Something that gives Council a direction and helps us decide where we need to spend money and what needs to come first.
By the end of the term, my goal is to have a completed Mount Brydges Master Plan with some real priorities and a clear direction for where we go next.
PROJECT 2
New Fire Hall for Mount Brydges
Another project I want to move forward during my term is a new fire hall for Mount Brydges.
We know this is something we're going to have to deal with, and I don't want to keep pushing it down the road. One of the first things we need to do is figure out where the right location is. That decision needs to be based on response times, where our growth is happening, where our firefighters are coming from, access to the major roads, and what makes sense for the long term.
Once we know where it should go, then we can start putting the rest of the pieces together. What do we actually need in the building? What is it going to cost? How are we going to pay for it? And what is a realistic timeline to get it built?
I don't believe we need to build something bigger or more expensive than we need, but I also don't want to build something today that we have already outgrown ten years from now.
My goal during this term is to get the location figured out, get the planning and funding in place, and work toward getting a new fire hall built for Mount Brydges that will serve our firefighters and the community for years to come.
PROJECT 3
New Floor at the Tri-Township Arena
One of the projects I want to see completed during my term is replacing the floor at the Tri-Township Arena.
I want to be clear about this because I think there has been a lot of discussion around renovating the arena. I don't believe spending a large amount of money renovating the existing building is the best long-term answer. But we also have an arena that needs to continue operating, and the floor is something we're going to have to deal with.
My approach would be to put the money into the things the arena actually needs right now and get the floor replaced, while keeping our options open for what we do with the facility in the future.
I would rather spend money on a new floor that keeps the arena operating than put a large amount of money into renovations and then find ourselves, a few years down the road, talking about expanding or changing the facility again.
My goal during this term is to get the new floor in the Tri-Township Arena and make sure the building can continue to serve the community while we work on a better long-term plan for the site.
PROJECT 4
More Parks and Green Space for Strathroy
One of the things I would really like to take a good look at is parks and green space throughout Strathroy.
As Strathroy continues to grow, I think we need to make sure we're also creating places for families and kids to get outside and enjoy their neighbourhoods. Growth can't just be about adding more houses. We need to think about the community we're building around them as well.
The first thing I want to do is find out exactly what we have. How much money do we have in our cash-in-lieu of parkland reserve? What land does the municipality already own that could potentially be used for parks? What parkland could become available as new development happens? And what parts of Strathroy are currently lacking good access to a park or green space?
Then I think we need to look at our options. Maybe the answer is several smaller neighbourhood parks spread throughout town. Maybe there is an opportunity for one larger park that offers something we don't have today. It could very well be a combination of both.
I'm not going to tell people today exactly where these parks should go or what they should look like before we've done that work. I want to see what land we have, what money we have available, and where the actual needs are first.
My goal during this term is to complete that review, identify the best opportunities and start moving forward with new park space where it makes sense.
PROJECT 5
Strathroy Downtown Revitalization — Get It Right
The downtown revitalization in Strathroy is going to be one of the biggest projects we deal with over the next term, and I want to make sure we get it right.
This is a major investment of taxpayers' money. Once we start tearing up streets and replacing infrastructure, there are going to be challenges and probably some surprises along the way. What I don't want to see is a project where we approve one number at the beginning and then just keep adding to it as we go.
I want Council to know where the project stands throughout the entire process. Are we on budget? Are we on schedule? Have there been changes to the original plan? If something is costing more than expected, why? And if we're being asked to spend more money, what are we getting for it?
But just as important to me is communication with the people who are going to be directly affected, especially our downtown business owners. If you own a business downtown, you shouldn't be finding out at the last minute that the road in front of your business is being closed, access is changing, parking is being affected or construction is moving into your block.
I want those businesses kept informed throughout the project so they know what's coming, when it's coming, how long it's expected to last and who they can contact when there is a problem. The same goes for homeowners and residents affected by the construction.
I'm not interested in cutting corners just to say we came in under budget. If we're going to do this, let's do it properly. But every dollar we spend needs to have a reason behind it, and Council and the public should be able to see where the money is going.
My goal is pretty simple: keep the project on track, keep a close eye on the money, and make sure the businesses and residents living through the construction know what's happening before it affects them.
PROJECT 6
Mount Brydges Downtown — Master Plan First
When it comes to the planned downtown revitalization in Mount Brydges, I think we need to slow this part of the project down and get the Mount Brydges Master Plan completed first.
That doesn't mean I don't support investing in downtown Mount Brydges. I absolutely believe we need to invest there. My concern is making sure we know what we're trying to accomplish before we start spending a large amount of money.
Mount Brydges is growing and changing. Before we decide what the downtown should look like, I think we need to understand where the community as a whole is headed.
Let's first look at the growth that's coming, traffic and parking, infrastructure, businesses, pedestrian connections, recreation and what residents want their community to look like in the future. Then we can come back to the downtown with a much better understanding of what actually needs to be done.
This isn't about doing nothing. It's about doing things in the right order. Let's get the Mount Brydges Master Plan done first. Then let's use that plan to decide what the downtown needs and make the investment once we know we're making the right one.
PROJECT 7
Quarterly Major-Project Reports
One thing I want to change is how we report back to the public on the major projects we're working on.
We approve projects throughout the year, sometimes for millions of dollars, but I don't think it should be difficult for residents to find out where those projects actually stand.
I would like to see a simple report come to Council every three months that goes through our major projects one by one. What did we approve? What was the original budget? How much have we spent or committed so far? Are we on budget? Are we on schedule? Has the scope changed? Are there problems or delays? And when do we expect it to be finished?
It doesn't need to be a hundred-page report. I actually think the simpler we can make it, the better. Give Council and the public a clear snapshot of where things stand.
If we're spending your money, you should be able to see how we're doing.
PROJECT 8
Annual Municipal Year in Review
Along with the quarterly project reports, I would like to do something at the end of every year that I think is pretty simple: report back to the community on how we actually did.
At the beginning of every year, we approve a budget and we talk about projects and priorities. But at the end of the year, I think we need to come back and answer some pretty basic questions: What did we say we were going to do? What did we actually get done? What did it cost? What didn't get finished? And if something didn't get done, why didn't it get done and when are we going to finish it?
I would like to see the Mayor and CAO do an annual public Year in Review where we go through the major projects and commitments from that year and give people a straight answer on where everything stands.
Some years we're going to hit everything we wanted to do. Other years we won't. Projects get delayed. Costs change. Things happen that nobody expected. I'm not expecting everything to be perfect. What I do expect is that we're honest about it.
Once a year, let's stand in front of the community and answer a simple question: We told you what we were going to do—how did we do?
PROJECT 9
A Children's Park for Melbourne
One thing I would really like to accomplish during my term is finding a way to create a park or playground for children on the Strathroy-Caradoc side of Melbourne.
Melbourne is a unique community because it sits between two municipalities, but the families living on our side still deserve to see investment in their community.
I don't want to sit here today and tell people exactly where the park will go or exactly what it will look like, because we haven't done that work yet. What I do want to do is bring the right people together and see what we can make happen.
I would like to work with the community, our local partners and the municipality to look at possible locations, available land, grants, fundraising opportunities and other ways we could help get a project like this built.
It doesn't necessarily have to be a huge park. Maybe it's a playground and some green space. Maybe the community tells us they want something a little different. That's part of the conversation I want to have with the people who actually live there.
It doesn't have to be the biggest park we build. It just needs to be something Melbourne can call its own.
PROJECT 10
Bring Road Improvements Further into South Caradoc
One thing I want to start moving forward during my term is bringing more of our road improvement program into South Caradoc.
We have a lot of gravel roads in the south, and I would like to start looking seriously at where it makes sense to continue extending chip and tar.
I'm not going to promise that we're going to chip and tar every gravel road in South Caradoc in four years. That's not realistic, and that's not how I want to make commitments. What I do want is a plan.
Let's look at the condition of the roads, how much traffic they're carrying, the number of homes and farms they're serving, maintenance costs, safety and what we're spending year after year keeping those roads in shape. Then let's identify which roads make the most sense to improve and start working our way through them as our budget allows.
I want the people living in South Caradoc to know that they are part of Strathroy-Caradoc. You shouldn't feel like municipal investment stops when you get south of Longwoods Road.
There is life south of Longwoods Road, and our municipal planning and investment should reflect that.
PROJECT 11
Highway 402 / Glendon Drive Employment Lands
One area I think we need to put a lot more focus on over the next four years is the employment lands around Highway 402 and Glendon Drive.
This also ties directly into the Mount Brydges Master Plan. If we're going to sit down and seriously plan where Mount Brydges is headed over the next 10, 20 and 30 years, then the 402 corridor and the employment lands around Glendon Drive have to be part of that conversation.
Having acres designated for employment is one thing. Actually getting those acres ready for development and attracting businesses to them is another.
I want us to take a serious look at what is holding development back in this area. Do we have the servicing we need? What infrastructure is missing? Are there planning issues we need to deal with? Is access where it needs to be? And what can the municipality reasonably do to make these lands more attractive for investment?
Then we need a plan for how we market these lands. We should know what we have, what type of development we're looking for and what needs to happen to get businesses here.
If we're going to plan for the future of Mount Brydges, the economic opportunity sitting along Highway 402 needs to be part of that plan.
PROJECT 12
Strathroy Industrial Lands — Finish What We Started and Plan What's Next
When it comes to industrial growth in Strathroy, I think we have two things we need to do. We need to finish what we have already started, and at the same time we need to start figuring out where we go next.
We have employment lands at the north end of Strathroy that abut Adelaide Metcalfe, and there is still work that needs to be done between the two municipalities. As I have laid out in my first 60-day plan, I want that agreement brought back to the table right away and I want us working toward getting it resolved.
Once we get that dealt with, I want us focused on getting the remaining employment lands in Strathroy ready for development and getting businesses onto those properties.
But we also have to look further ahead. If we're successful in filling the industrial land we have today, where does the next business go? We shouldn't wait until we're almost out of industrial land before we start asking that question.
So during my term, I want us actively looking at where Strathroy's next industrial growth area should be. We need to look at land, servicing, roads, highway access, neighbouring municipalities and what makes sense for the long-term growth of Strathroy.
Let's finish what we started, fill the land we have, and make sure we're ready for what comes next.
ACCOUNTABILITY
A Plan We Can Measure
At the end of four years, I don't want this to be a list everyone has forgotten about. I want residents to be able to come back to these commitments and ask: What did we get done? What didn't we get done? What did it cost? And where do we go next?
That's also why quarterly project reporting and an annual Year in Review are part of this plan.
If I'm asking you to judge me on what I say I'm going to do, then I should also be prepared to report back to you on whether we actually did it.