Part 1
By Harold G. LeBoeuf
The cost of the changes to the
Willistead Historical Park have been estimated by the Department of Parks and
Recreation at $400,000.00 (no substantiating documents are available) and this
cost does not include the following:
1. Underground electrical
cabling to supply four terminals spread throughout the park that are intended
to supply vendors of Art In The Park with taxpayer funded electricity so they
won’t have to use their own electrical generating equipment;
2. The cost of installing
underground electrical wiring and ground level lighting throughout the park to
illuminate the pathways, an item to be completed as discussed by the Board of
Willistead Manor;
3. The cost of maintaining,
repairing and servicing the myriad of asphalt pathways which, because of the
intended use by trucks and other vehicles, could be extensive;
4. The labour and equipment
costs for snow removal throughout the Winter months, all of which has been
promised by the Department of Parks and Recreation;
5. The hourly and equipment
costs for policing the pathways due to vandalism and park entry after the
posted closing hours. Both are rampant now.
The added cost for items 1 and 2
will approximate $100,000.00 but, again, no substantiating documents are
available.
The added costs for items 3
through 5 will be ongoing in perpetuity until such time as the pathways and/or
the historical heritage park no longer exist.
Since the inception of Art In
The Park in 1978 to the end of fiscal year 2012, the Financial Report for
Willistead and the City states that the event has resulted in $1,133,829.88
being given to the City ostensibly for the maintenance, repairs and restoration
of Willistead Manor and grounds. In more simple terms, over the thirty-four
years that Art In The Park has existed, the Rotary Club has paid to the City
approximately $33,347.65 per year.
The City is going to spend
approximately $500,000.00 for the changes to the park for the use by the Rotary
Club’s two day event each year. Again, in simple terms, it will take fifteen
years for Art In The Park to pay for the capital outlay for these changes
assuming Art In The Park will be around for fifteen more years. In this
scenario, that will be fifteen years whereby no funding is provided for the
maintenance and repairs of Willistead Manor and the grounds. The alternative
scenario is that Windsor taxpayers are going to pay the costs for the changes
and perhaps Art In The Park will provide approximately $33,347.65 over the next
fifteen years.
Keep in mind that neither
scenario deals with the annual costs of maintenance and repairs of the asphalt,
snow removal costs, or policing costs.
This truly is a no win situation
and it may have been better had the taxpayers authorized their municipal
government to pay $400,000.00 directly for repairs, maintenance and restoration
of the historical Manor and the Heritage Park and preserve one of the few
remaining historical gems that our City has.
I wonder how much money Art In
The Park has generated for the Rotary Club over the thirty-four years. Since
the local chapters of Rotary are all part of Rotary International, I wonder how
much is paid to the International body arising out of this event. As stated on
its web site:
“Our
club has been a substantial contributor to the Rotary International
Foundation.”
Harold
G. LeBoeuf - Windsor
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