2005/08/29 COMMUNI~ SERVICES COMMITTEE AGENDA
ELEVENTH MEETING
From 6.00 p,m. to 7.00 p.m.
C~ Hall, CommiffeeRoom,
1 ) Approval of the 2005-08-08 Community Services Minutes.
2) DEPUTATION:
a) Altemative Energy Source - Keith Graves
3) REPORTS: STAFF CONTACT:
a) BBS-2005-02 - Sign Variances - 5711 Victoria Avenue
Ripley's Entertainment Inc. (Tussaud's) Ed Dujlovic
b) MW-2005-109 - Provincial Report - "Water Tight" - The case
for change in Ontario's Water and Wastewater Sector Ed Dujlovic
c) R-2005-43 - Niagara District Art Association Request for Rent
Subsidy Adele Kon
d) R-2005-44 - Indoor Soccer Facility Activity Milestone Schedule Adele Kon
4) NEW BUSINESS:
5) ADJOURNMENT:
MINUTES OF COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING
Monday, August 8, 2005, City Hall, Room 2 at 5:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Chair - Alderman Volpatti, Alderman Jim Diodata, Alderman Joyce
Morocco, Alderman Vince Kerrio, Alderman Wayne Campbell, Alderman
Janice Wing, Alderman Ioannoni, Alderman Victor Pietrangelo
REGRETS: Mayor Ted Salci
STAFF: Tony Ravenda, Ed Dujlovic, Lee Smith, Karen Kelly, Adele Kon, Ken
Burden, Dean Iorfida, Serge Felicett, Karl Dren, Alex Herlovitch, Joanna
Daniels - Steno
PRESS: Corey Larocque, Niagara Falls Review
MINUTES
It was ORDERED on the motion o Alderman Morocco and seconded by Alderman Campbell, that
the minutes of the July 25, 2005 meeting be approved.
Motion: Carried
Action: Recommendation submitted to Council 2005-08-08
REPORTS
a) MW-2005-104 - Grassy Brook Sanitary Services Review Environmental Assessment
It was ORDERED on the motion of Alderman Pietrangelo and seconded by Alderman
Campbell that the Environmental Study Report for the Grassy Brook Sanitary Servicing
Review Municipal Class EA be received and approved and further that staff be direct to file
the Environmental Study Report and advertise the Notice of Study Completion in accordance
with the requirements of the EA process
Motion: Carried
Action: Recommendation submitted to Council 2005-08-08
b) MW-2005-105 - Montrose Business Park Site
Servicing and Log Configuration Issues
It was ORDERED on the motion of Alderman Morocco and seconded by Alderman
Pietrangelo, that staffbe directed to invite proposals for the completion of the engineering
design of the stormwater management and lot grading, waterworks, sanitary sewers and
roadways for the Montrose Road Business Park.
Motion: Carried
Action: Recommendation submitted to Council 2005-08-08
-2-
c) MW-2005-106 - Sinnicks Avenue and Keith Street Parking Review
Several neighbouring residents were in attendance at the meeting to express their concerns
about the parking situation in the vicinity o£the Sports Complex located on the east side of'
Sirmicks Avenue just south o£ Keith Street. Report MW-2005-106 put forth several
recommendations to ease the situation, however, no consensus was achieved among the
residents.
It was ORDERED on the motion of Alderman Campbell and seconded by Alderman
Ioannoni, That Staff meet with residents as soon as possible regarding parking problems on
Sirmicks Avenue.
Motion: Carried
Conflict: Alderman Diodati
Action Recommendation submitted to Council 2005-08-08
NEW BUSINESS
a) Drainage Concerns - St. George Avenue
It was ORDERED on the motion of Alderman Wing and seconded by Alderman Campbell
that Staffprepare a report regarding drainage concerns being experienced by Mr. D. Murchie
of St. George Avenue.
Motion: Carried
Action: Recommendation submitted to Council 2005-08-08
b) Grass-cutting on Highway 420
It was ORDERED on the motion of Alderman Wing and seconded by Alderman Morocco, that the
City approach the Member of Provincial Parliament to have the grass cut along Highway 420.
Motion: Carried
Action: Recommendation submitted to Council 2005-08-08
c) Welcome Sign at Mountain Road
It was ORDERED on the motion of Alderman Diodati and seconded by Alderman Campbell, that
Staff prepare a report on a re-design of the welcome sign on the Queen Elizabeth Way at Mountain
Road.
Motion: Carried
Action: Recommendation submitted to Council 2005-08-08
ADJOURNMENT
It was ORDERED on the motion of Alderman Pietrangelo and seconded by Alderman Kerrio that
the regular meeting of the Community Services Committee by adjourned at 5:40 p.m.
To whom it may concern,
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I appreciate that your time is valuable. I
am currently working with the Community Education Group, based in Niagara Falls. We are a
federaly funded program that works on promoting environmental awareness and other
sustainnability based initiatives. We are currently working on projects addressing these concerns
on both a government and community level and are active in raising awareness for our targets.
The proposal I wish to initiate concerns raising the subject of renewable energy to the city
council in the hopes of creating a larger context where other cities can as well, represent their
constituents by going on record in saying they will explore using renewable energy, a preferred,
sustainable and ecologically sound alternative, over polluting, non renewable energies While care
for the environment is a high priority for many Canadians and members of the constituency,
Canada has a record of failing far behind in actions. We are among the highest electricity
consumers in the world, produce more waste than almost any industrialized country and fall far
behind other first world nations in our implementation of sustainable energy choices.
This initiative requires no funding and asks for no resource allocation, but instead desires
to see city council recognize our need to pursue renewable energy as a better choice for the
future of our collective well-being and economic prosperity. It is to be a first step in the process of
growth and should serve as a basis for future policy making decisions.
The greater aims of this proposal are to spur similar initiatives, beginning in member
cities of the Niagara region, and spreading beyond, to recognize they as well wish for more
renewable energy options to be presented to their citizens. This will create a precedent that can
vocalize a stance that will affect municipal, provincial and perhaps federal decision making if the
movement is successful.
Yours,
Keith Graves
The purpose of the following proposal is to create a precedent that represents the
constituents of the municipality by adhering to the aim of investing in and educating the public
and private sectors of the value of renewable energy for the benefit of the city and it's members.
In a recent survey sanctioned by the prime minister, 9 out of 10 Canadians ranked the
environment as one of their top priorities and concerns, while Canada as a nation lags behind
other industrialized societies in it's promotion of renewable energy over polluting non renewable
sources. It is the goal of this proposal to urge the city to take the stance that it represents it's
constituents in expressing the will to investigate and further the aims of clean and renewable
energy sources such as solar power and wind power in favour to using polluting non renewable
sources such as coal and potentially hazardous sources such as nuclear power.
While some industrialized countries, such as Spain and Germany, are producing a
significant percentage of their energy through renewable sources and providing substantial
economic incentives towards promoting these means, Canada falls sharply behind in it's use of
clean energy and is ranked as one of the worst developed countries in terms of environmental
protection. While being geographically the same size as the province of Ontario, Germany
produces nearly 15,000 megawatts of windpower energy, while this province produces only 15
megawatts of wind power, and Canada as a whole produces only over 300 megawatts of wind
energy in total. This is a stark contrast to the fact that Canadians per capita are the greatest
consumers of electricity on the planet due to climate and high living standards. In order to remedy
this, we need to take a stance as citizens that calls for an increased usage and development of
clean and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
The Niagara region in particular is a prime example of a potential renewable energy
source that is not being capitalized upon. The unique landscape and structure of the region make
it's wind production a prime resource which is currently next to ignored. In capitalizing upon this
natural resource the region may enhance its power generation, create jobs, produce clean energy
and provide an economic revenue which is as of now unused for the most part.
Some of the many benefits from using renewable energy instead of nonrenewable energy
are the absence of toxic wastes, the fact that renewable energies are one of the fastest growing
and profitable industries in the world, the reduction in health care costs and strain on the system
due to lack of harmful pollutions as a side effect, and the endless supply of energy they produce.
In the spirit of representing the constituents of the area, we wish to request that city
council goes on record in stating that it will favour the use of renewable energy over non-
renewable energy in the future of it's decision making processes, and will further investigate and
explore renewable energy options and economic opportunities for the health and benefit of
everyone in the city.
Community Services Department BBS-2005-02
The City of ~1~.~ Building & By-Law Services John Castrilli
Niogoro Foils==--I~1~, 4310p.0. BoxQUeen1023Street Director
Con~~Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6X5
.~111~~- ~ ~' web site: www.city.niagarafalls.on.ca
Tel.: (905) 356-7521
Fax: (905) 374-7500
E-mail: icastrilli~,city, niagarafalls.on.ca
August 29, 2005
Alderman Selina Volpatti, Chair
and Members of the Community Services Committee
City of Niagara Falls, Ontario
Members:
Re: BBS-2005-02 - Sign Variances - 5711 Victoria Avenue
Ripley's Entertainment Inc. (Tussaud's Wax Museum)
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Committee ucny ,,¢ a-pprova~ 6~ the roof sign.
BACKGROUND:
The owners proposed this roof sign in February at which time it was reviewed by Senior Staff who
requested additional graphics and redesign. The graphics have now been provided and show a 288
sq. ft. roof sign being 48 ft. above the flat roof of the new building which equals approximately 102
feet above grade. The current sign by-law permits roof signs. However, the maximum permitted
height above the roof is 21 feet. Staff feels that a sign of this height and the associated structural
support is obtrusive and is not in keeping with the general intent of the regulations or the surrounding
neighbourhood.
~ R~~~~itted:
Rot~rt~Judge ~lx/~ John MacDonald
Manager of By~Law Services q'~' Chief Administrative Officer
Recomm~en~ed by:
John Castrilli
Director of Building & By-law Services
Attach.
Working Together to Serve Our Community
Municipal Works · Fire Services · Parks, Recreation & Culture · Business Development · Building & By-Law Services
Community Services Department MW-2005.109
The Ci of i~l~i'~ ll/lunicipalW°rks~,~ll~
ty Ed Dujlovic
Nlogoro Foils 4310 Queen Street Director
_ ' . P.O. Box 1023
(,,;on~~ Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6X5
~T~ web site: www.city.niagarafalls.on.ca
Tel.: (905) 356-7521
Fax: (905) 356-2354
E-mail: edujlovi@city, niagarafalls.on.ca
August 29, 2005
Alderman Selina Volpatti, Chairperson
and Members of the Community Services Committee
City of Niagara Falls, Ontario
Members:
Re: MW-2005-109 - Provinelal Report -
"Water Tight The Case for Change in Ontario's
Water and Wastewater Sector"
RECOMMENDATION:
On July 22, 2005, the Province released the above entitled report prepared by the Water Strategy
Expert Panel. As indicated in the AMO alert release July 22, 2005 that was contained in the Council
package of August 8, 2005, the report recommends a fundamental change to the governance,
ownership and financing of water and wastewater systems in Ontario.
In reviewing the report, City staff is concerned by a number of recommendations that have been
made and in particular Recommendation 4.9 "The Municipal Act should be amended to give all
Regional Municipalities exclusive jurisdiction over ail elements of the water and wastewater sector."
What this recommendation means is that all of the City's water and wastewater systems would be
transferred to the jurisdiction of the Regional Municipality of Niagara. The rationale provided for
making the recommendation appears to be based on the need to provide consistency in dealing with
water and wastewater systems.
Some of the issues that will have to be dealt with if the Province does indeed go ahead with the
changes to the Municipal Act are;
· Loss of control by the City as priorities and levels of service will be set by an external
agency.
· With the transfer of service will come the transfer of employees' and equipment.
Working Together to Serve Our Community
Municipal Works · Fire Services · Parks, Recreation & Culture · Business Development · Building & By-Law Services
August 29, 2005 - 2 - MW-2005-109
This will be compensated if employees have the option of not transferring to the Region or
if only part of their job involves working on the water and sewer systems either through
Operations or Engineering. An additional problem that this has to the City is that water and
sewer staff are used during the winter months for Winter Maintenance Operations.
Financial implications include a reduction in cash flow which results in additional short term
financing which in turn will lead to increase borrowing cost by the City. In addition the
City's debt to revenue percentage would increase fi.om approximately 3% - 4% to 8% -9%
as a result of the loss of the water and sewer revenue which in turn lessens the amount of
money that the City is able to debenture.
The report also mentions storm sewer systems and their impact on wastewater and water quality.
The inclusion of these comments has generated some confusion in some have interrupted this to
mean that storm water is also to be transferred to the Region. This is a matter that will have to be
clarified.
Although not expressly recommending it, the Panel's report felt that the corporatization of the water
and wastewater systems is the best choice. As indicated in the report, "the corporatized utility
model, where the Municipality owns the corporation, offers the greatest benefits in terms of
governance, transparency, financial sustainability and accountability." The reasoning given for the
corporatization of water and wastewater is that,".., infi-astructure is mostly out of sight, either
underground or on the margin of communities, the attention paid to its long term needs often reflects
.the perseverance of staffrather than the inclination of elected officials, who have many other visible
~ssues to deal with." In addition the Panel indicated that, "Municipal Council's sometimes find it
hard to resist the temptation to use for other needs the funds generated by or ear marked, for water
systems."
The Province is in the process of reviewing the report and will respond to the Panel's
recommendations later this year. As a result of the release of the report City staff have been
contacted by representatives of the area Municipalities in the Niagara Region as a result of the
recommendations put forward. The goal of the discussions is to determine ifa consensus can be
reached between the local Municipalities regarding the jurisdiction of water and wastewater systems,
and if so, how this message should be conveyed to the Province.
In order for staff to proceed on this matter a position from Council is needed.
Committee's concurrence with the above recommendation would be appreciated.
d~, Respectfully submitte~d:
Ed Dujlovic .f~,~Jrohn MacDonald
Director of Municipal Works ' ~ "~ Chief Administrative Officer
S :XR_EPORTSX2005 ReportsWIW-2005-109 - Water Tight.wpd
Community Services Department R-2005-43
The City of Parks, Recreation & Culture Adele Kon
Niagor(:] Falls I Cemeteries Section Director
P.O. Box 1023
Canada 4501 Stanley Avenue
Niagara Fails, ON L2E 6X5
web site: www.city.niagarafalls.on.ca
Tel.: (905) 356-7521
Fax: (905) 354-7706
E-maih crobeds@city, niagarafalls.on.ca
August 29, 2005
Alderman Selina Volpatti, Chairperson
and Members of Community Services Committee
City of Niagara Falls, Ontario
Members:
Re: R-2005-43 - Niagara District Art Association
Request for Rent Subsidy
RECOMMENDATION:
For the decision of Council.
BACKGROUND:
The Parks, Recreation & Culture Staff will be moving to the new MacBain Community Centre in
September 2005. The Niagara District Art Association has been a long-standing tenant of the
Recreation Commission Building. Their organization enjoyed the use of the space on a rent free
basis because of the community service that they provided. Staffhas been working closely with
representatives of their organization to find alternate space. The Community Resource Centre on
Victoria Avenue was found to be a suitable "interim" location for the Art Association.
Their organization currentlyhas approximately 30 members with a membership fee of $25 per year.
The members meet on a regular basis to conduct lessons, share resoumes and provide demonstrations
and juried shows for the public.
The Niagara District Art Association wishes to occupy two (2) rooms in the basement of the
Community Resource Centre. The cost to rent the two rooms is $471.50 per month. The
Association, however, has limited funds and they are requesting that Council subsidize the cost of
the monthly rent for three (3) months in 2005 for a total of $1,114.50. The Association is able to
afford $100.00 per month toward the rental costs of the two rooms.
Staff will continue to work with the Association to find a permanent location. In the meantime, the
Association will stay at the Recreation Commission Building until the new accommodations are
made tenant-ready. Staff will also provide moving assistance at the time the Association is ready
to move to the Community Resource Centre. It is anticipated that the move will take place some
WorMng Together to Serve Our Community
Municipal Works · Fire Services · Parks, Recreation & Culture · Business Development · Building & By-Law Services
August 29, 2005 - 2 - R-2005-43
time in early October of this year.
The attached letter, written by Tony Smith, President, further outlines the Association's request for
a rent subsidy.
Conclusion:
Staff would support that a grant be provided to The Niagara District Art Association. It is more cost
effective to provide a grant for rent subsidy as opposed to incurring the ongoing expense of keeping
the Recreation Commission Building open for their continued use. If Council supports the grant
request, then future requests for funding would be referred to the Arts & Culture Committee.
Prepared by: Respectfully submitted:
Cynthia Roberts ~ ~Oh~e f~adCmD~ in. sa;rdat iv e O ffi c e r
Manager of Cemeteries
& Operations Planning
Director of Parks, Recreation & Culture
Attachment
CR/das
S:\Council\Council 2005~R-2005-43 NDAA Request for Rent Subsidy.wpd
NIAGARA DISTRICT ART ASSOCIATION .
· I~!~¢_~ I~ECREATION
S~IO G~LERY 7565 L~Y S L~--~ . .
. ~AG~ F~S, O~ L~
~lh ~ ~alla~.~A~ cpa~ ~11~ d ,
NIAGARA DISTRICT ART ASSOCIATION
STUDIO GALLERY 7565 LUNDY'S LANE
NIAGARA FALLS, ONTL2E 1G9
NIAGARA DISTRICT ART ASSOCIATION
STUDIO GALLERY 7565 LUNDY'S LANE
NIAGARA FALLS, ONTL2E 1G9
Niagara District Art Association
Profit & Loss
December 1, 2003 through November 30, 2004
INCOME '
Awards Meeting and Dinner 500.00
Charitable Donation 380.00
Critique Show Fees Income 65.00
Interest Earned 1,020.11
Jury Show Fee 65.00
Memberstfips 600.00
Miscellaneous 25.00
Raffle Ticket Sales 14.00
TOTAL INCOME 2,669.11
Expense.
Accouming Fees (includes Donations above, $3813) 700.00
Advertising 197.95
Art Show Expenses 165.64
Awards Meeting and Dinner Exp 660.49
Fees - eritique. Jjuror 200.00
Halloween Palm Out 137.97
Postage 176.39
Printing and Stationary 139.82
TOTAL EXPENSES 2,378.26
NET INCOME 290.85
Prepared by Russell Smith, CMA, using information provided by the NDAA's board.
· ~2:~ P~ Niagara District Art Association
Profit & Loss
Accn~ ~as~ December 2001 through November 2002
income
Art Show Fee~ 46.08
Awards Meeting and Dinn~' 370.00
Interest Earned 45.55,
Memberships" 1,325.00
Mi~ellaneees 1,06~.15,
Total Income 2,~95.78
Advertisiag 173.34
~t Sltow F.x~-,~es 379~
Awards 165.00
Awards 14ee~xJ and Ofla~er F_xp t,401.19
Insuram:e
M~sceUaleOes Exps 54.31
Newsle~ ~725
Printing and Stational7 140.02
To~ ~ ~274,~e
NIAGARA DISTRICT ART ASSOCIATION
PROJECTED BUDGET FOR 2005
ITEM
1. SPRING SHOW / CRITIQUE EVENING $125.00
2. FALL JURY SHOW $125.00
3. ADVERTISING - REVIEW GUIDE $150.00
4. ACCOUNTANT $100.00
5. NEWS LETTER $210.00
6. OFFICE EXPENSES $180.00
7. STUDIO GALLERY $ 40.00
8 HALLOWEEN PAINT OUT $200.
9 BANK CHARGES $60.00
TOTAL $1190.00
MEMBERSHIP FEE FOR 2005 $25 PER PERSON
Community Services Department R-2005-44
The Cify of /"J~l~ Parks, Recreation & Culture Adele Kan
Nir _ .. Ii~ , 43'10 Queen Street Director
ag(] a Palls yJ~ll~..p.o' Box 1023
Cana~~Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6X5
~'1-~ web site: www.city.niagarafalls.on.ca
Tel.: (905) 356-7521
Fax: (905) 356-7404
E-mai[: akon @city.niagarafalls.on.ca
August 29, 2005
Alderman Selina Volpatti, Chairperson
and Members of Community Services Committee
City of Niagara Falls, Ontario
Members:
Re: R-2005-44 - Indoor Soccer Facility
Activity Milestone Schedule
RECOMMENDATION:
For information of Council.
BACKGROUND:
On August 8, 2005, City Council directed staff to work with Copperlen to resolve all outstanding
issues with respect to the indoor soccer project and provided a deadline date of December 5, 2005,
for this to occur. In order to meet this deadline, an Activity Milestone Schedule (see attached) has
been prepared and sent to Copperlen's lawyer, Mr. Thomas Barlow. At the time this report was
written, staff had not heard from Mr. Barlow. A meeting to discuss the schedule and other matters
has been tentatively set for August 23 or 26, 2005.
Staffwill provide Council with an update on the acceptance of the schedule at the August 29, 2005,
Committee meeting.
Respectfully submitted:
~ele ~on
Director of Parks, Recreation & Culture Chief Administrative Officer
Attachments
S:\Council\Counci12095XR-2005-44 Indoor Soccer Activity Milestone Schedule.wpd
Working Together to Serve Our Community
Municipal Works · Fire Services · Parks, Recreation & Culture · Business Development · Building & By-Law Semices
Community Services Department
· ~.~ Parks, Recreation & Culture
lhe City of Adele Kan
· ~l~r 7565 Lundy's Lane Director
Niagara Falls Niagara Falls, ON L2H 1G9
Can~d.~.,~W web site: www.city.niagarafalls.on.ca
~ !-" Tel.: (905) 356-7521
Fax: (905) 356-7404
E-mail: akon@city.niagarafalls.on.ca
August 15, 2005
SENT BY FAX
Mr. W. Thomas Barlow
Fasken Martineau
Barristers and Solicitors
66 Wellington Street West
Suite 4200, Toronto Dominion Bank Tower
Box 20, Toronto-Dominion Centre
Toronto, ON M5K 1N6
Dear Mr. Barlow:
Re: Draft Activity Milestone Schedule
Further to Council's direction of August 8, 2005, staffis looking forward to continue to work with
you, which will see the development of an indoor soccer facility at the City's Kalar Road Sports
Park. The motion adopted by Council provides an extension of time to December 5, 2005, in order
to work out the details that will lead to the issuance of a building permit for the facility. In order to
meet Council's deadline, it is important that we develop mutually agreed upon dates that will see the
completion of specific items· Please find attached, for discussion at our upcoming meeting ..
scheduled for August 23 or 26, 2005, an Activity Milestone Schedule.
Should you have any questions with respect to the above, please do not hesitate to contact me.
¥our
Adele Kon
Director of Parks, Recreation & Culture
Ext. 4507
Attachment
c. Mr. John MacDonald, C.A.O.
Mr. David Schram
Ms. Naomi Furmston
Mr. James Douglas
S:XSports & Spor~s Groups\Soccer\Girls~lndoor Soccer Proposal~vlilestone Schedule Letter.wpd
Working Together to Serve Our Community
Municipal Works · Fire Services · Parks, Recreation&Culture · Business Development · Building & By-Law Services
August 11, 2005
Draft for Discussion
Copperlen Indoor Soccer Project - Activity Milestone Schedule
August 26th Submission by Copperlen addressing all remaining site plan
issues.
September 2nd Submission by Copperlen of Site Servicing Study, the
Construction Plan and response to the April 26~ letter from
John MacDonald that included further questions and
clarification about the Copperlen Business Plan.
September 16th Final approval of site plan agreement and consensus on ground
lease agreement.
September 19* Report to Council on an agreed to Activity Milestone Schedule.
October 7th Submission by Copperlen of an application for a building
permit including a complete set of required architectural and
engineering drawings.
October 14t~ Finalization of ground lease agreement and any related
documentation (i.e. insurance, taxes).
October 17th Report to Council on project status.
October 21st Review with Copperlen to discuss Building Department's
preliminary revieW of Coppeflen's application.
November 11~h Deadline for all follow-ups in response to any Building
Department requirements or questions arising from the October
21st meeting.
November 21st Report to Council on project status.
November 25th Issuance of building permit to Copperlen.
December 5th Report to Council on project status.
NOTE: Throughout this process there will be several meetings scheduled between the' City and
Coplverlen.
S:\Sports & Sports GroupsXSoccer\Girls~Indoor Soccer ProposalWIilestone Schedule.wpd