Mayor John Paterson
My feedback
12 results found
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1 vote
An error occurred while saving the comment -
8 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
The CAO and I were just discussing this the other day. While we are currently buried in several other major projects, I'll ask him to review the possibilities of this in future administration meetings. Mayor Paterson
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5 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Mike, thank you for the information. I will forward it to Public Works. Mayor Paterson.
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1 vote
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Or.............you could move Leamington and enjoy all that we have to offer! Mayor Paterson.
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3 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
I was able to track down Aubri's aunt and she said Aubri is doing fantastic. The family and extended family are eternally grateful to all in the Town of Leamington who so generously gave. A Leamington lawyer set up a trust fund for Aubri which was set up with three trustees and the funds were frozen until all the legalities were completed. I expect they were used for the moving expenses and cancer treatments that Aubri suffered through and survived. It is my understanding they are well established out west. Hope that helps.
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2 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Thank you for sharing your ideas. Part of the vision does include a connecting promenade from the dock to Seacliff Park. The vendor setup could happen on the beach as well as on the dock where we hope to allow pedestrian traffic. All of it aimed at tourism and quality of life for our local residents. Keep the ideas coming. Mayor John Paterson.
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1 vote
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
The largest debt the Municipality has is the twin pad arena which is debentured and cannot be paid off until maturity, plus several other smaller debts like sewer works, roads, parks, etc., which are funded by taxes and are being paid down each year. We have not taken on any new taxpayer funded debt in many years.
The donation was not given to us to reduce debt. It was given to us to enhance the quality of life for all through improvements to trails, arts and culture and recreation. A "great portion of your tax payer's money" actually goes to the County and the Board of Education. Leamington uses what is left to pay for Policing, Fire protection, parks and recreation, roads, sidewalks, sewers, transit, library, sanitation and so on. There is a very handy presentation on the Town website that shows the breakdown of your tax dollars. Look under Municipal Services and the drop down on Property Taxes. Hopefully you will take the time to have a look at it.
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20 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
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Mandi, if we could obtain funding from upper levels of government like Holland, Quebec, Michigan and other areas do, we could design such infrastructure, but..........we are on our own in this endeavour and will continue to build our trails and bike lanes to the best of our ability and to a level we can afford locally. The trails we have built and the bicycle paths we have made are to do exactly as you have mentioned, that is, to enhance safety and build on tourism. I suspect you are referring to the recent donation from the Dominos Canada President. Those funds were given to us for development of facilities aimed at the youth to encourage their healthy lifestyle. I can assure you there is a very large and growing number of youth and adults who use the soccer pitches and the facility we will build in 2016 is very needed and will enhance usage and participation for all ages. The soccer groups have raised over $ 100 thousand to contribute to this as has the Municipality. The balance will come form a portion of this donation. Some of the funds are being used at the Kinsmen (Sherk) Complex, again, a facility designed for residents of all ages. The hwy 20 (Seacliff Drive) situation is a real problem. It is a County road and we are having trouble getting the County to repair its own infrastructure. We have budgeted for our determined costs to build that trail, but the County is not working well with us. We will continue to move that project ahead as soon as we can. Trails and bike paths are very much in the forefront of our long-term Strategic Plan. Watch for new developments as we make changes in our road infrastructure going forward. Thanks for your input. It is shared opinion and goal on Council. Mayor Paterson.
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11 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
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We are currently under a major review of all the programs offered at the Kinsmen Complex. Hopefully some positive changes will occur in 2016 and beyond. Again, I will make sure the Rec Dept. reads this input.
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Anonymous, in order to access Town facilities for the event, costs are incurred on several levels, from staffing at the complex, to Public Works setting up and taking down barriers, and Policing for the routes. The group that organizes this event in particular, donates a good portion of their proceeds to the Municipality for the purchase of various assets to be used in our community, so in the end, the money does stay here in Leamington. As well, our local hotels, motels, restaurants and business receive revenue from the visitors who participate and stay for the event. Regardless if volunteers did the whole event or Town Staff were somehow involved, ***** Works, access to the pool and staffing costs, rental of time clocks and P.A. system and Policing costs would still have to be paid by someone. It may be worth a shot, but I can tell you, we do not have the staff to take the lead.
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Mandi, that sounds like a good idea and a discussion we may have had not too long ago. I'll make sure our Recreation Department reads it. As far as the Triathlon goes, that is run by a separate organization, not the Municipality. They must pay some significant policing costs as well as other associated expenses to hold the event so the entry fee doesn't surprise me. Mayor Paterson.
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27 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
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Karen, we have considered that situation very carefully. Our representative Hilda MacDonald is very knowledgeable with everything Library and that is why we submitted her name along with a few others as potential "public" representatives. The Library Board selects the representatives and we are happy to have Hilda as Leamington's rep. When a conflict arises, she is well aware of her responsibility to declare the same.
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Anonymous: here is some contact info for the Essex County Library System. Simply Google the Essex County Library Board and you will find more useful information, or contact any of the Board members directly.
The Essex County Library Board is responsible for the Essex County Library System. The Library Board consists of 7 members. Essex County Council appointed the following 4 councillors to the Board for the term December 2014 to November 2018:
Bart DiPasquale
Hilda MacDonald
Richard Meloche
Nelson Santos
Meeting detailsWhere
Meetings are held at the various County Libraries.
When
4th Wednesday of each month (no meetings in July and August) at 7 PM.
Minutes of the Essex County Library Board.
Visit their website for more information about the services provided by the Essex County Library.
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Anonymous. The librarians do not receive a pension from our Town nor does the Town of Leamington have the authority to determine their pay scales or staffing requirements. Leamington relinquished those authorities with the transfer of our Leamington Library to the County system. Each of those factors are determined by the County Library Board and Chief Librarian. While I suspect your opinions to have some validity, I would once again suggest that you share them with the Essex County Library Board during one of their public sessions, or you could contact Board representatives directly and discuss it with them. As far as Council keeping an eye on how taxpayer's money is spent, Leamington pays the same costs for Library services as every other Municipality in Essex County.
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
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Z, when Leamington surrendered its Library to the County Library system back in the 90's, the ability to determine staffing, wages, hours etc., were assumed by the County Library system. Your concerns should be shared with the Board members of the County Library system.
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
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The Library is budgeted for and run by the County of Essex. The budget, staffing, etc, is determined at that level not here in Leamington. We just provide the building and pay the bill submitted to us by the County Library system. We will be budgeting for a "possible" new Library building in the next 2 - 5 years. Mayor Paterson.
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48 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Karen, we are still assembling the lands that will help us complete this waterfront vision and that could take some time. But, we do have plans for the near future on the lands we do own and if budget planning goes as anticipated, you could see some of the ideas come to fruition in 2016. Our CAO and EDO have held meetings with potential investors/designers of waterfront properties with a focus on tourism related amenities, not residential developments. We want this to be a destination and will do our best to ensure its quality. But if you have any ideas or know others who do, please feel free to submit them to Town Hall so we can include them in our planning efforts.
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Sandra, "Same", "Anonymous", I have already answered the question. With past experience of how inflated land prices can get or how there is no flexibility in pricing when a Municipality is involved, we did what we felt necessary to obtain the best possible price by allowing our lawyer to select a real estate agent to do the negotiating for the first property purchase. That kept the Municipality's name out of the picture until the purchase was made. We did so with the best interest of the taxpayers in mind. The following purchases were done through the same lawyer who selected a local agent. We are spending taxpayer dollars on this venture and will proceed in a fashion that will get the best value for the dollars spent. No backroom politics or otherwise, just good strategic planning. We are hoping to negotiate a fair price for the next pieces based on what we have paid for the others, and will be working directly with other waterfront property owners in a similar fashion until we have accumulated all the lands we hope to own.
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Z. After we completed the purchase of the first piece for $ 420 k, the Waterfront Bar & Grill property (the largest and most costly piece of the puzzle) was purchased through an agent at Century 21 in Leamington.
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Z, to keep our efforts to buy up the waterfront quiet, and get the best price for the purchase when using taxpayer dollars, for the first and most strategic piece we chose to use someone not connected to the municipality. The other land purchases we have made since, we used a local agent just as we will in future purchases as we have now made our plans public.
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
We are in negotiations for other properties on the waterfront. Council and Admin. are pleased to read that you like the "conceptual" plans we have illustrated and are open to ideas and suggestions as we move forward. Mayor Paterson.
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3 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Mayor John Paterson
commented
Further to staff's comments, the Union Water Board did a Province-wide RFP. Both the interior and exterior had to be refinished which required a specialized service offered by very few. The Board also voted on the colour scheme and design and as has already been stated, paid the entire cost of refurbishment through its budgetary process. It should be good for many years to come. And...we are glad you like it.
Trevor, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. We will be hosting public Information meetings on the designs for Uptown Leamington. Please keep an eye out for the announcement of dates, times and locations and join in on the discussions. Public input will be important in our decision making process. Mayor Paterson.