posting
04-08-2010, 05:00 PM
Kingston City Council Meeting April 6, 2010
Jason here. Tuesday night’s council meeting rehashed questions that have been around since 1841 – the relationship between Queen’s and the city. The debate was about increased funding for renovations to the Tett centre, which is a part of the new Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts on King Street. This is an exciting project as everyone was proud to say, BUT it highlighted the difficulty Queen’s and the city have in working together. Why IS this? Countless mayors have put the relationship as a priority and I think they have done their best to talk, talk, talk. Is it because the responsible personnel keep changing? Councillor Glover, the councillor for the area is in his first term. He is certainly trying to meld the city with the University- Will the performing Arts Centre cannibalise the Grand? Even he has trouble with this one. Should we view him (Glover) as an intermediary between Queen’s and the City? Or does he represent the City to the University? The increase was passed. The project will go ahead.
More work has to be done on the Town/Gown relationship. Which brings me to the other long-debated problem - the arts/sports dilemma. David Foot, the demographer, long ago projected that demand for ice time would recede and arts would be in the ascendant – until we all get too old to go out at night. To Foot this is all about the ageing of the baby boomers. It would appear – although this was not stated outright, that demand for ice time HAS lessened. It is also obvious that stage time demand has increased. – The Harold Harvey arena will lose its ice; the Domino theatre will move in. The Queen’s performing Arts Centre with its concert space will have 560 seats, the Grand 761 seats. How strong is the theatre going public in Kingston? How strong is the hockey viewing public? In the future we will have three venues – Queen’s, the Grand and the K Rock Centre. And one cannot forget the new Domino theatre and the Baby Grand. The creative class will have to expand mightily. There are many who enjoy hearing beginning musical artists, so maybe additions to the repertoire available in Kingston can, in fact, grow the audience. One wonders if it will be at the expense of sports.
Last night also saw a contribution of $200,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Kingston to help with their new roof. Money here, money there, and ‘ pretty soon we are talking about real money’. The cost of home ownership will increase with the growth of the tax bill. Home ownership is, perhaps, a privilege. Kingston is an invigorating city and keeping it dynamic costs money. There are those who feel that a low tax bill should be the objective of Council. They were not at the Council meeting last night!
Jason here. Tuesday night’s council meeting rehashed questions that have been around since 1841 – the relationship between Queen’s and the city. The debate was about increased funding for renovations to the Tett centre, which is a part of the new Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts on King Street. This is an exciting project as everyone was proud to say, BUT it highlighted the difficulty Queen’s and the city have in working together. Why IS this? Countless mayors have put the relationship as a priority and I think they have done their best to talk, talk, talk. Is it because the responsible personnel keep changing? Councillor Glover, the councillor for the area is in his first term. He is certainly trying to meld the city with the University- Will the performing Arts Centre cannibalise the Grand? Even he has trouble with this one. Should we view him (Glover) as an intermediary between Queen’s and the City? Or does he represent the City to the University? The increase was passed. The project will go ahead.
More work has to be done on the Town/Gown relationship. Which brings me to the other long-debated problem - the arts/sports dilemma. David Foot, the demographer, long ago projected that demand for ice time would recede and arts would be in the ascendant – until we all get too old to go out at night. To Foot this is all about the ageing of the baby boomers. It would appear – although this was not stated outright, that demand for ice time HAS lessened. It is also obvious that stage time demand has increased. – The Harold Harvey arena will lose its ice; the Domino theatre will move in. The Queen’s performing Arts Centre with its concert space will have 560 seats, the Grand 761 seats. How strong is the theatre going public in Kingston? How strong is the hockey viewing public? In the future we will have three venues – Queen’s, the Grand and the K Rock Centre. And one cannot forget the new Domino theatre and the Baby Grand. The creative class will have to expand mightily. There are many who enjoy hearing beginning musical artists, so maybe additions to the repertoire available in Kingston can, in fact, grow the audience. One wonders if it will be at the expense of sports.
Last night also saw a contribution of $200,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Kingston to help with their new roof. Money here, money there, and ‘ pretty soon we are talking about real money’. The cost of home ownership will increase with the growth of the tax bill. Home ownership is, perhaps, a privilege. Kingston is an invigorating city and keeping it dynamic costs money. There are those who feel that a low tax bill should be the objective of Council. They were not at the Council meeting last night!