Lake Ontario Park

[ptech]

As the tourist season draws to a close. I recall back to the spring when Mr. Wannamaker decieded to end his contract with the city and remove the amusment park (the rides) currently at this location. Moving it to his Fun World North of the 401 on MacAdoos lane.

Earlier this summer, there was also an article in the Whig suggesting a wind turbine would be placed on site.
I'm under the understanding the campground will remain.

Anyone up to date on the future of the park. I understand it has been in this community for many years, and has brought enjoyment and pleasure to many Kingstonian's. From the time people could swim in the lake (I see remnants of the bath house and what was a frequent swimming area) to the amusment park which I understand has been around and enjoyed by many in the community for many years.

TTFN
ptech

[ptech]

Well I guess as of Sun 26. Sept. The rides at Lake Ontario Park are no more.

I'm wondering what the city has planned for the site.

It looks as if a wind turbine for generating power is being constructed within the next year or so.

Advertisments for various positions related to this project have been cropping up on the job bank and KEYS employment web site.

I only hope they'll leave it as a park for all Kingstonians to enjoy as I have for so many years.

TTFN
ptech

[SLN]

They should expand the campround services - it seems to be very busy several times per summer what with Dog shows and such. It's still a good venue for musical acts, festivals, comapny pic-nics, girl guide/ boy scout camping etc.

IMHO that's the type of thing they should be doing there.

[ptech]

Don't know how many of you saw this, but I thought i'd post the article.
From Kingston This Week.

Council OKs wind turbine for Lake Ontario Park

Steven Serviss
Local News - Friday, August 20, 2004 @ 08:00



Power may be blowing in the wind by next year in Kingston.

City council approved a land lease agreement with two local renewable energy partners — Gaia Power and Hearthmakers — to allow a wind turbine at Lake Ontario Park.

Gaia Power project manager Stephen Sottile was surprised by the overwhelming 10-1 vote.

“I was extremely encouraged,” he says. “I didn’t expect that level of support.”

Council’s consent allows the partners to continue studies and make applications for funding. It also signals council’s support for renewable energy and “that climate change and economic development are priorities for the city,” Sottile says.

Gaia Power and Hearthmakers will construct one wind turbine at the southeast corner of Lake Ontario Park that will provide power to St.http://www.kingstonthisweek.com/webapp/sitepages/images/www.kingstonthisweek.comf/box_DE.gif (http://www.ospreynewsnetwork.com/) Lawrence College and Interface Flooring in Belleville.

Power would be tied into the college’s electricity grid and transferred over Hydro One power lines for consumption.

Before the partners erect a wind turbine, they must first go through the city’s planning process, amend the official plan and receive zoning bylaw approvals.

The partners want the land lease agreement completed by October 31.

The Kingston Economic Development Corporation is behind the plan, too, claiming that the educational component coupled with the economic growth potential makes the project beneficial to the city.

Councillors raised some concerns regarding possible impacts from the wind turbines related to birds, noise and ice.

A wind turbine is more friendly to birds than an outdoor cat, Sottile points out.

“An outdoor cat kills about 50 birds a year, while the wind turbine kills about two.”

As for noise, the wind turbine at the CNE in Toronto produces about 45 decibels, comparable to the average neighbourhood background noise, says Sottile. The turbines also have heated blades, erasing concerns of falling ice.

All the power in this project has been purchased however Kingstonians can purchase shares in the wind turbine through Hearthmakers, a non-profit company, and share in the revenues.

The project approval is the first step in the growth of renewable energy in Kingston. Sottile says that the college is partnering in the project and will begin a wind power technicians program in 2005 and may have a study centre located at the turbine.

Renewable energy projects, require a high capital start-up cost and arranging lower interest financing is challenging. Council consent gives local projects a better chance to obtain lower financing, says Sottile.

The wind turbine is expected to be operational for the spring of 2005.



steve@kingstonthisweek.com



I'm a little confused, I was under the impression the City of Kingston did not own the park but has been leasing it.
If this is the case how can they inturn lease it to Hearthmakers.

[ptech]

I see a picture developing here.

Kingston City Council Confirms Support for Lake Ontario Park Single Turbine Project

Kingston, August 18, 2004

In response to a proposal from Gaia Power and Hearthmakers Energy Cooperative (http://www.hearthmakers.org/), Kingston City Council directed City Staff to work towards execution of a land lease agreement by October 31, 2004 with Gaia and Hearthmakers for operation of a single wind turbine at Lake Ontario Park. Read More» (http://www.gaiapower.com/news/kcclop/)

Lake Ontario Park Single Turbine Proposal Before Kingston City Council

Kingston, August 16, 2004

Gaia Power and Hearthmakers Energy Cooperative (http://www.hearthmakers.org/) will present their vision for a wind turbine project at Lake Ontario Park on Tuesday, August 17th at 7:30 pm at Kingston City Hall. Given execution of a land lease agreement with the City of Kingston (http://www.city.kingston.on.ca/), the Lake Ontario Park project will supply green power to Interface Flooring (http://www.interfaceinc.com/) of Belleville and embedded wind power generation to St. Lawrence College (http://www.sl.on.ca/). The proposed facility will include a renewable energy educational facility, and the 1.5 MW single turbine will be used by St. Lawrence College to train renewable energy technicians and technologists. Cooperative shares in the wind turbine will be offered to the public through Hearthmakers. The Lake Ontario Park Wind Turbine will mitigate 1,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year while providing lease and tax revenue to the City of Kingston, offering a low impact alternative to Lake Ontario Amusement Park, and serving as a symbol of Kingston's commitment to becoming a Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy. For more information on the Lake Ontario Park Single Wind Turbine Project, please contact us (http://www.gaiapower.com/contact_us/).

[macphail]

serving as a symbol of Kingston's commitment to becoming a Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy.
Too bad Council doesn't do something about preventing the thousands of pools worth of raw sewage that gets dumped into Lake Ontario. A level of excellence in one area does not compensate for complete ignorance and incompetence in another.

Cheers, Derek

[SLN]

this is an absolutely terrific thing and in my humble opinion there is no place for cynicism.

that councillors would actually worry about BIRDS blows my mind. First of all birds are not *****ic. They aren't going to fly into it in numbers. Good lord. Did they worry about birds flying into the Kingston Centre redevelopment? I think not.

Renewable energy is the future. I am absolutely certain that we are at the end of the Oil Era - there could be catastrophic fallout from this if we are not ready for the switch.

it is pathetic that we have not yet grabbed hold of the many renewable energy technologies available to us and run with them. it is sad, short-sighted and self-defeating not to embrace this future.

With all the talk of cities surviving by encouraging a "cluster" of one or the other new technology, you'd think everyone in Kingston would be all over this opportunity. For whatever reason every municipality on planet earth thinks the only cluster possibility lies in biotech. NOT necessarily. ENERGY, my friends. Energy is the cluster we should be developing here. Why reivent the wheel??? It is already rolling...

[SLN]

tee hee.. this forum filters the word: 1 D 1 0 T

[Emerald]

everyone likes a good view - why should those interested in alternative energies be any different. I remember when the Canoe club insisted that LOP was the only place they could function. They are in the inner harbour now as there was too much wind at LOP. My guess is that the wind turbine will never be put in LOP as the wind is too sheltered by the islands. Now the south side of Amherst Island is quite a different scene. I don't know the south side of Wolfe Island.

[ptech]

Yes Wind Power is the future. I will concure with that statement.

But do we give up what little greenspace we have left to generate revenue for the city coffers.

The questions I'd be asking are

a. How can the city lease public waterfront parkland to a company that they themselfs are leasing. (This deal is to be completed Oct. 31. )

b. How long is this lease going to be for.

c. The power generated by the wind turbine is to be transfered to a private company in Bellevile. And a education program is to be setup at
St. Lawrance College educating students in Wind Power Technology.
Kingston does not benifit from this project other then this.

d. Harvey Rosen is on the St. Lawrence College board promoting this
project. Why is he selling off our public greenspace to private enterprise.

e. How many trees are they going to cut down to put in this wind turbine and how much park area will we lose.

f. We are giving up parkland contrary to the City's Waterfront statagy plan as researched on the City's website.

g. By putting in this Wind Turbine. this means handing over a portion of Lake Ontario Park to a private conglomerate to do as they wish.
ie. infastructure includes, the wind turbine, utility roads, buildings, above or below ground cabling to the College and to Belleville etc. It means digging up the PARK people.

We are all up in arms about the LVEC and the Memorial Centre. But here we are quitely letting go of more public waterfront parkland so the city can collect revenue on the lease.

[Florence]

I doubt that revenue was the motivator here. More likely the need to be on the cutting edge of technology. Not a bad motivation even if the result is questionable.

[ptech]

These are some exerpts from the report to city council 17 Aug. 2004.
There's a link at the bottom directing to the city web site where you can find the report in full.
PDF format. Look for report #70.


Business Aspects:

1. The City would receive a fair market lease payment for use of the property required. This would be achieved by declaring the property surplus by by-law, obtaining an appraisal and then entering into a fair market value lease.

2. The City would receive tax revenue from whatever assessment is applied to the undertaking.



Challenges and Concerns:

The three most significant challenges to supporting the proposal are the questions which remain in relation to the business plan, the compatibility of a wind turbine with the public uses of Lake Ontario Park and legality with respect to land use.

OPTIONS DISCUSSION: (Cont 'd)

2. Compatibility with the Vision for Lake Ontario Park

The proposal conflicts with current use of Lake Ontario Park. The City does not currently have a comprehensive plan for the future of Lake Ontario Park. Without such a plan City staff are unable to support the proposal for a single wind turbine as it would not understand how it would be compatible with whatever activities, services or infrastructure might be desirable at Lake Ontario Park. This is an important aspect since the proposed life of the wind turbine would be at least 25 years.

3. Proposal Selection Process - Planning, Surplus Parkland & Sole Sourcing

a. Any proposal would have to be analyzed against the requirements of the Planning Act and good planning practices. There has been no such analysis to date.

b. Any City approval would require the lands involved be declared surplus as the turbine would be in place for a greater period of time that the 21 years for leasing set out in section 268 of the Municipal Act, 2001. That process includes valuation of the land by appraisal and a by-law declaring the lands surplus. It would be premature to move forward with this proposal without consideration of whether the portion of Lake Ontario Park in question is in fact surplus. Without the agreement of the Cultural Services Division, no decision on the issue of declaring the lands surplus can be made.

c. By sole sourcing the purchase of green power through a wind generation lease to the HearthmakerdGAIA proposal we would be avoiding a competitive examination of the green energy market as is required by the Purchasing By-law. An amendment to this bylaw may be required.



http://www.cityofkingston.ca/pdf/council/agenda/2004/A21_Rpt70_m-x.pdf

[SLN]

Look, I live right near the LOP property. I walk my dog and my daughter there. We hang out around those glorious (and WASTED) old buildings on the former psyche grounds. We love it there.

How often do YOU go to LOP, ptech?

How often have you driven five minutes outside of Kingston to see all the frickin green space that there is there?

Is it not important to use and encourage the development of green energy? Would you rather come on here whining about the price of hydro as it doubles year over year for the next who knows how long?

Oh wah, we have to amend a by-law. Big whoop! things change, we couldn't have forseen a wind turbine years ago when the by-law was drafted.

Oh wah the city might not charge a fair price for the land. Why wouldn't they?

Oh wah it isn't going up for tender. Do you realize that the REASON LOP rides are gone is because the city INSISTED any development go up for tender? Do we want to be in that cycle forever?????

[ptech]

As I hoped I made clear in prior posts. I'm not against clean energy, but am concerned about our parks.
This is from last night’s council meeting.


City Council Meeting No. 27-2004
Agenda
October 19, 2004

REPORT NO. 90 OF THE TASK FORCE TO REVIEW SERVICES.

Report No. 90

To the Mayor and Members of Council:
The Task Force to Review Services reports and recommends as follows:

(1) WHEREAS Council has adopted a set of Public Policy Objectives that will be used to help define and review our municipal services and programs, and

WHEREAS the Task Force to Review Services and some members of Council participated in a workshop to identify what Council wishes to achieve through the delivery of the five services and programs under review;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council adopt in principal the following Public Policy Objectives that will be communicated to the public and staff as part of the consultation exercise;
-And further-
THAT it be understood that the Public Policy Objectives will be brought back for final approval after public consultation.


(a) Lake Ontario Park Campground

That the provision of the Lake Ontario Park Campground contributes minimally to the achievement of Economic Sustainability within the community.

Rationale:
- The campground has been host to a number of large events that have attracted both tourists and residents.
- The campground provides an economic benefit to businesses in the surrounding neighborhoods and downtown.




This is of course just part of the report dealing with LOP.

There will be a public meeting Thursday Oct. 28 at the Olympic Harbour Press Lounge between 7-9 PM.
This will outline the city’s plan regarding Transit Passenger Charters, LOP, and review of leased properties.

PDF. Files outlining the City's Review of Services plan and objectives.

[macphail]

Isn't it possible that this project will not make the cut for Council's "priority" list?

Cheers, Derek