Owen Sound Committee - Service Review Implementation Ad Hoc Meeting Transcript — April 8, 2026

00:02:34 Christina: It is nine five a.m., and I will call this meeting to order.

00:02:39 Christina: This is the Service Review Implementation Ad Hoc Committee.

00:02:43 Christina: It is April eight th.

00:02:46 Christina: So the first order of business on the agenda is election of a chair.

00:02:51 Christina: So the chair can be any. of the members on the committee, and anyone can nominate them for the role of chair.

00:02:58 Christina: So I will start by opening the floor to nominations for the position of chair.

00:03:19 SPEAKER_016: We're going to nominate Mayor Boddy as chair.

00:03:25 Christina: Perfect.

00:03:25 Christina: Can you please first make a motion to waive the requirement that he cannot be the chair since he's been in the chair for two terms?

00:03:36 SPEAKER_659: I would like to make a motion that we waive the requirement so that Mayor Boddy can be the chair of the committee.

00:03:45 SPEAKER_659: Call the question.

00:04:00 Christina: Okay, Mayor Boddy.

00:04:01 Christina: Do you accept that nomination?

00:04:03 Christina: Okay.

00:04:06 Christina: Any other nominations?

00:04:09 Christina: Seeing none.

00:04:10 Christina: Moving on to election of a vice chair.

00:04:12 Christina: Any nominations for vice chair?

00:04:16 Christina: Scott.

00:04:17 Christina: Councillor Kukracja.

00:04:19 Christina: Councillor Kukracja, do you accept that nomination?

00:04:22 Christina: Sure, I accept the nomination.

00:04:24 Christina: Thank you.

00:04:27 Christina: Any further nominations?

00:04:31 Christina: Seeing none, Mayor Boddy, you can go ahead and chair the rest of the meeting.

00:05:01 Ian Boddy: Oops, sorry.

00:05:01 Ian Boddy: I need to start that over.

00:05:02 Ian Boddy: I didn't have my button pushed.

00:05:04 Ian Boddy: Number four, I called for additional business, and no one put their hands up.

00:05:08 Ian Boddy: I number five called for declarations of interest.

00:05:11 Ian Boddy: No one put their hand up.

00:05:13 Ian Boddy: We're at number six A, which. is approving the minutes of the service review implementation meeting held on February eleven, twenty twenty six.

00:05:23 Ian Boddy: Councilor Middlebro was moved.

00:05:24 Ian Boddy: Any discussions?

00:05:26 Ian Boddy: Seeing none.

00:05:26 Ian Boddy: All in favor?

00:05:28 Ian Boddy: That is carried.

00:05:30 Ian Boddy: At seven, we have no deputations.

00:05:33 Ian Boddy: At eight, we have no public forum.

00:05:37 Ian Boddy: Well, we have a public forum, but nobody here to participate.

00:05:39 Ian Boddy: At nine, we have no correspondence being presented for consideration. at 10A and then B. Sourby is online to present 10A.

00:05:54 Ian Boddy: Go ahead.

00:05:58 SPEAKER_653: Thank you.

00:05:59 SPEAKER_653: Good morning, Christina.

00:06:01 SPEAKER_653: You can hear me.

00:06:03 SPEAKER_653: We can, yes.

00:06:04 Sourby: Thank you.

00:06:05 Sourby: So this report is being brought forward to close out service review project 1B1, which focused on a.

00:06:11 Sourby: Which focused on expanding the integration and adoption of Microsoft Teams across the city, Project One B One was achieved its primary objectives by expanding Teams optimization and integration,

00:06:26 Sourby: including the implementation of additional Teams meeting rooms that are now operational in all city hall boardrooms, the Public Works boardroom, and now the fire hall as well.

00:06:38 Sourby: We've also had a agreement. development toolkit that uses Microsoft Teams to help integrate these systems together.

00:06:47 Sourby: One of the remaining elements under Project 1B1 was the development of an educational toolkit on document storages best practices and appropriate Teams usage.

00:07:00 Sourby: However, the city has since advanced a broader Microsoft 365 optimization roadmap, including a more comprehensive information Management Governance Project, and as a result,

00:07:12 Sourby: staff are transitioning the remaining governance-related items from Project 1B1 into the IM Governance Project.

00:07:21 Sourby: There were no direct financial resources required to complete the Project 1B1, and the broader IM Governance Project is funded through the Capital Budget Project 26A.7.

00:07:32 Sourby: In closing, staff are requesting that, in consideration of staff report CR twenty six zero two two, respecting the completion of project one B one, integration of Microsoft Teams,

00:07:46 Sourby: the service review implementation ad hoc committee recommends that city council receive the report for information purposes.

00:07:53 Sourby: If anyone has any questions, I will be happy to answer them.

00:07:58 SPEAKER_103: Okay, committee questions.

00:08:01 SPEAKER_103: Go ahead, Scott.

00:08:03 SPEAKER_103: I'll move the recommendation to receive. the report, just one question.

00:08:08 SPEAKER_103: And actually, if you could expand a little bit on it, Kim.

00:08:12 SPEAKER_103: One line that jumped out to me is you're assuming that an average of three avoided in-person trips per week.

00:08:20 SPEAKER_103: That's not inconsequential.

00:08:22 SPEAKER_103: It's.

00:08:23 SPEAKER_103: It was interesting to learn that that much time is just consumed in arranging the meeting.

00:08:29 SPEAKER_103: So certainly, it's a benefit that came out of the report.

00:08:33 SPEAKER_103: But if you could just speak to. currently what exists, and that's a great improvement, I think.

00:08:40 Sourby: Certainly, and for you, chair, having the option for people to use Teams saves staff from driving.

00:08:48 Sourby: I'll just use an example from the cemetery down to City Hall to have a meeting.

00:08:52 Sourby: They can stay in their own workstation.

00:08:53 Sourby: They can stay at their own desk.

00:08:55 Sourby: They can do their meeting, and then they can completely they can go back to the work that they were doing previously.

00:09:00 Sourby: There's no travel time in between. and that has been a big savings for the city.

00:09:05 Sourby: Now that we have it in a more meeting room, so now having it in the public works boardroom, staff can meet in that boardroom with a group of other people.

00:09:15 Sourby: They don't have to travel, and then that way it makes it a lot easier for staff to save within the travel time.

00:09:25 SPEAKER_103: Just in a quick little point to that, do we capture reductions in travel because they're either using their own vehicle?

00:09:31 SPEAKER_103: or city vehicle, terms of when we renew insurance programs and putting that into just one of the considerations of how much—it's one of the drops in the bucket, I guess—in the insurance calculation.

00:09:45 SPEAKER_103: Just whether we collect that data or not.

00:09:49 SPEAKER_656: Through your worship, we certainly do track how much we pay out in vehicle reimbursements and use of city vehicles is charged out to different departments. as they're used.

00:10:01 SPEAKER_656: I would say that for the sake of our insurance policy, it's not significant that that would be something that would impact our policy.

00:10:09 SPEAKER_656: But certainly, it impacts what we reimburse employees for, and we could we do look at that year over year.

00:10:19 SPEAKER_656: Anyone else?

00:10:21 Ian Boddy: This obviously works because you're presenting to us right now on Teams as a perfect example.

00:10:28 Ian Boddy: Every. time I come into City Hall, I notice that there's doors shutting, people on meetings in their own offices, or maybe toward another way, which may be more accurate.

00:10:38 Ian Boddy: Every time I come into the building, doors start to shut and people appear to be on meetings.

00:10:43 Ian Boddy: So, thanks for that report, Kim.

00:10:45 Ian Boddy: This is a good step forward.

00:10:48 Ian Boddy: Some of us remember.

00:10:49 Ian Boddy: Pamela remember one of the ideas of moving us into City Hall, moving engineering into City Hall was.

00:10:57 Ian Boddy: Neering into City Hall was that we had plans and maps at the arena.

00:10:59 Ian Boddy: We had staff up on top of the hill, and driving around just to do the paperwork side of things.

00:11:06 Ian Boddy: There was transportation all over.

00:11:08 Ian Boddy: So this is the next logical step with it.

00:11:11 Ian Boddy: Call the question on favor.

00:11:13 Ian Boddy: That's carried.

00:11:13 Ian Boddy: Thank you, Kim.

00:11:14 Ian Boddy: I think you're up next with Ten B. Yes, thank you.

00:11:21 Ian Boddy: So this report brings forward another completion of a project.

00:11:24 Ian Boddy: So project.

00:11:25 Sourby: Of projects, so project two A one, which focused on investigating cloud-based options for a digital timecoding solution.

00:11:33 Sourby: The review confirmed that the city's current manual timekeeping processes in some divisions involve multiple steps and handoffs, creating inefficiencies and increasing the risk of errors.

00:11:45 Sourby: Through staff consultation and process mapping across departments, the project team identified both the strengths and current practices. in the areas where improvements are needed.

00:11:58 Sourby: As part of the investigation, several software options were reviewed, with particular attention given to how a solution would integrate with existing payroll processes and support operational needs across departments.

00:12:12 Sourby: After reviewing the findings with the strategic leadership team, the preferred direction was to use Pearl, this city's recently upgraded Worktech system, rather than pursuing a separate new platform at this time.

00:12:27 Sourby: This approach was considered the most practical, especially given the city's future plans to implement both a human resource information system and a new enterprise resource planning financial system in the current years.

00:12:41 Sourby: Purl is a logical fit because the city has already used Work Manager for more than 20 years for time sheets, work orders, and purchasing,

00:12:49 Sourby: and the October. two thousand and twenty-five upgrade added mobile capability that allows staff to complete time sheets and work orders remotely.

00:12:59 Sourby: The report emphasizes that this investigation project was limited to identifying an operative operation solution, and that implementation will proceed through a separate initiative, OPR twenty-six zero six nine,

00:13:15 Sourby: which is included in the two thousand and twenty-six annual organizational work. plan and is scheduled to begin in July 2026.

00:13:24 Sourby: Implementation is expected to follow a phased approach, so that digital timesheet rollout can be coordinated with the rollout of mobile devices for staff.

00:13:34 Sourby: This is intended to ensure employees, particularly those working in the field, have the tools they need to enter timesheets efficiently as responsibilities. shift to a more direct digital entry,

00:13:52 Sourby: a future report will outline the implementation approach in more detail, including timing, staffing, financial considerations, and the phased rollout.

00:14:03 Sourby: In closing, staff are requesting that consideration of staff report CR twenty six zero two six respecting the completion of project two A one investigate cloud based solutions for digital time coding solution.

00:14:17 Sourby: Our digital timecoding solution.

00:14:17 Sourby: The service review implementation ad hoc committee recommends that city council receive the report for information purposes.

00:14:24 Sourby: If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

00:14:27 Sourby: Are there any questions?

00:14:29 Sourby: Seeing none, I'll need a motion.

00:14:32 SPEAKER_657: I move the motion to accept the report for information purposes.

00:14:40 SPEAKER_657: There we go.

00:14:41 SPEAKER_657: We're all good.

00:14:42 SPEAKER_657: Call the question.

00:14:43 SPEAKER_657: All in favor?

00:14:44 SPEAKER_657: That's carried.

00:14:45 SPEAKER_657: Thank you, Kim.

00:14:48 Ian Boddy: Ten C, I think, is Aiden, with regard to conclusion of Project Three A Three Tourism Services at Tom Pilot Project Year Two.

00:15:04 Aiden: Thank you, and through you, Chair Body, I am pleased to bring forward a report on Project Three A Three Tourism Services at the Tom Thompson.

00:15:13 Aiden: Art Gallery, the pilot project conclusion.

00:15:15 Aiden: This was the second year of the pilot project that we ran at the art gallery.

00:15:19 Aiden: A couple of things you will have read in my report in the background section.

00:15:23 Aiden: In two thousand and twenty-three, an internal realignment moved tourism and events under the new cultural umbrella within community services, and the director and curator of the art gallery, myself,

00:15:34 Aiden: assumed responsibility for the management of these areas.

00:15:38 Aiden: Previously, visitor services was provided from a shared space. at the Community Waterfront Heritage Center each year from May Long Weekend to Thanksgiving, and during the remainder of the year,

00:15:48 Aiden: the service was provided at City Hall, and there were some kiosks with visitor information located around the city.

00:15:56 Aiden: And so, part of our service review,

00:15:59 Aiden: Council approved that we would develop a business case that analyzes the opportunity to reorganize library tourism and the Tom entrance to create a shared reception and customer service. area.

00:16:11 Aiden: So, in 2024, we were able to implement, in part, that direction through council by testing out this pilot project to relocate tourism services from their former location to the art gallery.

00:16:25 Aiden: And this pilot project commenced in the second quarter of the May Long weekend and extended to the end of 2024.

00:16:32 Aiden: Upon successful completion of the first year of that project, council approved a continuation of that project into.

00:16:38 Aiden: 2025.

00:16:40 Aiden: In late 2025, you'll note the space previously occupied by the tourism services at the Community Waterfront Heritage Center was leased, and it is no longer available for tourism services.

00:16:52 Aiden: So, having said all of that, there were several anticipated benefits to this project, which include improved safety for the summer staff by providing tourism services, expanded open hours for tourism,

00:17:06 Aiden: greater ability to. extend visitor services to places and spaces around the city in attending various different events, combining resources between tourism and the art gallery, which was anticipated to create new synergy between the teams,

00:17:21 Aiden: and tourism summer students could also attend more of those events as ambassadors and create pop up locations throughout the city in the support of tourism information and event delivery throughout the season.

00:17:34 Aiden: Analyzing all of this and. looking at how things went this year, in the second year of the project, we found that we were able to offer increased hours during peak season, May to September.

00:17:47 Aiden: We were open for seven-day operations, which were made possible by summer staff.

00:17:53 Aiden: And despite a key leave of absence by the tourism and marketing coordinator from March 2025 to March 2026, tourism services resources continued to be provided to. visitors at the Tom,

00:18:06 Aiden: and having tourism relocated to the gallery actually made it possible for us to continue offering that service uninterrupted during that time.

00:18:15 Aiden: And throughout the summer, the students were very busy.

00:18:18 Aiden: They not only worked at the desk, but they were also supporting key off-site events.

00:18:24 Aiden: You will see noted in there: movie nights, TD Harbor nights, hottest street sale, midweek music, salmon derby, summer folk, and the waterfront festival, and. that really was great.

00:18:34 Aiden: It gets it brings our information out into the community to where there is a density of people, and we handed out a lot of material and there was a lot of interest at those events.

00:18:43 Aiden: That was great, and then a challenge experienced in year two of the project was some confusion among visitors that around the shared information desk,

00:18:52 Aiden: and we're taking steps to address that in two thousand and twenty-six through better signage and visuals when people walk in, and that might include things like banners on the exterior and. the interior,

00:19:02 Aiden: indicating where tourism services is and where the art gallery is, and enhancing the onboarding and training of the summer students will also really help in supporting their role and focus as tourism ambassadors.

00:19:15 Aiden: And we really believe that the shared service can deliver operational, financial, and community benefits, especially for smaller and mid-sized municipalities where staffing and facility costs are significant and service volumes fluctuate seasonally.

00:19:29 Aiden: I've. listed out some of the key results.

00:19:31 Aiden: I won't go over them all in too much detail.

00:19:32 Aiden: You've probably read through these.

00:19:34 Aiden: They included better customer service, that idea of a one-stop visitor experience, stronger place making and destination storytelling, efficiency gains and cost avoidance, support for events and river district events, more resilient staffing operations, as noted,

00:19:51 Aiden: and better alignment with Ontario municipal service delivery realities.

00:19:55 Aiden: And so the pilot provides continuous. supervision and support for the students, and that really does contribute to best health and safety practices.

00:20:04 Aiden: The shared service approach exists in other municipalities, and I did a bit of research and attached to my report a list of similar museum shared tourism services.

00:20:16 Aiden: That you know, it just it shows you that other municipalities and counties are looking at ways that they can also sort of congregate their resources together.

00:20:26 Aiden: So I. thought that was quite interesting, and then overall, shared services have created a much more seamless, one-stop experience for residents and visitors, while improving operational resilience and value for money.

00:20:37 Aiden: By sharing a front counter and supporting staffing coverage, marketing, administration, we've reduced duplication, enabled stabilized hours through seasonal fluctuations, strengthened customer service, and improved safety and continuity.

00:20:50 Aiden: This colocation project also supports stronger place making and destination storytelling. and to realize these advantages, it's important to keep mandates clear, but to cross train the staff appropriately, designing the space for good visitor flow,

00:21:04 Aiden: clarity of service, security, accessibility, and to track performance metrics.

00:21:10 Aiden: So the next steps that we're going to be undertaking here, with two years of experience now, it's important for stability that this pilot be made a permanent decision,

00:21:22 Aiden: and to support the permanency and. brand of the space, some modest upgrades to the space, with signage, colorful wrap of the visitor services desk, will be completed as a start to the summer season.

00:21:34 Aiden: Convenient parking for visitors should be considered as plans develop for capital works within the road allowance, as envisioned by the Downtown River Precinct Plan.

00:21:43 Aiden: And a standard operating procedure will be developed, similar to the one that was developed for the art gallery, to collect visitor service information both at location as well as. interactions at events,

00:21:53 Aiden: and this includes attendance statistics and postal codes and things that allow us to gain better information about the people that are visiting us and where.

00:22:03 Aiden: And the opportunity to further extend this shared service model should include the library staff and board as well as facility staff,

00:22:12 Aiden: because there may be a cost avoidance for the library building sharing the new accessible entrance at the Tom and Tourism, and further sharing of the. entrance area and visitor service functions,

00:22:24 Aiden: and the next steps for this would be a high-level cost estimate for removing the shared or common wall between the spaces,

00:22:31 Aiden: and additional discussions with the library on the benefits and challenges of extending this model further.

00:22:37 Aiden: And so there are some resources noted within that underneath, and some human resources as well.

00:22:45 Aiden: And then beyond that, the recommendation of this report is. that, in consideration of the report respecting the conclusion of the project three A three tourism services at the Tom Thompson Art Gallery pilot project,

00:22:58 Aiden: the service review implementation implementation ad hoc committee recommends that City Council approve the continuation of these services at the art gallery.

00:23:10 Aiden: Thanks.

00:23:10 Aiden: Questions?

00:23:12 Aiden: Go ahead.

00:23:14 SPEAKER_659: Thank you.

00:23:15 SPEAKER_659: I am in favor of this.

00:23:17 SPEAKER_659: I. have always been in favor of this pilot project, and it does make sense as far as you know shared resources, shared shared staffing,

00:23:27 SPEAKER_659: the increased hours that it's allowed for both tourism and hopefully the art gallery.

00:23:31 SPEAKER_659: I do see a couple of issues: parking.

00:23:37 SPEAKER_659: Number one, that's the main thing that we hear about is is the amount of parking in, but that's always been the case.

00:23:45 SPEAKER_659: Fifteen years ago, when I wanted. to go to the library with my kids, it was parking was an issue.

00:23:49 SPEAKER_659: So I don't know what we do about that, and if we can come up with any sort of solutions to to help with the parking situation.

00:23:58 SPEAKER_659: But I would I would like to see the continued push to to have the shared entrance with the library.

00:24:06 SPEAKER_659: I think that makes sense.

00:24:08 SPEAKER_659: Allows for even more shared services and efficiencies if it's done the right way.

00:24:14 SPEAKER_659: So I'm happy to move the. recommendation.

00:24:17 SPEAKER_659: Other comments?

00:24:18 SPEAKER_659: Yep, go ahead.

00:24:20 Suneet Kukreja: Through you, Mayor.

00:24:22 Suneet Kukreja: Just a quick comment and a quick question.

00:24:25 Suneet Kukreja: Thank you for the excellent report and highlighting all the benefits of having this project as a shared project.

00:24:31 Suneet Kukreja: The benefits are clear and the successes are pretty much evident in your report.

00:24:36 Suneet Kukreja: Thank you for that.

00:24:37 Suneet Kukreja: Just like Councillor Mitterbauer mentioned, the parking, which has always been a concern, and we do hear about it through. emails or residents about it.

00:24:45 Suneet Kukreja: Is there a way, like we have incorporated, like there are a lot of municipal lots, parking lots near the area, which are close to the library and the art gallery.

00:24:56 Suneet Kukreja: Is there a way to impose a proper signage highlighting where those lots are, like for a person who's brand new to the area, especially during the summer time, if it's a visitor,

00:25:06 Suneet Kukreja: they don't know where the nearest parking lot is.

00:25:09 Suneet Kukreja: Has that been considered at any time?

00:25:11 SPEAKER_112: Certainly, through the chair, and thanks for those comments.

00:25:18 SPEAKER_112: Just the other night at council, parking came up, and I had looked up for the city manager the number of spaces in municipal lots and on street in the River District, and I,

00:25:29 SPEAKER_112: I don't know the number off the top of my head, but north of eight hundred spaces.

00:25:33 SPEAKER_112: So, I think you raise a really great point.

00:25:37 SPEAKER_112: We need to do a better job of making sure. people know where it is that they can park and how close it is—just a hop, skip, and a jump across the river.

00:25:47 SPEAKER_112: So we can work on you know that education and communication and maybe some additional signage, and then you know in the shorter term,

00:25:59 SPEAKER_112: even maybe some modest capital improvements in the right of way with a layby that would benefit both the library and you know short-term visitors to. the gallery might might be a possibility,

00:26:12 SPEAKER_112: so we can certainly do more work on that with engineering services as well as clerks and parking.

00:26:23 Ian Boddy: I've always been fascinated by parking and on sound.

00:26:27 Ian Boddy: If you don't park right in front of the store in the same block, then you're upset.

00:26:30 Ian Boddy: You go to the mall, you walk a half a block to get at the door, and at least a block once you're inside to get anywhere.

00:26:37 Ian Boddy: If you go to any other city,

00:26:38 Ian Boddy: you're parking your car and you're walking several blocks because of the lack of convenient parking. the only The only thing that I notice if somebody's a tour tourism person and they've got a trailer,

00:26:54 Ian Boddy: I guess they could park down at the Ammerine Rail Museum and walk the two blocks, or could go to Gray Roots if they had to with a trailer.

00:27:04 Ian Boddy: And there's still so there's still. options there.

00:27:08 Ian Boddy: Maybe we just try and make them a little more obvious.

00:27:11 Ian Boddy: But we got an email recently of somebody that wanted to buy tickets to gallery at the movies and they couldn't park right in front.

00:27:18 Ian Boddy: They went around the block and finally quit.

00:27:20 Ian Boddy: But I can guarantee they could have parked on this side because there's always empty spots marked across the bridge.

00:27:26 Ian Boddy: But anyway, go ahead.

00:27:29 SPEAKER_132: Yeah, I guess my question a just on the parking.

00:27:34 SPEAKER_132: You're. more familiar with the issues than I am.

00:27:37 SPEAKER_132: Are there certain times and days of the week where there's more constraints on on availability in the area?

00:27:45 Pam Coulter: Through the chair, when I was pulling the data the other day for the city manager, I noticed that we used to track usage in the different lots and on street low, medium, and high.

00:27:58 Pam Coulter: And I think finding a way to do a survey of that. maybe during the peak and shoulder seasons,

00:28:06 Pam Coulter: would be really helpful information for us to understand how often is it really hard to find parking, and where is there opportunity.

00:28:15 Pam Coulter: But so we don't have a lot of that data right now.

00:28:24 SPEAKER_655: Okay, just follow up to that.

00:28:26 SPEAKER_655: It did jump out at me the conversation in the report about potential.

00:28:31 SPEAKER_655: Report about potentially doing the next phase of the River Precinct.

00:28:35 SPEAKER_655: That might be wishful thinking.

00:28:37 SPEAKER_655: If you take a look at the city's needs as a whole, that's certainly a want and not a need.

00:28:43 SPEAKER_655: And just the capital plan alone for roads, the county said more roads on their capital plan than the city could ever have afforded to do in the last ten years.

00:28:53 SPEAKER_655: Like that's just matter of fact.

00:28:55 SPEAKER_655: We just didn't have the money to even do the jobs that were on their books.

00:28:59 SPEAKER_655: So. if we're still focused on responding to those needs, I don't think that's actually a practical thing to consider in the next few years.

00:29:12 SPEAKER_655: Councils can be different, but I wouldn't hope a lot on resolving parking with improvements in the short term because of the parking because of Phase Three of the the DRP.

00:29:24 SPEAKER_655: My my one question.

00:29:28 SPEAKER_655: I think there's a lot of individuals in the community that would support the advancing the synergy between the library and the gallery common entrance.

00:29:37 SPEAKER_655: I think there's a significant majority of residents would support that, so it's good to see that furthered.

00:29:43 SPEAKER_655: Is there anything here that could compromise the role of the curator of the gallery?

00:29:55 SPEAKER_655: Like doing a great job.

00:29:56 SPEAKER_655: You're the curator of the gallery.

00:29:58 SPEAKER_655: That's what you were hired for in making in a long-term proposition.

00:30:03 SPEAKER_655: Here, is there potentially any conflict between like the gallery committee, for instance, that would be like looking to use those resources to advance the interests of the gallery, particularly your role, Aiden?

00:30:16 SPEAKER_655: Yet this report is maybe directing you in a little different direction.

00:30:21 SPEAKER_655: Like, is there full integration between this report and the gallery?

00:30:25 SPEAKER_655: committee, for example, or could there be conflict by making it permanent?

00:30:34 Aiden: Thank you through that for that question and through the chair.

00:30:36 Aiden: So a couple of thoughts come to mind with respect to that.

00:30:40 Aiden: It's a really great question.

00:30:41 Aiden: I feel that if we were to look at expanding it yet further with the library,

00:30:47 Aiden: that you know it would be helpful for us to sort of have an agreement of terms around the use of that lobby space,

00:30:53 Aiden: because I. think like we have public art and we do community projects there, and we had like last year we brought the Lego Chichiman in.

00:31:02 Aiden: So just understanding like that we would have access to areas where we could continue to do those public art displays,

00:31:09 Aiden: and an agreement on on on that piece would be really useful for us as we move to a much more open shared model.

00:31:16 Aiden: And some of that has come up during our time with integrating with tourism services as well.

00:31:22 Aiden: It's just how do we balance the needs of tourism and it being, you know,

00:31:26 Aiden: highly identified with the gallery and wanting to present those public art collaborations and works from the collection that are durable enough to be in that lobby area,

00:31:37 Aiden: because it does create a really engagement important engagement site for us.

00:31:41 Aiden: So I think understanding those terms of that space in particular will be really helpful if we can make them nice and nice and clear.

00:31:53 Pam Coulter: I would just add to the director's comments that when we were looking at sort of the restructuring model,

00:32:00 Pam Coulter: and tourism and events was put under the the umbrella of you know the director and curator of the Tom, events and culture, which includes tourism.

00:32:11 Pam Coulter: There's a lot of synergy between tourism and the Tom, and you know the Tom is one of our. most important tourism assets, and having those integrated,

00:32:24 Pam Coulter: I don't think in any way compromises the director's professional standards.

00:32:28 Pam Coulter: And I think council has asked us to find effective, cost-efficient ways to deliver both the Tom and tourism, and I think this model brings those two things together nicely, without compromising any professional integrity.

00:32:50 SPEAKER_659: Just to circle back to the parking, I'm just looking at Google Maps here.

00:32:53 SPEAKER_659: There's quite a bit of parking at the Owen Sound Farmers Market, and it's only operational on Saturdays.

00:33:01 SPEAKER_659: Is that correct?

00:33:02 SPEAKER_659: And so, is it being used for staff parking for City Hall?

00:33:07 SPEAKER_659: And is there a way that we could direct people to park there if we could reserve two three spots for tourism parking at the market would that work?

00:33:20 SPEAKER_112: We can through the chair.

00:33:21 SPEAKER_112: We can certainly look at where there might be a spot for a truck and a trailer or a camper in the River District,

00:33:30 SPEAKER_112: whether it's behind the market or I don't know the the lot numbers off the top of my head, but in the 700 block, there's often space,

00:33:38 SPEAKER_112: and that lot is really quite close with the crosswalk to the Tom and the library. so we we can look at what those options are and maybe get them on a map and on the

00:33:50 SPEAKER_112: website.

00:33:50 SPEAKER_112: So if people are coming and they know they're pulling a trailer, and and to the deputy mayor's point, you know certainly understand the capital budget,

00:34:01 SPEAKER_112: but maybe there's a more modest capital improvement with a layby or something that could provide, as opposed to sort of the whole the whole block, but something more modest.

00:34:11 SPEAKER_112: So we'll certainly you know. hearing the comments, we'll look for opportunities to communicate and find those spaces.

00:34:21 SPEAKER_655: And not to harp on the parking a whole lot longer.

00:34:24 SPEAKER_655: I completely agree with Mayor Boddy's comments about how people circle and circle downtown, but are accustomed to walking quite a distance up on Sixteen Street.

00:34:34 SPEAKER_655: Forgotten in the conversation is how many more spaces are gained by angled parking as opposed to parallel. so there's a lot of parking spaces there because it's angled.

00:34:46 SPEAKER_655: I've lost track of how many years ago now it was we had a capital item for wayfinding signage to be improved downtown.

00:34:59 SPEAKER_655: Where's that at, and is that still something that like it was?

00:35:05 SPEAKER_655: I think fifty thousand, and then another fifty thousand, one hundred thousand.

00:35:09 SPEAKER_655: It's never seemingly been. spent.

00:35:11 SPEAKER_655: Are we planning to still do something with downtown green parking signage to direct people?

00:35:21 Pam Coulter: There's wayfinding, and then the downtown P's.

00:35:25 Pam Coulter: We can certainly work with Brianna and the and the parking group on enhancing that.

00:35:32 Pam Coulter: There is an approved, as you've mentioned, Deputy Mayor.

00:35:35 Pam Coulter: There is an approved wayfinding strategy.

00:35:37 Pam Coulter: There is a capital budget. item.

00:35:39 Pam Coulter: It does rely on a grant, and some staff resources to get that done.

00:35:45 Pam Coulter: So the first phase was done.

00:35:47 Pam Coulter: So you'll see those signs on the periphery, but it hasn't happened yet in the River District area.

00:35:57 Ian Boddy: It's been at least two years since Scott asked that question.

00:36:00 Ian Boddy: I'm surprised.

00:36:01 Ian Boddy: It seemed to be every six months to every year that he asked that.

00:36:05 Ian Boddy: Tim.

00:36:06 Ian Boddy: Yeah.

00:36:07 SPEAKER_662: Thank you.

00:36:07 SPEAKER_662: Mayor.

00:36:07 SPEAKER_662: I was just going to say, yeah, that the wayfinding project, quite honestly, has bounced around.

00:36:12 SPEAKER_662: We, we, again, between tourism and our economic development, sort of market attraction, where does it fit in?

00:36:18 SPEAKER_662: And I'll just be honest, it's been a very low priority compared to getting things going with hydrogen and clean energy and other things like that.

00:36:26 SPEAKER_662: I will say though that through the work Vivica's doing.

00:36:29 SPEAKER_662: In fact, tomorrow we're doing a staff walk through in the River District, and we talked about doing a.

00:36:35 SPEAKER_662: And we've talked about doing a work surge come this spring to get things caught up.

00:36:39 SPEAKER_662: One of the things I know that we've talked about internally a lot is signage.

00:36:42 SPEAKER_662: Anybody can walk through the river district, and I don't know how many thousands of signs exist on poles.

00:36:48 SPEAKER_662: If there's a pole, we find a way to hang a sign on it somehow.

00:36:52 SPEAKER_662: So we're going to try to take a look at that just from a visual clutter.

00:36:55 SPEAKER_662: So when we do get around to putting signage up, it becomes more prom a little bit more prominent, easy to read, and it works the way it's intended. to,

00:37:04 SPEAKER_662: as opposed to being you know six signs on one post, and you're trying to decipher what what's what.

00:37:11 Ian Boddy: Okay, can I call the question?

00:37:12 Ian Boddy: I want to get Deckert's report.

00:37:15 Ian Boddy: He's itching, so call the question.

00:37:17 Ian Boddy: All in favor?

00:37:18 Ian Boddy: And that is carried.

00:37:20 Ian Boddy: So at ten D, it is over to the manager of Parks and Open Spaces with regard to park service level playgrounds.

00:37:27 Ian Boddy: Councilor, remember last meeting we had service levels for. cemetery, I think was the and yes, and arboriculture.

00:37:39 Ian Boddy: So this is another one, another big one in that line.

00:37:43 Ian Boddy: Go ahead, accurate.

00:37:43 Ian Boddy: Welcome.

00:38:01 SPEAKER_663: So. this report addresses Service Review Initiative Three Eight Two, charged with defining the target service levels for the broad collection of parks and open space asset offerings and their associated operation and maintenance costs.

00:38:17 SPEAKER_663: This is the fourth report, and it will outline the target service level and the associated operating and capital costs for playgrounds.

00:38:29 SPEAKER_663: The initial report presented in December of 2024 received approval for an updated park inventory and their allocation within defined park classifications.

00:38:43 SPEAKER_663: The utilization of a 10-minute walking distance of 800 meters as a target offset distance to establish the coverage area for neighborhood and community parks,

00:38:53 SPEAKER_663: as well as the adoption of the same 10-minute walking distance for playgrounds.

00:39:01 SPEAKER_663: With the update to the park inventory and classification system complete, the following next steps were identified: continue to inventory and collect park asset data,

00:39:11 SPEAKER_663: perform condition assessments in collaboration with corporate services on key park assets, and to develop target service levels for those key park assets to support the next development phase of the asset management plan.

00:39:29 SPEAKER_663: Through two thousand and twenty-five, a focus was placed on inventorying and cataloging the park-specific assets.

00:39:35 SPEAKER_663: This would allow staff to accurately quantify the assets that need to be maintained, and perform condition assessments on an initial select number of key assets, so that service levels could be accurately defined,

00:39:49 SPEAKER_663: and the associate costs established.

00:39:52 SPEAKER_663: Condition assessments were carried out on playground.

00:39:55 SPEAKER_663: Carried out on playgrounds, the focus of this report, as well as trails, the skate park, and the sports fields at Duncan McLean Park.

00:40:04 SPEAKER_663: Now, the Duncan McLean Park condition assessment was carried out to initially inform the capital upgrade priorities at the facility,

00:40:11 SPEAKER_663: and will be lumped into a broader condition assessment effort that captures the remaining sports fields playground.

00:40:21 SPEAKER_663: The request to establish service levels across all. parks is a large undertaking.

00:40:27 SPEAKER_663: The city has 45 parks and a diverse collection of about 5,200 assets.

00:40:33 SPEAKER_663: These assets are divided into five distinct functional areas, in which associated asset-specific services are grouped.

00:40:42 SPEAKER_663: Parks is by far the largest functional area with 13 asset-specific services, and includes playgrounds.

00:40:50 SPEAKER_663: Now, staff have presented two. service level reports to date, highlighted in green on the slide.

00:40:56 SPEAKER_663: One for the River District in November of 25, and the Arboriculture and Cemetery Services in February of 2026.

00:41:07 SPEAKER_663: Now, to establish service levels for playgrounds, one must first assess the existing staff complement and their capacity to undertake this work.

00:41:16 SPEAKER_663: In my tenure at the city, I have witnessed firsthand the operating pressures experienced by the referenced parks and open space workforce.

00:41:25 SPEAKER_663: This slide illustrates the summer staff complement configuration and is generally fluid.

00:41:32 SPEAKER_663: The limited full-time and large seasonal pool of resources are adjusted almost daily to meet operational needs.

00:41:38 SPEAKER_663: And in some instances, there is limited capacity to address all work responsibilities.

00:41:45 SPEAKER_663: This would be the case for playgrounds, where we have an aging inventory. requiring a significant operational effort to achieve very specific CSA standards, where there is currently very limited capacity to do so.

00:42:04 SPEAKER_663: The current inventory of playgrounds outlined in Attachment Three in the report has twenty-one existing city playgrounds, distributed across three park classifications: five in city parks, three. in community parks and twelve in neighborhood parks.

00:42:22 SPEAKER_663: Fifteen of those twenty-one playgrounds, about seventy-one percent, are twenty-plus years old and beyond their expected useful life.

00:42:32 SPEAKER_663: As an update to the playground inventory, three school playgrounds highlighted in blue, and three new planned playgrounds highlighted in red, haven't included in the overall inventory.

00:42:45 SPEAKER_664: Sorry.

00:42:46 SPEAKER_664: I couldn't get this map any clearer at that scale.

00:42:53 SPEAKER_663: An updated proximity analysis was undertaken to illustrate the impeded coverage area captured within the 10-minute walking distance of 800 meters, and is illustrated on the map.

00:43:05 SPEAKER_663: The proximity analysis is based on the updated playground inventory for school development and city playgrounds.

00:43:13 SPEAKER_663: A total of four city playground Of four city playgrounds, redeemed redundant due to how close they were to other existing city playgrounds, and are being recommended for removal.

00:43:24 SPEAKER_663: They include Maitland Park, top left, Bill English, first one on the right at the top, Garafaxa Park Playground, the Harrison Park Playground, campground, and the Harrison Park Campground Playground.

00:43:41 SPEAKER_663: The removal of the four playgrounds does not diminish the playground coverage area in any way.

00:43:48 SPEAKER_663: The residential areas that are not captured, you'll see them highlighted in red in the top northeast corner.

00:43:57 SPEAKER_663: Within the coverage area of the updated playground inventory, remain very similar to the original proximity mapping.

00:44:04 SPEAKER_663: It is important to note that in an unimpeded situation, the only residential areas not captured are really in the northeast side. of the city, with a majority situated situated along East Bayshore Road.

00:44:21 SPEAKER_663: In 2025, a consultant was hired to perform detailed inspections on all playgrounds, and apply a condition assessment rating.

00:44:30 SPEAKER_663: The outcome of the consultant's work identified a significant number of playgrounds that were deemed to be in poor condition, with four playgrounds or components thereof recommended for. immediate removal.

00:44:42 SPEAKER_663: The consultant has generated a list of defects for each playground, and an estimate associated repair cost.

00:44:50 SPEAKER_663: The total cost to perform all repairs was estimated at about two hundred and twenty-nine thousand dollars.

00:44:57 SPEAKER_663: This also includes about a fifteen percent contingency.

00:45:01 SPEAKER_663: These repairs focus on eliminating high hazard defects to improve safety and mitigate risk, and aim to. extend the life of the playgrounds to align with the target replacement years.

00:45:18 SPEAKER_663: A staggered capital renewal plan has been developed to address the updated playground inventory.

00:45:25 SPEAKER_663: The sequencing of the playground replacements have been prioritized to address those playgrounds or components thereof that have been recommended for removal, and those playgrounds with high repair. cost needs.

00:45:39 SPEAKER_663: Standard playground replacement costs have been established based on park classification.

00:45:45 SPEAKER_663: The park classifications being serviced.

00:45:46 SPEAKER_663: So about two hundred eighty-four thousand for a community and neighborhood park, and five hundred and twenty or seven hundred fifty for a city park, depending on the size and scale of the playground inventory.

00:45:58 SPEAKER_663: These standard replacement costs are included in all related costs, including the supply and installation of the playground equipment and their components, accessibility components to meet AODA compliance, and design, construction, administration, and inspection services.

00:46:16 SPEAKER_663: The replacement schedule has been developed to maintain a consistent annual expenditure.

00:46:22 SPEAKER_663: That means that larger city park playgrounds have been staggered over two or three years to keep the annual expenditure consistent with what is typically spent on a standard neighborhood or community park playground replacement.

00:46:35 SPEAKER_663: Capital project fees for these for the five highest priority playground replacements have been generated, and are included in the twenty seven, twenty twenty seven capital budget submission.

00:46:50 SPEAKER_663: Design standards have been established to provide a consistent play experience across all park classifications that meet today's standards and regulations.

00:47:00 SPEAKER_663: The design standards also include components that were included. to minimize maintenance requirements.

00:47:06 SPEAKER_663: These design standards were used to establish the standard playground replacement costs referenced in the previous slide.

00:47:14 SPEAKER_663: Every playground will include an individual or a composite play structure, swings, and inclusive components, usually an interpretive panel,

00:47:23 SPEAKER_663: that cater to junior users who range in age from 18 months to 5 years and senior users who range in age from 5 to 12 years old.

00:47:32 SPEAKER_663: a hard edge around the perimeter of the protective surface area.

00:47:37 SPEAKER_663: This hard edge is a critical component that will limit encroachment into the protective area.

00:47:43 SPEAKER_663: The use of engineered wood fiber as the preferred material for that protective surface, accessibility components, and surface drainage underneath the protective surface area.

00:47:59 SPEAKER_663: The draft. service levels for the updated inventory of city playgrounds is guided by municipal best practices and CSA standards for playgrounds equipment and surfacing.

00:48:11 SPEAKER_663: The service level document outlines the recommended inspection types and their frequency, the basic O&M tasks aimed at keeping the play structures and protective surface in a good state of repair,

00:48:24 SPEAKER_663: the tools and software applications required to identify and track. the O&M work performed, and lastly, the generation of performance measures that are seamlessly derived from this operation and maintenance database.

00:48:42 SPEAKER_663: The next few slides summarize the recommendations.

00:48:45 SPEAKER_663: The financial resource recommendations are broken down based on operating capital implications.

00:48:51 SPEAKER_663: The operating budget recommendations involve carrying out the necessary critical repair work in twenty.

00:48:57 SPEAKER_663: Critical repair work in two thousand and twenty-six using the playground reserve.

00:49:00 SPEAKER_663: Annually increasing the operating budget by twenty-five hundred per replacement playground throughout the first replacement cycle,

00:49:08 SPEAKER_663: and bringing forward the operating cost associated with adding a new permanent staff resource as part of the two thousand and twenty-seven operating budget deliberations.

00:49:18 SPEAKER_663: From a capital perspective, the financial resource recommendations include implementing the staggered playground replacement. based on the proposed standardized playground configuration and cost,

00:49:29 SPEAKER_663: and considering the prepared capital projects as part of the two thousand and twenty-seven capital budget deliberations.

00:49:37 SPEAKER_663: From a human human resource perspective, the recommendations are centered around creating a new dedicated full-time playground practitioner position and providing the necessary training to maintain a certification.

00:49:50 SPEAKER_663: Equipment will be required to support this new position, and once defined. shall be brought forward as part of the two thousand and twenty-seven fleet strategy and capital budget deliberations.

00:50:00 SPEAKER_663: The proposed service levels for playgrounds requires a full-time and dedicated effort based on the size and complexity of the playground inventory.

00:50:08 SPEAKER_663: It allows for the dedicated staff to build competency that can only be gained through hands-on experience.

00:50:18 SPEAKER_663: A key technology recommendation involves the establishment of war order.

00:50:22 SPEAKER_663: Establishment of work order templates, and once in place, secure the necessary equipment to support mobile data collection and the generation of field work orders.

00:50:31 SPEAKER_663: From a communications perspective, the report of concern process for playgrounds will be developed and integrated into the work order structure to seamlessly track these occurrences.

00:50:41 SPEAKER_663: And lastly, staff will continue to pursue partnership opportunities and grants.

00:50:49 SPEAKER_663: And this last slide. outlines the staff report recommendations related to the proposed playground service levels for your consideration.

00:51:01 SPEAKER_663: Good report.

00:51:02 SPEAKER_663: It's pretty detailed.

00:51:07 SPEAKER_153: Motions, questions, questions, whichever.

00:51:09 SPEAKER_153: Go ahead.

00:51:11 SPEAKER_153: Thank you.

00:51:12 SPEAKER_155: Thank you for the report.

00:51:13 SPEAKER_155: Lots of detail.

00:51:16 SPEAKER_155: I am not in.

00:51:19 SPEAKER_155: I'm not in favor of the recommendations in the report.

00:51:21 SPEAKER_155: Adding a full-time FTE position—that's going to require a vehicle.

00:51:27 SPEAKER_155: I feel like we're going against what the whole purpose of the service review was meant for.

00:51:35 SPEAKER_155: If we have still have 17 playgrounds in the city,

00:51:40 SPEAKER_155: and it's going to require a full-time FTE to to keep them in good condition and and do all of Condition and do all of the things that we need to do,

00:51:49 SPEAKER_155: then then maybe we still have too many, and maybe that's going to be an unpopular opinion.

00:51:54 SPEAKER_155: But the point of service review was to right size the services that we can afford in this city, and I feel like there's more work that we could do in this file.

00:52:06 SPEAKER_155: In my opinion, we have three marquee playgrounds in the city.

00:52:12 SPEAKER_155: We have Kelso, we have Harrison Park, and we have the one over at the Bayshore.

00:52:18 SPEAKER_155: These are larger, more substantial, which is reflected in the the capital replacement values of these,

00:52:26 SPEAKER_155: and they do play more of a tourism role in attracting people to the city and and providing a place for for people to do something in the city.

00:52:37 SPEAKER_155: The interior parks and playgrounds are more, you know, for neighborhood use, and I still feel. like we have a lot of overlap, even with the downsizing to the 17.

00:52:49 SPEAKER_155: For instance, do you have something that you can show us on what $284,000 per playground provides?

00:52:58 SPEAKER_155: Do you have anything through you through the chair?

00:53:05 SPEAKER_155: Yes.

00:53:06 SPEAKER_682: So the the template that I am using to develop this is the work that we're doing at Comerat and at Owen Height.

00:53:13 SPEAKER_682: so it's here.

00:53:16 SPEAKER_682: We have two parks, very similar to any other neighborhood park.

00:53:20 SPEAKER_682: We have no infrastructure to address the AODA requirements of the world that we live in today.

00:53:28 SPEAKER_682: So that had additional cost that really wasn't factored into the playground component itself, but is required pretty well at every location that we have.

00:53:37 SPEAKER_682: So that's one of the components.

00:53:39 SPEAKER_682: Then there is the design. drawing preparation, the survey work, the the construction administration effort that's required to make sure it gets built correctly,

00:53:49 SPEAKER_682: all of those components are not things that we have in-house resource capacity to do.

00:53:54 SPEAKER_682: So it requires outside services.

00:53:57 SPEAKER_682: So there's a cost associated with that.

00:54:00 SPEAKER_682: And then these playgrounds are not complex.

00:54:03 SPEAKER_682: These are about as basic as you can get to give the play experience for the age groups that we're targeting. there's nothing extra there because we just don't have the funding to do that.

00:54:16 SPEAKER_682: So the cost for the for the the way I've structured is that there are there's a capital project that's specific for the design.

00:54:23 SPEAKER_682: Trying to be efficient in how I do the work is a design for four playgrounds.

00:54:27 SPEAKER_682: So we will have you know construction ready design packages, and then each year we will implement them and put them in the ground, and then we'll do that again in the fifth year,

00:54:36 SPEAKER_682: and we'll repeat the process until we get through the cycle.

00:54:39 SPEAKER_682: The challenge is that most of the playground infrastructure that we have, you know, most of it is—I shouldn't say most.

00:54:49 SPEAKER_682: There's a significant component of the playgrounds that have just disappeared, disappeared because they likely ran out of life, were unsafe, and needed to be removed.

00:55:00 SPEAKER_682: So we have we have a collection of playgrounds where, in some cases, we have a swing; in other cases, we have a slide.

00:55:08 SPEAKER_682: We have one place like we have a very.

00:55:10 SPEAKER_682: You can tell that the effort required to maintain them, we haven't had the resource capacity to invest to keep them up to the CSA standard.

00:55:20 SPEAKER_682: So, from my perspective, this is where the risk,

00:55:23 SPEAKER_682: the the safety and the risk management aspect really drives home that you need to keep these in in a in a good state of repair if you're going to build them and if you're going

00:55:34 SPEAKER_682: to own them.

00:55:35 SPEAKER_682: That's the main.

00:55:36 SPEAKER_682: That's the primary driver.

00:55:41 SPEAKER_659: Thank you for that, and and that kind of speaks to the point that I'm trying to make.

00:55:46 SPEAKER_659: Is that if we have 17 playgrounds, it's costly, it's time consuming.

00:55:53 SPEAKER_659: I feel like if we concentrated more on maybe 12 playgrounds, let's say, spread out across the city, that we could do a better.

00:56:05 SPEAKER_659: job of providing more, as far as play value, you know,

00:56:11 SPEAKER_659: better staff, resource, time, that sort of thing, without putting the burden on the city.

00:56:18 SPEAKER_659: Like we have a playground scheduled to go into Evans Park.

00:56:23 SPEAKER_659: I'm not sure who who even knows where Evans Park is.

00:56:27 SPEAKER_659: It's at the bottom of Ninth Street, and I think I've seen it once in the twenty years that I've lived. here,

00:56:33 SPEAKER_659: but I can't imagine how we would spend two hundred eighty-four thousand dollars on a play structure there.

00:56:39 SPEAKER_659: So, is there any appetite for these areas that we are removing playgrounds to be able to do something else with that land that would be a revenue generator,

00:56:56 SPEAKER_659: such as putting it up for sale for affordable housing, something like that?

00:56:59 SPEAKER_659: That money goes back into. the playground reserve and goes towards funding the other parks that that we need.

00:57:09 SPEAKER_659: And the other thing I'm thinking is that we have other things in the city that that can provide entertainment for people, like the Weavers Creek Boardwalk and the skate park,

00:57:21 SPEAKER_659: and other things that we don't have funding for.

00:57:24 SPEAKER_659: That we could downsize this and spend money elsewhere to provide a more broad. experience, so those are my thoughts.

00:57:38 Ian Boddy: I'm assuming there's either of you, you, whoever put up your hand first.

00:57:47 SPEAKER_662: Three of you, mayor, to to committee, and to Melanie.

00:57:51 SPEAKER_662: I don't disagree on your original comments about the staff member and adding staff, and maybe that runs count.

00:57:58 SPEAKER_662: That runs counter to service review.

00:58:00 SPEAKER_662: However, I'd also note when we put these type of comments in a report, it's not due to again just adding staff.

00:58:09 SPEAKER_662: I think Eckerd might be able to talk a little bit when playgrounds were introduced 50 years ago, and then redone 25 years ago.

00:58:17 SPEAKER_662: The the standards, the liability, those issues that come with the certification and everything.

00:58:24 SPEAKER_662: The province continually, and I'm not trying. to point a finger at the province, but those standards continually have to be met, similar to other things,

00:58:33 SPEAKER_662: and that's the stuff that just wasn't contemplated 25 years ago or or more when playgrounds were built.

00:58:39 SPEAKER_662: It was like, hey, here's a neighborhood park, let's put a playground in it.

00:58:43 SPEAKER_662: If if you needed a slide, you could you know send a couple crew members out, replace the broken slide or broken hinge or whatever it might might be.

00:58:51 SPEAKER_662: You know, we all remember the days when slides were stainless steel. and you got an immediate sunburn from going down a slide, etc. But that, with AODA standards and everything else,

00:59:02 SPEAKER_662: has just added to the cost of playgrounds.

00:59:04 SPEAKER_662: But to your point, that the more playgrounds you have, the more the more cost.

00:59:10 SPEAKER_662: In response to the question about can you take those parcels of land and make them revenue generating, 100.

00:59:18 SPEAKER_662: But that's a council decision on declaring those lands surplus, and it's a very political question.

00:59:23 SPEAKER_662: A few. years ago, I'd remind committee that we did look at a very small portion of park that a developer wanted to put some a length of townhomes on,

00:59:32 SPEAKER_662: in addition to part of some other builds, and I think the public outcry was just huge.

00:59:38 SPEAKER_662: I'm not saying that that's right or wrong, but there is opportunity to declare land surplus, absolutely.

00:59:45 SPEAKER_662: But I think that's a council decision that they would have to understand what comes with those decisions.

00:59:51 SPEAKER_662: Thanks for the report, Eckerd.

00:59:58 SPEAKER_662: I think is really good.

00:59:59 SPEAKER_655: I support the removable, the removing of certain parks here.

01:00:04 SPEAKER_655: I think is very defensible, and you did a good job of articulating that in the report.

01:00:08 SPEAKER_655: Maitland jumps out at me.

01:00:10 SPEAKER_655: I don't even think it's developable.

01:00:11 SPEAKER_655: It's probably mostly hazard lands.

01:00:14 SPEAKER_655: New mapping would indicate what you can and can't do there.

01:00:17 SPEAKER_655: In 1977, probably every Saturday morning, that bald.

01:00:21 SPEAKER_655: Probably every Saturday morning, that ball vent, the the back screen had balls flying against it for five hours of the day, and it maybe hasn't seen a running shoe on it for 27 years now.

01:00:32 SPEAKER_655: Like it's it's certainly it's a different era, and I think your report is responding to different times.

01:00:38 SPEAKER_655: And I totally support repurposing Garafraca, for instance, naturalizing it, reducing some of the demands.

01:00:46 SPEAKER_655: One thing that you mentioned that stuck out to me, though, was pay more upfront to reduce maintenance and operational needs.

01:00:53 SPEAKER_655: I would concur with Councillor Millerbro's comments about the addition of new FTE.

01:01:02 SPEAKER_655: It's not something I would support.

01:01:04 SPEAKER_655: I'd want to see more information back in terms of like comparing us.

01:01:07 SPEAKER_655: What does the school board do?

01:01:09 SPEAKER_655: They've got 40 elementary schools, I think, in Bluewater.

01:01:13 SPEAKER_655: Shared service opportunities with other municipalities.

01:01:16 SPEAKER_655: Everyone knows Shal Lake.

01:01:17 SPEAKER_655: Everyone knows Shell Lake has a wonderful playground that was appreciably donated or funded by a community partner there, but it's an elaborate playground and comes with an ongoing cost.

01:01:31 SPEAKER_655: So, are there sharing opportunities that we should look at, as opposed to immediately looking to increase our own complement?

01:01:42 SPEAKER_655: But the school boards, I think you did a nice job in the report too of articulating. where those schools are, because it's that there's only one taxpayer,

01:01:51 SPEAKER_655: and every opportunity we can exercise to reinforce that partnership with the schools is super important and makes no sense in today's world of limited resources to run duplication or redundancy,

01:02:10 SPEAKER_655: and it's good to see where it can be.

01:02:12 SPEAKER_655: I think the Evans, Evan Park, it's. a Sesame Street park.

01:02:16 SPEAKER_655: That's what it's an urban park, and I think there's a need for it.

01:02:19 SPEAKER_655: Walkability is is important, and the report speaks to certain impediments where Ten Street is is something that's not easy for residents to cross.

01:02:31 SPEAKER_655: So you're responding to trying to recognize certain streets that are busy.

01:02:37 SPEAKER_655: It's just not a while the park might be closed.

01:02:41 SPEAKER_655: There's certain obstacles that are prohibited from. kids accessing it safely.

01:02:45 SPEAKER_655: So, I support the finished product as it stands here in the recommendations.

01:02:53 SPEAKER_655: But at this time, I would have hesitancy about including a staffing resource in the twenty-seven budget consideration.

01:03:03 SPEAKER_655: I'd I'd like to see more information come back about other opportunities to be explored on that.

01:03:10 SPEAKER_655: Pam.

01:03:12 SPEAKER_026: Thank you, Worship.

01:03:13 SPEAKER_026: You know, further to the comments from the manager and the city manager, and the deputy mayor pointed out, like Garafraxa, there's very limited frontage on the public street.

01:03:26 SPEAKER_026: The report does speak to perhaps the future uses if those playgrounds are removed.

01:03:35 SPEAKER_026: Forty years ago, the standards with respect to playgrounds were different.

01:03:39 SPEAKER_026: The inspection requirements are risk different than today.

01:03:44 SPEAKER_026: Certainly appreciate the concerns and comments around an additional FTE.

01:03:50 SPEAKER_026: Those costs don't go away.

01:03:51 SPEAKER_026: So we can certainly, you know, as we look to bring that forward to 2027 budget.

01:03:58 SPEAKER_026: The other thing I would just remind the committee: we did, as we looked at other couple of things.

01:04:06 SPEAKER_026: One,

01:04:06 SPEAKER_026: having that staff person dedicated. to doing those ongoing repairs will eliminate that you know two hundred and eighty-four thousand or whatever the number is today that we're facing in terms of those critical repairs that

01:04:20 SPEAKER_026: work isn't getting done in a more timely basis.

01:04:24 SPEAKER_026: So having that strategic investment in the assets hopefully extends the life and avoids those more costly repairs.

01:04:30 SPEAKER_026: But this report, as Eckert's mentioned, is the fourth report and it builds on some of those earlier ones.

01:04:37 SPEAKER_026: So. there's the position related to boro culture.

01:04:43 SPEAKER_026: We need to continue that work on inventorying that asset.

01:04:50 SPEAKER_026: Trees change, so if we, you know, take on 20% of the city each year, it allows us every five years basically to continue to update.

01:04:58 SPEAKER_026: Is there an opportunity, as you've mentioned, working with school boards, other municipalities?

01:05:03 SPEAKER_026: But what does a position look like that bundles those things together.

01:05:08 SPEAKER_026: So certainly, you know, we can look and explore those.

01:05:12 SPEAKER_026: But those are things we can include in that future business case and report.

01:05:20 SPEAKER_655: And just my last comment would be: I think you did a good job of placing the report, the requirements for staff time in the parks and playgrounds,

01:05:31 SPEAKER_655: and it'll stick with me. when there's requests made to consume staffing resources at various events, and whether it's festival, Northern Lights, whatever, those are big draws on on your limited resources in terms of staffing,

01:05:47 SPEAKER_655: and it comes with a cost.

01:05:49 SPEAKER_655: And this report speaks to that as well.

01:05:52 SPEAKER_655: So, I will retain that information for future considerations too.

01:06:01 SPEAKER_655: Go ahead.

01:06:03 Suneet Kukreja: Through you, Chair.

01:06:03 Suneet Kukreja: Just a quick question.

01:06:05 Suneet Kukreja: You've mentioned the report that the new staff that we are requesting would look up, do some of the inspections and do some of the training,

01:06:14 Suneet Kukreja: and there was also something I read about maintaining the playground database.

01:06:20 Suneet Kukreja: So I'm just curious, how is that done currently without that staff in the picture?

01:06:28 SPEAKER_100: Through the Chair to Councilor Kranja.

01:06:31 SPEAKER_100: So we have, over the last couple of years, built up a GIS database with specific attributes that we are now tapping into to inform our decision making.

01:06:46 SPEAKER_100: We are looking at Pearl, the work order system, and generate.

01:06:54 SPEAKER_100: We do not have any work order templates for playgrounds, so we do everything. in paper.

01:07:00 SPEAKER_100: Again, there's an administrative component to that, unfortunately.

01:07:04 SPEAKER_100: And again, we're trying to get into the electronic world where all of that is seamlessly done through an application.

01:07:12 SPEAKER_100: The the inspection is completed.

01:07:14 SPEAKER_100: The defects are tracked.

01:07:16 SPEAKER_100: The work orders are created.

01:07:17 SPEAKER_100: The work is done.

01:07:18 SPEAKER_100: The work order is closed.

01:07:19 SPEAKER_100: And I can tell you at the end of the day exactly how much money and effort we went in went into maintaining one playground.

01:07:27 SPEAKER_100: That's the data again.

01:07:28 SPEAKER_100: That will help us better understand our infrastructure and what the work requirements are to keep it in a good state of repair.

01:07:37 SPEAKER_100: We don't have that information for everything.

01:07:39 SPEAKER_100: We we have basic information that quantifies that data, but now once we have that in place, GIS software is an amazing tool.

01:07:49 SPEAKER_100: What it can do and demonstrate and illustrate is mind boggling.

01:07:54 SPEAKER_100: And now that we have the data, I'm looking forward to.

01:07:57 SPEAKER_100: Have the data, and I'm looking forward to, to doing some of that analytical work, and that's where all the that's the the beauty of keeping that database up to date.

01:08:06 SPEAKER_100: From a playground perspective, we we just have locations right now.

01:08:11 SPEAKER_100: We don't have anything specific on the components because we know we're going to replace them.

01:08:15 SPEAKER_100: I'm not going to invest time to inventory the components that I know I'm just going to replace in the next four or five years.

01:08:23 SPEAKER_100: Does that answer your question?

01:08:29 Ian Boddy: Wisdom comes with gray hair, or something like that.

01:08:32 Ian Boddy: Comes with experiences.

01:08:35 Ian Boddy: But 1986, 87, the insurance companies were forcing all of municipalities to take their playground equipment off because they were liabilities, and then they all had to be redesigned and rebuilt.

01:08:47 Ian Boddy: And that's where the the new standards came in.

01:08:51 Ian Boddy: I'm going to say between. two thousand and fourteen, two thousand and eighteen, that council term.

01:08:57 Ian Boddy: I think we did a parks master plan.

01:09:00 Ian Boddy: We looked at that Evans Park and thought, but it is the only public park space between what's one on top of the hill, Comerat Park.

01:09:11 Ian Boddy: Basically, below the hill between Harrison Park and Harrison Field, unbelievably, all the houses along there.

01:09:16 Ian Boddy: There's nothing else in there.

01:09:22 Ian Boddy: Between. two thousand and fourteen and eighteen,

01:09:23 Ian Boddy: we had that discussion that some of us would have sold off a couple of lots off of some of those parks to be able to take that money and buy other parkland or upgrade other

01:09:33 Ian Boddy: land that could be parks in those neighborhoods where there isn't anything.

01:09:39 Ian Boddy: And it's it's a hard one to get through the public, and then we ran into that beside the the French School as well.

01:09:51 Ian Boddy: Last term, you will remember that we were getting hammered on Facebook and all over the place because we had a park equipment that was failing,

01:10:01 Ian Boddy: and there was a slide that we had to put a piece of board in the end of it.

01:10:04 Ian Boddy: We didn't have the budget even to tear it out at that moment because we, it it just wasn't there.

01:10:10 Ian Boddy: So, to me, there's with everything.

01:10:14 Ian Boddy: There's a double-edged sword that cuts both ways.

01:10:17 Ian Boddy: Having somebody looking after those. hopefully extending the lives and being being more on top of it could could have savings of for the city in the long run,

01:10:30 Ian Boddy: or at least keep people happy for longer.

01:10:34 Ian Boddy: I don't think did we did anyone move the recommendation.

01:10:40 Ian Boddy: Someone want to move it?

01:10:42 Ian Boddy: Deputy Mayor Greig has moved it.

01:10:45 Ian Boddy: Oh, go ahead.

01:10:47 SPEAKER_655: I move it just. with one question.

01:10:49 SPEAKER_655: It does note that the recommendations in the draft service level document playgrounds that those that document does not include the staffing consideration or resource.

01:11:04 SPEAKER_655: So I'm comfortable moving the recommendation with that draft service level document because I don't see that.

01:11:10 SPEAKER_655: But I just want to be certain that that consideration is not. moving forward formally as part of this, or or I'd look to have an amendment somehow and separate it for a vote.

01:11:23 SPEAKER_662: Tim, through you, Mayor to Council to Deputy Mayor Greig, you had asked.

01:11:28 SPEAKER_662: I understand that we're going to check.

01:11:29 SPEAKER_662: I think that's correct.

01:11:30 SPEAKER_662: Your the way you've viewed it.

01:11:32 SPEAKER_662: However, you had mentioned that you would be open to information back to look at that further.

01:11:38 SPEAKER_662: So, with that, even though.

01:11:45 SPEAKER_662: Would you want that before operating budget next year, or during the operating budget discussion?

01:11:53 SPEAKER_655: I think wherever staff see the most opportune time to present that information back, whether it's a third-party contractor that we look at hiring in the cost or school sharing, whatever,

01:12:04 SPEAKER_655: I'd leave that to staff to decide when it comes back.

01:12:11 Pam Coulter: Through your worship, just looking quickly and.

01:12:14 Pam Coulter: I can go back to it before the minutes come forward and make sure.

01:12:18 Pam Coulter: But the service level speaks to a certified playground inspector, who you have.

01:12:24 Pam Coulter: You know we have some now, but it doesn't say an additional one.

01:12:31 Pam Coulter: So you're not committing to that.

01:12:33 Pam Coulter: You're saying that the inspection should be done by someone who's properly certified.

01:12:37 Pam Coulter: It doesn't speak to an additional resource.

01:12:40 Pam Coulter: We'll make sure that the. final service level document is is clear on that.

01:12:46 Pam Coulter: If if that's the intent of the motion.

01:12:51 Pam Coulter: Good, thank you.

01:12:54 Pam Coulter: No further questions.

01:12:58 SPEAKER_667: If you got one, fire it.

01:12:59 SPEAKER_667: That's what we're here for.

01:13:00 SPEAKER_667: Yep.

01:13:00 SPEAKER_667: I just want to make sure because we're approving the recommendation as it says here.

01:13:06 SPEAKER_667: Draft service level documents is fine, as outlined. so the recommendations that are within this report is that covered in this recommendation because, like, getting rid of the four playgrounds and and that sort of thing.

01:13:23 SPEAKER_667: But in in the same thing on page twenty seven, it says existing staff complement will be included in the two thousand and twenty seven budget for consideration for the extra person.

01:13:37 SPEAKER_667: So I just want to be very clear. on what we are voting on here.

01:13:43 SPEAKER_668: Accurate.

01:13:44 SPEAKER_668: So, so my through the chair.

01:13:46 SPEAKER_668: So my intent with the report was there's no there's nothing in this report that says you that we are now going to be hiring an additional resource.

01:13:55 SPEAKER_668: These are all deferred to budget deliberations, either on the capital side or on the operating side.

01:14:01 SPEAKER_668: This is not the report that will drive a definite yes or no. It's just saying. you will see it as part of your budget deliberation work,

01:14:11 SPEAKER_668: and at that point you you will be making a decision which direction to take it in.

01:14:18 SPEAKER_668: Good.

01:14:24 SPEAKER_668: Yes.

01:14:24 SPEAKER_668: So removals.

01:14:25 SPEAKER_668: There's there is now a body of work to do now that we are aware of what the situation is.

01:14:32 SPEAKER_668: I need to do something, and so there is a capital reserve. account for playgrounds that I will be tapping into to support making the critical repairs and eliminating the playgrounds that are scheduled for removal.

01:14:47 SPEAKER_668: Not all are coming out right away because I need to work on the ones that are staying first and get them replaced so that I can remove the redundant playgrounds because there is they're pretty

01:14:59 SPEAKER_668: small.

01:15:00 SPEAKER_668: So yes, that that's the first order of business.

01:15:03 SPEAKER_668: How I do that.

01:15:04 SPEAKER_668: I have to figure out.

01:15:05 SPEAKER_668: But that's the only commitment that is in the report that I think has to move forward.

01:15:13 SPEAKER_668: Buttons, candies.

01:15:17 Ian Boddy: Okay.

01:15:18 Ian Boddy: Now I can call the question on favor.

01:15:20 Ian Boddy: That's carried.

01:15:21 Ian Boddy: Thank you.

01:15:21 Ian Boddy: Thank you for that report.

01:15:22 Ian Boddy: It's pretty pretty detailed and good.

01:15:26 Ian Boddy: And I hope all council gets a chance to read these ones, especially these levels of service.

01:15:32 Ian Boddy: Tim.

01:15:35 Ian Boddy: We started off with I think forty-nine projects.

01:15:38 Ian Boddy: Do we know how many we have ticked off?

01:15:42 Ian Boddy: It's a good question.

01:15:45 SPEAKER_662: I believe we've we've probably successfully completed at least twenty-nine or thirty of those, to date.

01:15:52 SPEAKER_662: And just you know, in a broader context, looking at the cost of a playground, say it's one hundred fifty thousand, two hundred eighty. thousand, whatever.

01:16:03 SPEAKER_662: Removing these four through service review will bring our you know cost avoidance, cost savings, labor stuff.

01:16:10 SPEAKER_662: Even with the team's report earlier today, when you start to add up those hours, we're well over two million dollars in in cost avoidance and savings through the work of this project or multiple projects.

01:16:23 SPEAKER_662: Good, thanks.

01:16:26 Ian Boddy: So, following the agenda, number eleven, we have no. At number eleven, we have no matters postponed.

01:16:31 Ian Boddy: At twelve, we have no motions which were previously given.

01:16:34 Ian Boddy: Thirteen, we have no correspondence provided for information.

01:16:38 Ian Boddy: We had no additional business that was added.

01:16:41 Ian Boddy: Are there any notices of motion being given?

01:16:45 Ian Boddy: Seeing none, so with that, that completes our work.

01:16:47 Ian Boddy: It is ten twenty.

01:16:49 Ian Boddy: We can adjourn this meeting.

01:16:50 Ian Boddy: Thanks, everybody.