City Briefs

City looks into honouring Red Tilson

Oshawa benches may have some new occupants in the near future.

At the Oct. 6 meeting of the Community Services committee, a letter from a local resident urged councillors to look into honouring former Oshawa Generals and war veteran Red Tilson with a bench statue. The funds for such a statue could be garnered from government heritage grants, the writer suggested.

Now, councillors are looking at not just Tilson, but any other names that may be worthy of a statue and have referred the matter to the Robert McLaughlin Gallery for information on potential grants available.

 

Off-leash dog park expansions going to budget talks

Following calls for more space for pooches within the city, Oshawa councillors have voted to refer expansion plans to the 2017 budget.

In a report from staff, a plan that included $70,000 for the construction of an accessible walkway and off-leash enclosure within the current Harmony Valley Park was referred to the 2017 capital budget.

Currently, city departments are underway creating budgets for the 2017 year, and any funds for the dog-park project will be discussed when budget talks begin in December.

Part of the plan also has staff members reviewing other locations for off-leash dog parks within the city.

 

Additional funds needed for city trucks

A budgeted truck purchase at city hall has come in nearly $700,000 more than expected.

The three vehicles, a trio of tandem axle trucks with plows, were approved in previous budgets, but city staff were hit with higher than expected replacement costs and the low value of the Canadian dollar.

In total, the contract, slated to be awarded to Premier Truck Group at council’s next meeting, is worth $1,479,918. An additional $639,596 is required for the deal and is set to come out of the city’s equipment replacement reserve.

The item passed through council’s finance committee without discussion.

 

Equipment repairs needed at Mary Street parkade

Aging systems are causing costly problems inside the Mary Street Parkade as city staff has been forced to repair leaks in the sprinkler system and replace a seized portion of the HVAC system.

Discovered during the city’s annual inspection of the sprinkler system, a trio of leaks were found that required immediate repair in order to continue to meet safety standards. A portion of the HVAC system also needed to be replaced in order to ensure proper ventilation in portions of the parkade.

In total, the sprinkler repairs costs $14,700, and added to the $6,510 needed for the HVAC system, a total of $21,210 of additional funds were needed inside the parkade.

According to a city report, the funds can be accommodated through additional revenues and other savings throughout the city’s operating budget.