The Winds of Change

The winds of change are blowing gently through the city of Kingston. Do you hear citizens cheering???!

The Arts, Recreatin and Community Policies Committee (Councillors Garrison, Gerretsen, Glover, Mcleod-Kane and Osanic) met on Tuesday evening. Among the items was one related to the future of Harold Harvey Arena. City staff had recommended closing it, as did a consultant that was hired to recommend the future of this facility as well as Wally Elmer and Cook Bros facilities.

Needless to say, there was consternation among youth groups (and adult groups) that use these facilities, primarily because not only are they still useable, but opening the new multiplex will not do anything for the derth of ice in the Greater Kingston Area. These groups say that actually, there will not be more ice for sport when the new facility opens.

The ARC Policies Committee unanamously recommended that Harold Harvey not be closed, and that discussions get underway with the Church Athletic League (CAL) for them to acquire and operate it.

This action, i.e. recommending retention of the rink, by previous council would have been unheard of.

Newly-minted council members have a different attitude toward their responsibilities. This group seems to be acting in the interests of Kingstonians....the ordinary ones, the typical citizen, just every day people who have children, who run sports and rec programs, who coach their child's team, who shop at Food Basics, who want to enjoy their city and be proud of it.

This new, more community-focussed attitude will be welcomed by city staff, I hope. My experience has been that city staff (while over-extended) are generally a positive bunch who are keen to serve the citizens where they are. They just needed some councillors who had a positive, building attitude rather than the negative attitude that had prevailed.

I lived in a community in which the prevailing attitude was "Sure, we can do that. How can we work together to make it happen?" Perhaps Kingston's "No, we can't do that" attitude is gone.

Let's hope that the breezes of change continue, and become "the winds of change."