Minutes from the Property Standards / Long Term Planning Committee meeting

Held April 28, 2010

Barrie City Hall: Sir Robert Barrie Room

Meeting began at 7 p.m

Attendees:  Karen, Janet, Lorna, Bryan & Jayne, Cindy, Evan, Rob

·         The first item on the agenda was to review the Role and Purpose statements. After a few changes are made, the finalized copy will be emailed to Ben Strudwick, and he in turn will post it on the BDNA website.

·         The upcoming C.P.T.E.D & Property Standards Presentation will be held on May 25, 2010, at the Barrie City Hall Council Chamber. There will be two guest speakers on hand to answer questions. Sample questions asked might be:  Noise by-laws are not being enforced at the present time, so how much noise is allowable and is there a restriction on noise?  How many by-law officers are there and how are they deployed?  Who is in charge of safety in the downtown core?  Crime prevention is working on a report to be presented regarding cameras in the downtown core.  Cindy also brought up the problem of garbage on patios and how much are people allowed to accumulate.   Extended invitations were sent to the East Enders, Allandale, and the BIA.

·         General Update –“At the Five”: The restaurant has applied for a liquor licence for its outdoor patio/bar and residents are concerned about the potential for loud music and noise levels this may generate. Music must be shut down by 11 p. m. Many residents of 6 Bayfield St. have voiced their concerns to the AGCO.

·         Discussions around single family homes being duplexed in the area are an ongoing concern.  Owners should apply for building permits, and be responsible that these dwellings are safe for tenants. Fire walls, etc. should be installed all through the house.  Many owners are doing this without applying for permits. Enforcement tends to be reactive.  One home that was duplexed took almost one year to address.  What is the time limit?  

·         John has contacted a local social agency with a proposal for the Property Standards Committee to spruce up the appearance of the front area of their building as a fall project.  We would seek the help of volunteers to help carry out this project.  This would include jobs such as painting, planting shrubs, lawn care, parking etc. They are a high need association, who are constantly in a survival mode, and therefore we would like to work positively with them, so they know that we are a neighbourhood.

·         New Concerns:

·         Janet stated that people move to Barrie for outdoor attractions not for theatres.  She insists that there should be more bike trails, and that there should be more enrichment of the environment and not just cultural development.  We should encourage the growth of our outdoor assets.

·         Our situation downtown is starting to turn for the better, as the neighbourhood committees are beginning to reach the masses.  Good planning and a resolute population will improve conditions in the future.

·         There must be zero tolerance in the downtown for public intoxication, property damage, fighting and bad language.  We need to have the police lay many more charges, and the penalties need to be made more severe.

·         With regards to rooming houses and “Geared to Income Housing” what is the County of Simcoe’s annual contribution to the City?  Is the return to the City tracked, and if so what is the dollar value return to the City?  With the City of Barrie providing a large portion of services well above a per capita ratio, is this reflected in the funds coming from the County? It is agreed that more geared to income housing is needed to alleviate the rooming house situations.

·         Consensus among us is that there needs to be a High School in the downtown core.  The School Board is trying to close Central Collegiate.  Rob suggested that we need to contact the province in the persons of our MPP Aileen Carroll, Premier Dalton McGuinty, and the Minister of Education, expressing our insistence that the High School be retained in downtown Barrie in accordance with the “Places to Grow” policies.

·         Bryan stated that we need to address issues of by-law enforcement.  Once again the by-law enforcement employees state that local citizens need to identify violators.  They seem to be more re-active than pro-active. Concerns surround by-law enforcement employees working only during the day when many of the violations such as noise occur in the evening.

·         The meeting adjourned at 9 p.m