Morningstar Mill not going to NPCA
Councillors not OK with proposed deal to transfer responsibilities
St. Catharines councillors have rejected a proposal to transfer Morningstar Mill to Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority in favour of keeping it in city hands.
NPCA’s offer to take over the property if the city makes more than $1 million in upgrades and continues to pay operating costs for five years was called “nonsense bordering on ludicrous” and in the end, the majority of councillors didn’t want to negotiate further.
“I really strongly feel it would be a big mistake for us to give this to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority,” said Port Dalhousie Coun. Bruce Williamson, who made the motion to retain ownership and operation in co-operation with Friends of the Morningstar Mill.
Williamson argued the mill is one of the most significant historic landmarks and public spaces in the city, restored through thousands of volunteer hours by dedicated local citizens.
He said the idea of giving the mill to a responsible body to operate so the city could save some money was fair and noble, but the NPCA’s offer didn’t support the move.
“The numbers certainly don’t add up,” Williamson said. “It certainly doesn’t merit us taking away a heritage gem that is near and dear to the hearts of a lot of people.”
Williamson also questioned whether the NPCA would be good stewards in caring for the mill.
Other councillors argued it was just a bad deal.
“If they’ve spent nothing and now they ask council for a million in operating costs, I think that’s a good definition of chutzpah,” said St. Andrew’s Coun. Joe Kushner.
“I think that takes a lot of nerve. I certainly won’t support that.”
The idea to transfer the property was initiated by St. Catharines. In
The numbers certainly don’t add up. It certainly doesn’t merit us taking away a heritage gem that is near and dear to the hearts of a lot of people.” Port Dalhousie Coun. Bruce Williamson
February 2015, the St. Catharines ad hoc budget review committee asked city staff to look into opportunities to partner Morningstar Mill with another agency that may be better able to maintain and own it. The city is paying $105,000 to operate the site this year.
City staff approached NPCA, and in October its board voted to enter negotiations with the city.
A city staff report Monday said the NPCA is willing to take over the site if the city completes capital maintenance and improvements to the infrastructure prior to the transfer. The city has identified almost $2 million of work that must be done — $780,000 of it to be completed in 2017 and another $1.1 million outstanding and unapproved.
As well, the NPCA wants the city to continue funding the facility’s operations for five years after it takes over the property. The full operating budget funding amount would be given in the first year and reduced by 20 per cent each year after to help with the transition.
“What’s come forward from the NPCA as far as I’m concerned is nonsense bordering on ludicrous,” said St. Patrick’s Coun. Mat Siscoe, chair of the budget committee.
Siscoe said the five-year transition is too long and it will cost the city too much money.
He made a motion that city staff go back and negotiate with the NPCA with clear guidelines.
“The economics of this particular deal on the table don’t make any sense for us whatsoever.”
Mayor Walter Sendzik, in favour of negotiating, said there was no real direction given to city staff and they were simply told to explore the partnership with the NPCA. If council gave staff clear direction, they could go back to the NPCA and talk.
Sendzik said the NPCA gets a considerable amount of St. Catharines tax revenue through the levy, yet the NPCA doesn’t manage or operate properties in the city.
“We would hope as taxpayers in our community that we would see a benefit for those tax dollars that we currently don’t see today.” Siscoe’s motion to negotiate a better deal was rejected and council adopted Williamson’s motion to retain the property.
Regional Coun. Bruce Timms, chair of the NPCA board, said after the meeting that the city approached the NPCA about taking over the mill and the NPCA did its due diligence in exploring what was involved,
“We certainly have the expertise and experience to do it. If they are withdrawing their request, that’s fine by us.”
Timms said the NPCA didn’t get the opportunity to respond to the council’s questions and concerns.
“They really didn’t come to us with any conditions. It was, ‘Would you take it over?’ and ‘What conditions would you like?’”
As a St. Cathairnes taxpayer, Timms said he was disappointed in the decision, as St. Cathairnes pays 30 per cent of Niagara’s portion of the NPCA budget. It was an opportunity to have an NPCA-run facility in the city.
Timms said it’s possible the city may come back to the NPCA to negotiate after another round of budget discussions.