Mayor plans ‘ overhaul’ for WRCC
The sports season could be well underway this summer by the time the Welland Recreational Canal Corp. management is sorted out.
By that time, if Mayor Frank Campion gets his way, the revamped organization won’t look much like the one that has managed the recreational waterway in the past.
The WRCC interim board approved a motion Thursday for City of Welland staff to run the organization until June 30, including human resources manager Rosanne Mantesso, city treasurer Steve Zorbas and engineer Sal Iannello.
By the end of June, Mantesso said “we’re hopeful there will be a structure in place” for the long term management of the waterway.
But Ward 5 Coun. Mike Petrachenko was looking for a more precise time for hiring a new executive director for the recreational canal, replacing Stephen Fischer who resigned in November.
“We’re an interim board here, and we don’t know how long we’re interim for,” he said.
“We’ve been given advice that a role of the interim board would be to choose a new board of directors so they could choose a new executive director. I’m wondering about a time frame on that. When is that coming down?” I certainly would not support hiring an $ 85,000 to $ 125,000 executive director for the WRCC. I would fight very hard against that.”
Frank Campion
Welland’s chief administrative officer Gary Long said a staff report will be presented at next week’s city council meeting regarding hiring a new executive director, including “some next steps and time lines with respect to a presentation to the interim board, regarding governance and management options.”
The report was developed in response to a motion by Ward 2 Coun. David McLeod calling for a public process in selecting new management for the waterway.
But Campion said the revamped board might not have a new executive director at all.
“I don’t see that happening,” he said. “I don’t think we should be getting a new executive director, but that will be a decision of council.”
He said the city could instead hire a manager for the canal lands, who would then report to city management.
“I certainly would not support hiring an $ 85,000 to $ 125,000 executive director for the WRCC. I would fight very hard against that,” Campion said.
It’s one of many changes Campion would like to see implemented.
“I’m one of 13 people who will be making the decision once it comes to the council table, but my expectation and objective is to have a complete overhaul. It should not look anything like it did.”
For one thing, he said he’d like to disentangle the maintenance of the canal lands from the management of sports activities on the waterway. And there are “some great ideas coming forward” on how to accomplish that goal.
The composition of the board of directors could change too.
Although the community as well as user groups should be represented on the board, Campion said elected officials should form a very substantial component of the board.
Although having too many city councillors on the board could have an impact on the WRCC’s armslength status, Campion said those issues are easily resolved.
“There are ways around or to work with all of those issues. ... Councillors need to be open- minded when we look at these options,” he said.
The organization might even have a new name by the time final decisions are made on its future.
“That would be my hope,” Campion said.
“Whatever we do is going to be better than what we’ve done. It has to happen. There’s no point changing anything if it’s not going to be better.”