Owen Sound Tackling problems that were raised during the meeting of the River District

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Owen Sound employees follow an urgent approach to solve some of the questions that were raised during a meeting led by the city, in which more than 100 stakeholders were brought together to discuss the conditions in the river quarter.

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On Monday, the Council received its first update of employees at the meeting on July 28, which was initiated in the city center at the request of the Police Services Board for concerns from visitors, buyers and business owners in terms of security, drug use and homelessness.

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City Manager Tim Simmonds said that more than 60 ideas were presented during the meeting, and another “more action -oriented” report on October 6th would contain an approach to managing the projects and ideas. Plans are in progress to take a “work thrust” in order to clear up many of the concerns expressed, e.g.

The employees will bring a report to the meeting of the Council on October 27 with options for public washroom facilities in the city center, one of the most important concerns triggered during the summer residence.

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“The topic we heard at the meeting was not that much that you have to do this special thing today, but you want action and you want some urgency,” said Simmonds. “We will move it as soon as possible.”

With the summer assembly, to which the professional moderator Joel Pennington, was coordinated, 103 stakeholders were visited who had the opportunity to listen, share and discuss their perspectives on how to work together, said Simmonds' report on Monday.

Of those who were prepared for the meeting, more than 55 percent were found as small businesses or owners of real estate and more than 21 percent from the social service sector. Simmonds found that some of the larger residential tenants in the river district took part in the meeting, and he hoped that they were promoting concerns from the inhabitants of the city center. He said that the residents can continue to work with the city through a large number of channels, including at the council and committee meetings, the survey of civil satisfaction and in a day of citizens' satisfaction planned for October 20.

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Simmonds said a potential voice that was missing in the meeting was the legal community, but the invitation had been extended to this sector.

The city agreed to hold the meeting at the request of the chairman of the police committee John Thomson, who felt unsure about buyers and visitors who felt insecure due to public drug use and the associated problems in the river district.

The city police collected business stories in the city center to make the public prosecutor Canada a case to pursue charges for small personal drug amounts, which has not been taking place since the directive in 2020.

Police chief Craig Ambrose said at the beginning of this month that he was not sure whether they were successful through the court proceedings, but the police were successful in making arrests and confiscating the illegal substances and causing a difference to public drug use that was changed before our guidance. “

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Simmmonds said the next report on October 6th would contain a framework for the management of the projects and ideas that were recorded at the meeting. He said he found that the employees had already worked through many of them through their work of the core work and daily tasks.

The employees plan to use the same project management approach that has been successfully used in the city's service check -up process in recent years to address the problems mentioned, said Simmonds.

“We have employees from every department who work on things in the river district,” said Simmonds. “If I get this approach of project management, I will in my opinion bring better clarity and accountability, make things more efficient and make sure that things do not slip through the cracks when we have to do things.”

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In order to address some of these aesthetic and security concerns such as chipped paint and broken sidewalks, Simmonds said that the city is planning to explore a regional grant for the development fund in Ontario to take on a job.

The infrastructure needs are assigned GIS to pursue known problems such as sidewalk repairs, lack of tree pods, damaged benches and broken color. Simmonds said that until a successful application for grants hope that this work will fly in spring.

Some work has already been completed, replaced with six to eight benches and some decorative fences painted, he added.

The Council also unanimously supported an application from Coun. Melanie Middlebro 'heads the employees to return a report to the Council in which options for spaumen facilities in the river district are described such as capital and operating costs. The options mentioned by Middlebro included rentals and self -packaged washrooms.

The lawyer of the city center, Leigh Greaves, recently kept a presentation to some representatives of city carriers, employees and River District to share research on laundry room options for the river area.

“I am open to all options,” said Middlebro, adding that some options of providers were displayed in summer during the conference of the ontario communities.

“I am looking for a number of options in the report from which we can choose.”

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