The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

3 | Friday, November 4, 2 0 1 6 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Town headed b ack to drawing board on cultural hub plan by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff_____________________________________ The Town of Oakville appears to be headed back to the drawing board with regard to plans for the Downtown Cultural Hub (DCH). Town staff released an updated report on the initiative at Tuesday's council meeting (Nov. 1). While council voted to defer discussion on the matter until its next Planning and Development Council meeting Nov. 28, the report shows the plan has run into major funding roadblocks. The Town's DCH study, underway since late 2013, is exploring revitalization of the downtown through the creation of a cultural and performing arts space. The Town presented its preferred option for the project in June 2015. That concept would see the moving of the Oakville Public Library and Oakville Galleries, at Lakeshore Road and Navy Street, to the former Post Office site at 193 Church St., where a full gallery and digital library would be offered. The entire area currently occupied by the Oakville Centre and Oakville Public Library, would be redeveloped with the performing arts centre taking the library's current location. Under that plan, the performing arts centre redevelopment would result in a new 750-seat main theatre, 325-seat secondary theatre, lobby, restaurant/lounge, meeting/conference space, and cultural innovation/program space. An amphitheatre would be established behind the library's current location and a multi-use flexible space for markets and concerts, in front of the library, on Navy Street. The fire hall property to the north of the site would be redeveloped into a 12-storey residential building, the current Oakville Centre property would be redeveloped into an eight-storey residential/mixed-use group of buildings. This 337,000-square-foot project would feature a net capital cost of $126 million-$163 million and an operating cost of $7.9 million. Town staff said the plan ran into problems in March when, in response to public feedback, council passed a motion that the Town would not sell Centennial Square to help fund the DCH. "This reduces the value of the land that the Town can bring to the project to help fund the project," says Jane Clohecy, Commissioner for Community Development in the report. A second source of funds for the project also did not pan out. "The Town had hoped federal and provincial infrastructure funding programs would provide a significant opportunity to jum p start the funding for the DCH," said Clohecy in the report. "Current infrastructure program parameters do no support the high level of financing required." y o u g r o w ·w e m o w Call the Snow Bros today to book your seasonal "Serving Oakville Weekly Lawn & Garden Maintenance S now R em oval P ackage Lets us do the heavy lifting! Call for a quote... CALL TODAY TO BOOK YOUR FALL PROPERTY CLEAN UP" Marcus Baird 905.467.1507 lawnbros905@ gm ail.com Oakville Beaver Reader's Selection Diamond Award Winner 3 years in a row 9 0 5 .4 6 7 .1 5 0 7 la w n b r o s 9 0 5 @ g m a il.c o m S E R V IN G O A K V IL L E A STEP BEYO ND IN C A R E _ DO YOU HAVE: S'mropX * Foot/Arch Pain? · Ingrown Toenails? · Diabetes? · Swollen Ankles? · Corns, Calluses? C A LL FO R A N A P P O IN T M E N T 9 0 5 -6 3 2 -1 4 1 4 7 2 8 B u rlo a k D rive w w w .fo o ta n d h e a lth c lin ic .c o m see Residents on p.4 FERN H ILL SC H O O L A Fern Hill h ead s ta rt begins at age 3. ^ 1 * AyA KITCHENS OF OAKVILLE 1195 NORTH SERVICE ROAD WEST 905.847.1522 AYAOAKVILLE.COM Recognized as one of Canada's fin e st elem entary schools, Fern Hill provides the educational foundation th a t gives back fo r years to com e. An environm ent w here ideas, th in king and confidence flourish, opening doors and a w orld of opportunities. It's the academ ic equivalent of a head start. a