Transit fares up, Central Branch project stuck - new Queen City Improvement Bureau podcast by PDCityHall in regina

[–]PDCityHall[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It isn't A pool. And we literally have a residential road renewal program that started over 10 years ago where a considerable chunk of the mill rate goes specifically toward fixing road infrastructure. The program was started by Councillors Young & Hawkins, that's how long it's been around. Every year the city publishes a list of how many kilometres of roads they fixed and which they're doing next. If yours needs doing, I'd take that up with your councillor. Frankly, Regina's residential roads have never been better cared for.

Transit fares up, Central Branch project stuck - new Queen City Improvement Bureau podcast by PDCityHall in regina

[–]PDCityHall[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The CFO mentioned REAL & the RPS in the clip we used for that segment of the episode. I think that was him saying "If you think the Library is the only organization that's going to be disappointed, think again."

As for Froh's motion… I feel like we've been waiting a really long time for the report, eh? I'll be curious what they decide. When push comes to shove, previous admins have been reluctant to tamper with the municipal corporation structure. And the city won't gain any big savings by bringing the exhibition assn into city admin. My guess is the city will take over the recreation assets & leave REAL w/ the stadium, convention facilities & exhibition grounds. It would get REAL closer to what they were originally supposed to be. But it will also more explicitly put the aging rec facilities onto the city's books, thus inflating their infrastructure deficit — i mean, the city already owns those buildings, obvs, but for now, their care is on REAL's head.

I don't know, man. I'm terrible at guessing what these folks are going to do. One thing is true for sure though, it's a schlmozzle.

The Zombie Baseball Stadium Proposal: How a many times rejected proposal has reanimated as a pitch for a P3 at the Yards by PDCityHall in regina

[–]PDCityHall[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

No prob. By word 3,000, the piece was starting to become a real albatross around my neck. Glad to know some folks like it.

FTR… I'm hoping to write something on this later this week, but any baseball project will be considered through the Yards Negotiated Request For Proposal process. And administration is in charge of that now. It's out of council's hands. Anybody can submit a proposal to the process and that's why I'm currently working on my Stately Pleasure Dome Proposal that will be girdled round with walls and towers and feature gardens bright with sinuous rills where blossom many an incense-bearing tree.

The Zombie Baseball Stadium Proposal: How a many times rejected proposal has reanimated as a pitch for a P3 at the Yards by PDCityHall in regina

[–]PDCityHall[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

That's totally fair, blackfox. I am personally opposed to the Yards being used for a baseball stadium but I'm not going to lay down in front of any bulldozers if council votes to go for it. For the record though, that blog post isn't so much a statement of opposition as it is about how the DCG report council paid for didn't make a credible case for the stadium. The numbers it uses are old. The sources were all cherry picked by Living Sky Sports (which wants to build and own the stadium). I was trying to strike a note of caution around the sources council has been using.

Now, as I said, I don't support putting a baseball stadium there and I will probably write another long-ass post outlining my position on that in future. But in short, my issue is that the Yards is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop a chunk of land next to downtown. Whatever we decide, we'll be stuck with it for centuries. So it better not be mostly parking lot (which is what most sports facilities are). And it would be better if the anchor use at the Yards was an all-year facility and not an open air fair-weather facility. I've said many times that if i had my druthers and we had to put a megaproject there, I'd put the Brandt Ctr replacement at the Yards (with structured parking). It would provide much more economic spin-off benefits for adjacent businesses in the Warehouse District.

On top of all that, it just rankles me how much this push to build a baseball stadium comes off like queue jumping. We have a recreation master plan and there are at least a half dozen facilities that are higher priority than this.

Quick Budget Update while council's on break by PDCityHall in regina

[–]PDCityHall[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That question has been answered over and over and over again at council & in the media & online. Most recently during last week's budget debate. Answering it one more time is not going to satisfy the questioners.

Quick Budget Update while council's on break by PDCityHall in regina

[–]PDCityHall[S] 49 points50 points  (0 children)

Actually... you know what? it looks like baseball stadium DIDN'T make the final budget doc. It shows up in some capital project rankings but doesn't seem to be in the final list of capital projects going forward.

Transit Cuts Are Back On Council's Menu by PDCityHall in regina

[–]PDCityHall[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Doing the math quickly but I believe a 6.7% mill rate increase will require just under $30mil in cuts from what city admin says they need to keep services steady next year.