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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEGD-014-15 Clarington Engineering Services Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Municipal Clerk at 905-623-3379 ext. 2102. Report To: General Government Committee Date of Meeting: September 8, 2015 Report Number: EGD-014-15 Resolution: CDC -° C) File Number: D1035001 DA01 By-law Number: Report Subject: Newcastle Village Transit Service Strategy Recommendations: 1. That Report EGD-014-15 be received; EITHER: 2. That the demolition of the former fire hall in the Village of Newcastle be deferred so as to allow GO Transit to continue to use this property as a temporary turnaround, on an interim basis, until strategic transit partnerships have resulted in a coordinated transit plan for the Village of Newcastle, that enhances or even expands, current service levels, 3. That the Municipality of Clarington provide a copy of report EGD-014-15 to the Chair of the Durham Region Transit Executive Committee, along with a formal request that it be added as an agenda item on the Durham Region Transit Executive Committee agenda and that an enhanced transit service strategy for the Village of Newcastle, be established as a priority, 4. That an agreement between GO Transit and the Municipality of Clarington be prepared by our Municipal Solicitor to allow GO Transit to lease a portion of the former fire hall for a nominal fee, giving GO Transit the right to use this property, on an interim basis, as the GO bus turnaround point, and that the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to sign this agreement, 5. That scheduling of the remediation and development of the former fire hall site in Newcastle be revisited on an annual basis, by way of a report to Council detailing our progress on the strategy to date at that time, 6. That a copy of this report be forwarded to the Region of Durham Council requesting that the matter be given priority in the 2016 Durham Region Transit budget, and 7. That all interested parties listed in Report EGD-012-15 and PSD-007-15 and any delegations be advised of Council's decision. OR Municipality of Clarington Report EGD-014-15 Page 2 1. That GO Transit's request to continue to use the former fire hall property be formally denied, 2. That Staff be directed to work with GO Transit to co-ordinate a mutually agreeable transition date for the required schedule changes, 3. That Staff be directed to proceed with the proposal call for the remediation, sale and development of the property known as 247 King Avenue East, and 4. That all interested parties listed in Report EGD-012-015 and PSD-007-15 and any delegations be advised of Council's decision. Municipality of Clarington Report EGD-014-15 Page 3 Report Overview Transit service for the Village of Newcastle is an essential lifeline for the community and the public has communicated that service levels must be maintained or even enhanced despite the fact that the former fire hall property has been declared surplus. Working together with Metrolinx (GO Transit) and Durham Region Transit, the Municipality of Clarington has been seeking every opportunity to maintain full transit service to Newcastle and needs time to fully explore and implement an integrated transit service strategy for our residents. Such a strategy will need to be developed, taken through a public consultation process and then presented to and consequently approved by the Durham Region Transit Executive Committee. We expect this process to take upwards of one to two years at this point and so Council will need to decide whether to defer the proposal call for the disposal of the former fire hall while we seek better options or to proceed with it, as planned. 1 . Background 1.1. Transit Service for the Village of Newcastle The GO Bus in Newcastle has a current ridership of 120 — 130 passengers, many of whom use this service for vital activities such as work or medical appointments. For this reason, staff at the Municipality, GO Transit and Durham Region Transit have been actively involved in seeking ways to mitigate the impact of the announced re-development of the former fire hall at 247 King Avenue East, which is currently being used as the turnaround point for the GO Bus. 1.2. A New Vision of Transit for Newcastle On July 2nd, 2015, Mayor Adrian Foster, Councillor Willie Woo and Councillor Wendy Partner convened a meeting at Clarington's Town Hall and invited Metrolinx (GO Transit) and Durham Region Transit to sit down with the Municipality to consider every possible opportunity for moving forward without impacting service to the Village. Every option for an alternative turnaround location for the GO Bus was considered but ultimately it became clear that none of the possibilities were ideal and that most came with significant downside. We had to find a way to protect the public's interest by looking at a bigger picture which included the possibility of a short term solution to protect service in the Village while a longer term strategy was developed and implemented. A summary of that meeting can be found within the letter we sent both to Metrolinx and to Durham Region Transit following our July 2nd, 2015 meeting (see Attachment#1). Municipality of Clarington Report EGD-014-15 Page 4 2.0 Coordinated Local and Inter-regional Transit Service In our meeting of July 2nd it was agreed that a "longer term transit strategy" involving a partnership between GO Transit and Durham Region Transit (DRT) was required and in August of this year we received a draft plan for service from DRT. The Service Strategy has not been approved or endorsed by the Durham Region Transit Executive Committee, nor have budgets been approved but the creativity and commitment to service excellence is apparent in the vision DRT is proposing in their Draft Transit Service Strategy for Newcastle, and has been supported in principle by GO Transit. Respectful of the fact that the DRT strategy is a vision for the future at this point, we stop short of specifically discussing the details should they be seen as a promise of what is to come. Instead we acknowledge, with thanks, the efforts of both transit authorities and for their commitment to date and look forward to working with them further as the plan evolves and receives the necessary approvals. 3.0 Clarington's Role Clarington's role in the provision of transit, given that we have neither the mandate nor funding, is limited to support and advocacy on behalf of our residents but given that we own the former fire hall property we may have a key role to play in the interim. If Council deems it appropriate, full GO bus transit service can be maintained in the shorter term to the Village of Newcastle by deferring the proposal call for the disposal of the former fire hall until such time as the Transit Service Strategy for Newcastle can be put in place. Our expectation as to the length of the deferral required is unclear at this point. We do know that this service strategy is to be included in the proposed Durham Region Transit's 5-year plan and that this plan will be presented at the October 21, 2015 Transit Executive Committee meeting. 4.0 The Options Available There are essentially then, two possible courses of action available to us at this juncture. Council can choose to defer the proposal call to remediate, sell and develop the former fire hall and allow GO Transit to continue to use this site as a turnaround location until such time as a co-ordinated transit service plan has been designed, approved and implemented. If this option is selected The Municipality of Clarington would be required to enter into an agreement, as prepared by our Solicitor, with GO Transit, to allow the continued use of this site by GO and would report on an annual basis as to the progress being made: OR Council can direct staff to proceed, as planned, with the proposal call that would see the site redeveloped, the public can be notified and GO Transit can be advised that schedule changes need to be implemented as early as is possible. Regardless of which option is selected, the public and all interested parties will need to be notified of Council's decision. Municipality of Clarington Report EGD-014-15 Page 5 5.0 Strategic Plan Application The recommendations contained in this report conform to the Strategic Plan. Submitted by: Reviewed by: _ Anthony Cannella Franklin Wu, Director of Engineering Services Chief Administrative Officer ASC/ra/jb Staff Contact: Ron Albright, 905-623-3379, ext. 2305, ralbright @clarington.net Attachments: Attachment 1 — Correspondence to Metrolinx from the Municipality of Clarington (July 15, 2015) List of interested parties to be notified of Council's decision is on file in the Engineering Services Department. ATTACHMENT#1 EGD-014-15 c1larington 0 July 15, 2015 Metrolinx . 97 Front Street West Toronto, Ontario M5J 1 E6 Attn: Philippe Bellon, B. Eng., MBA Manager GO Planning, Planning & Policy Dear Mr. Bellon: I would like to thank you for your participation in our meeting of July 2"d, 2015 at which The Municipality of Clarington, GO Transit and Durham Region Transit came to seek options to maintain full GO bus service to the Village of Newcastle. The Municipality of Clarington, along with GO Transit have invested a significant amount of time and resources into mitigating impacts that may result from the re-development of the old fire hall property that is currently being used by GO as the turnaround point in the Village. As you are aware, we have reviewed every opportunity for an alternative turnaround location for the GO bus and have even gone as far as taking three of these alternatives to our residents at a Public Information Centre, co-hosted by GO, to hear their feedback and concerns. What we are currently clear about is that transit service to the Village of Newcastle must be maintained at current levels, if not ultimately improved. Residents in the Village, particularly seniors and younger people, rely on transit as an essential lifeline as they get to and from places of employment, medical appointments, school and more. Many purchased their homes and based their decision to live in Newcastle upon the fact that transit was and would be available. In our meeting of July 2nd, everyone was in agreement that there appeared to be two courses of action: the need for a short term solution (one to two years), and the essential need for a longer term transit strategy involving a partnership or coordination between GO Transit and Durham Region Transit. We understand that the integration of local transit systems is a priority for the Region and the Province and everyone in attendance at our meeting agreed that to lose service, in part or in whole, anywhere within Clarington, would be a significant disservice to our residents, if not counterproductive in terms of the Regional Transportation Plan. Already Clarington is dealing with the announced delay of GO rail service to Bowmanville, Service our residents expected to have access to imminently. It cannot be anyone's goal to suggest that to make matters worse, even the bus service that we do currently have access to might also be reduced. THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVIL.L.E, ONTARIO L.1 C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 i - Page 2— It has been said of transit across the GTHA, that"this patchwork of systems is poorly integrated, making travel across boundaries by public transit an inconvenient, frustrating, unattractive and costly option for many travellers". Nowhere does this statement hold truer than in Clarington, which has not been the recipient of the heavy transit infrastructure investment we have seen in the western sections of the GTHA in recent years. We understand that finances are not limitless, we understand that progress takes time, but transit service in Clarington cannot go backwards, where it is going so boldly forward in other areas of the GTHA. At our meeting at Town Hall in July the Municipality of Clarington committed to delay the re- development of the old fire hall location that GO is currently using as a turnaround for the GO bus despite the fact that as a local municipality we do not have the mandate nor the funding to take an active role in the implementation of transit. We do this to buy enough time for GO Transit and Durham Region Transit, who are the transit authorities in our region, to work together to develop a comprehensive transit plan for the Village of Newcastle. We are most grateful for the continued support we have received from people like Roxanne Kowal of GO Transit who has been tireless in her efforts to avoid any disruption in service to the Village, and look forward to this continuing commitment as we move forward. Engineering Services will be going back to Council with a report on the matter in September of 2015. In that report we will be asking Council to support a shorter term delay in the re- development of the old fire hall site but while Council is very invested in seeking ways to maintain full transit service to Newcastle, they clearly have a responsibility to extend their support based on a sound transit plan which includes a vision and projected timellnes. For this reason we ask that Metrolinx—GO Transit and Durham Region Transit work together to produce a coordinated transit plan for the Village of Newcastle. We would like to present this plan as part of the report we will be taking to Council in September but should that timeline be too ambitious, we would like at the very least, to present them with a preliminary concept plan around which they can base their decision. We would need this information from you no later than mid-August. We look forward to working with you further in the near term as we prepare our report to Council. Sincerely Anthony S. Cannella, C.E.T. Director of Engineering Services ASC/jb Cc: Clarington Council Franklin Wu, C.A.O.