Woodchester Villa, The Barge and Stewardship

THE EXPENSE OF STEWARDSHIP AND THE TOLL ON WOODCHESTER VILLA / AND GULL LAKE PARK'S "THE BARGE"

COUNCIL CANDIDATES NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STEWARDSHIP AND HERITAGE BEFORE RUNNING IN ELECTIONS

IN CASE YOU DIDN'T READ YESTERDAY'S BLOG REGARDING WOODCHESTER VILLA, YOU CAN STILL ACCESS IT ON THIS SITE. IF YOU WOULD LIKE A MORE IN-DEPTH RETROSPECTIVE OF THE MUSEUM, AND ITS FOUNDING, YOU CAN VISIT MY BRACERIDGE BLOGS BY CLICKING ON…….http://thenatureofmuskoka.blogspot.com/

I SUPPOSE THIS IS A BLOG INTENDED MORE FOR THE CANDIDATES OF THE NEXT MUNICIPAL ELECTION. THE ONES WHO NEED TO BRUSH UP ON LOCAL HISTORY, AND BE BETTER INFORMED ABOUT THE KIND OF DIFFICULT SITUATIONS THEY COULD FIND THEMSELVES, AS STEWARDS OF TOWN RESOURCES…..IF AND WHEN SUCCESSFULLY ELECTED. I'M LESS THAN IMPRESSED WITH THE SHORTFALLS IN THIS REGARD, PRESENTLY PLAYING OUT IN TWO OF MY FAVORITE MUSKOKA TOWNS.

ONE OF MY LONGSTANDING GRIEVANCES WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS, IN OUR REGIONAL MUNICIPALITIES, IS THAT THEY ARE NOT ADEQUATELY INFORMED ABOUT THE COMMUNITY THEY WISH TO SERVE. WHILE THEY LIKE THE IDEA OF WINNING A POPULARITY CONTEST, AND SITTING AROUND THE TOWN HALL "OVAL" (TABLE), I'M PRETTY SURE STEWARDSHIP ISSUES (AHEAD OF TIME) ARE SIMPLY INCONVENIENT THOUGHTS. "I LEARN BY IMMERSION," OR "I'LL DEAL WITH THAT WHEN IT BECOMES AN ISSUE."

THEY CAN COME UP WITH REAL NIFTY CAMPAIGN SLOGANS, AND INVEST A LOT OF MONEY TO SWAY THE ELECTORATE, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT LOCAL HERITAGE, AND JUST WHAT THEY WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR……AS ELECTED OFFICIALS, WELL, THEY ARE LACKING TO SAY THE LEAST. STEWARDSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES? FOR WHAT?

IN THE RECENT DEBATE OVER THE FATE OF BRACEBRIDGE'S WOODCHESTER VILLA AND THE COMMUNITY'S OCTAGONALLY DESIGNED, FORMER ESTATE, BUILT BY WOOLLEN MILL MAGNATE, HENRY BIRD, (IN THE EARLY 1880'S), ONE COMMENT I READ……AND I HOPE IT WAS MISTAKEN, INDICATED AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF COUNCIL WAS UNAWARE IF CONTENTS WERE STILL IN THE NOW-CLOSED MUSEUM. THE MUSEUM WAS CLOSED SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AFTER THE WRAP-AROUND VERANDAH COLLAPSED UNDER THE WEIGHT OF HEAVY SNOW. WHILE NOT THE ONLY STRUCTURAL PROBLEM WITH THE HISTORIC HOUSE, LOOKING DOWN ON THE MUSKOKA RIVER, NEWS THAT COUNCILLORS WEREN'T QUITE SURE, WHAT WAS GOING ON INSIDE THE BUILDING, OR IF ANY OF THE "OLD STUFF" WAS STILL THERE, WAS ENOUGH TO STAB ANTIQUARIANS LIKE ME, RIGHT IN THE HEART. I SPENT MORE THAN A DECADE AS A DIRECTOR, AND EVENTUAL SITE MANAGER, BACK IN THE LATE 1970'S AND 80'S. MY FAITH NOW, IN TOWN STEWARDSHIP, IS THAT SOMEONE, A KEY-HOLDER, A KIND AND ATTENTIVE CONSERVATOR, HAS BEEN WATCHING THE MUSEUM, INSIDE AND OUT. I CERTAINLY WANT TO BELIEVE THIS, BECAUSE IF THE CONTRARY IS TRUE, THEN IT BECOMES A MUCH MORE SERIOUS MATTER, NEEDING TO BE INVESTIGATED.

IN THE PAST YEAR I HAVE WRITTEN MANY BLOGS, REGARDING BOTH MY EARLY YEARS WITH WOODCHESTER VILLA, AND MY ONGOING INTEREST PRESENTLY, TO ADVANCE RESTORATION OF GRAVENHURST'S FAMOUS GULL LAKE PARK VENUE, "THE BARGE," OPENED MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS AGO BY QUEEN ELIZABETH. THIS INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ENTERTAINMENT STAGE, CONSTRUCTED ON IRON POSTS, JUST OFF THE SHORE OF GULL LAKE PARK, IS STILL, AFTER A HALF CENTURY, BEING USED WEEKLY IN THE SUMMER SEASON, FOR THE "MUSIC ON THE BARGE" CONCERT SERIES……EVENTS THAT ATTRACT HUGE CROWDS TO THE GULL LAKE SHORELINE, TO WATCH A WIDE VARIETY OF ENTERTAINERS ON THE ISLAND STAGE, FROM JUNE TO MID-AUGUST. THE BARGE HOWEVER, IS SHOWING ITS AGE, AND FRAILTIES, UNFORTUNATELY, SOME OF IT THE RESULT OF INDIFFERENCE, SHOWN BY PREVIOUS TOWN COUNCILS, BY NOT HAVING RIGOROUS ANNUAL INSPECTIONS AND ONGOING REPAIRS. THE RESULT OF TIME, WEATHER AND ICE SHIFTING, IS THAT SOME OF THE SUPPORTING POSTS, HAVE BEEN SHEARED-OFF BY THE ICE. MUCH OF THE WOODWORK IS ALSO IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT. FOR YEARS, PAINT HAS BEEN APPLIED TO WOOD THAT WAS ALREADY IN SERIOUS DECAY. DESPITE SOME NECESSARY CORRECTIVE WORK, BY THE ROTARY CLUB OF GRAVENHURST, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THE OVERHAUL NEEDED TO BE MUCH MORE EXTENSIVE…..AND THAT, EVEN FIVE YEARS AGO, WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPENSIVE. IN ALL FAIRNESS, AND APPRECIATION OF BUDGETARY DEMANDS, ANNUAL REPAIR AND RESTORATION WORK WOULDN'T HAVE STOPPED ALL OF THE DAMAGE. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN EASIER, HOWEVER, TO ANTICIPATE NEED AND EXPENSE IN THE FUTURE, IF THERE HAD BEEN SERIOUS STUDY OF THE PLATFORM, BEFORE THE MANAGER FINALLY HAD TO INSIST, AT THE END OF THE 2010 CONCERT SERIES. PERSONAL SAFETY HAD BECOME AN ISSUE.

I DID TALK TO COUNCIL HOPEFULS BEFORE THE LAST MUNICIPAL ELECTION, ABOUT THE NECESSITY TO ADDRESS STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS WITH THE BARGE……AND IF THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR RESPECTIVE BID FOR ELECTION, HOPEFULLY THEY WOULD BE MORE SYMPATHETIC TO THE NEEDS OF A FIFTY YEAR OLD WOODEN PLATFORM, STUCK OUT IN THE LAKE. AS SAD IRONY, I HAD THE SAME DISCUSSIONS WITH TOWN COUNCILLORS IN BRACEBRIDGE, PRIOR TO 1989, WHEN BY THEIR OWN DECREE, STAFF AT WOODCHESTER VILLA COULD NO LONGER CONDUCT TOURS AROUND THE VERANDAH OF THE HOUSE. THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF THE WOODCHESTER EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE VISITORS COULD LOOK DOWN OVER THE MUSKOKA RIVER, JUST ABOVE THE BRACEBRIDGE FALLS. I CAN REMEMBER WHEN THE ROPES WERE INSTALLED, TO PREVENT ANYONE FROM GETTING ONTO THE VERANDAH, ON EITHER SIDE OF THE MAIN PORCH OF THE HOUSE. I'M PRETTY SURE THEY DIDN'T EVEN WANT PEOPLE ON THAT AREA OF ROOF, BECAUSE OF SUSPECTED DEFICIENCIES. THE PORCH WAS SHIFTING EVEN IN MY DAY, AND I CAN REMEMBER FREQUENTLY HAVING TO CHISEL WOOD AROUND THE ENTRANCE FRAMING, JUST TO CLOSE THE DOOR. WE DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY IN THE BUDGET TO HIRE A CARPENTER, AND MANY VOLUNTEERS AT THE MUSEUM LOOKED AFTER MAKING REPAIRS WHEN THEY WERE REQUIRED.

ON ONE OCCASION, BECAUSE WE WEREN'T ALLOWED TO INSTALL AN EAVESTROUGH, BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL HOUSE DIDN'T HAVE ONE……AND WITH AN OVER-RIDING HERITAGE DESIGNATION, WE HAD TO FOLLOW PROVINCIAL PROTOCOLS ON THE MATTER. A WOODEN TROUGH WAS AGREED TO, AND LATER INSTALLED ON THE WOOD-SHINGLED ROOF, BUT THE DAMAGE WAS DONE. DUE TO THE PERCOLATION, OF WATER THAT HAD DRAINED OFF THE ROOF, BACK UP FROM THE GROUND INTO THE POURED CONCRETE OF THE WALLS, IT GOT SO BAD, THAT YOU COULD ALMOST BURROW RIGHT INTO THE HOUSE WITH BARE HANDS. WE HAD LOTS OF THESE ISSUES WITH THE HOUSE, BUT ZERO MONEY TO MAKE REPAIRS. IT DOESN'T MEAN TO SUGGEST THAT PROFESSIONAL REPAIRS WERE NEVER MADE, BUT THEY WEREN'T ENOUGH BY ANY MEANS, TO STAY AHEAD OF THE NEXT CALAMITY.

A LOT OF COUNCIL HOPEFULS ARE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT OTHER THINGS, OTHER PRESSING REALITIES OF OFFICE, MORESO THAT WHETHER THE BARGE, IN GRAVENHURST WILL SURVIVE ANOTHER HALF CENTURY, OR WOODCHESTER VILLA, ANOTHER HUNDRED YEARS. HERE'S WHY. IF AT ALL-CANDIDATES MEETINGS, IN BOTH TOWNS, COUNCIL HOPEFULS HAD BEEN ASKED TO RAISE THEIR HANDS, IF THEY HAD EVER ATTENDED EITHER COMMUNITY RESOURCE, WHAT WOULD THE PERCENTAGES HAVE BEEN? HOW MANY HAD TAKEN A TOUR, IN THE PAST, OF WOODCHESTER VILLA? HOW MANY COUNCILLORS HAD ACTUALLY TAKEN-IN A CONCERT AT GULL LAKE PARK? DID THEY EVEN KNOW WHERE WOODCHESTER VILLA WAS? WHAT IT WAS? LIKEWISE IN GRAVENHURST. WERE THESE CANDIDATES FAMILIAR WITH THE HERITAGE OF THE BARGE, AND HAD THEY THOUGHT ABOUT HAVING A CHAT WITH THE VENUE MANAGER, ABOUT OPERATIONAL CONCERNS. IF THESE COUNCIL HOPEFULS (AND SOME RETURNING FOR AN ADDITIONAL TERM OF OFFICE), WERE TRULY INTERESTED IN REPRESENTING THE INTERESTS OF THE ENTIRE MUNICIPALITY, THEN WHY WOULDN'T THEY BE INTERESTED IN KNOWING MORE ABOUT THE HERITAGE THEY WILL BE STEWARDS OF, ONCE ELECTED? THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR IGNORANCE IN THESE MATTERS. THE VERANDAH OF WOODCHESTER VILLA HAD ALREADY COLLAPSED, UNDER THE WATCH OF A PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION, SO IT'S REALLY HARD TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT WAS ALLOWED TO PROGRESS INTO THIS NEW YEAR, NOT KNOWING WHETHER OR NOT THE MUSEUM WAS STILL FULL OF ITS ANTIQUE CONTENTS. JUST AS IT IS, "EYE-OPENING," FOR GRAVENHURST COUNCILLORS, IN THEIR NEW TERM, TO HAVE BEEN CAUGHT BY SURPRISE, THAT THE BARGE WAS FALLING APART……SOMETHING THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT BEFORE RUNNING FOR OFFICE. THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE TOWN'S ASSETS, THEY WERE GOING TO INHERIT, BY THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE. UNFORTUNATELY, IN BOTH TOWNS, THE PEOPLE, THE CITIZENS, WERE NOT PROPERLY INFORMED. WHO IS AT FAULT? DON'T EXPECT ANYONE, OR ANY GROUP TO TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY. I'LL TAKE THE FALL. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MORE AGGRESSIVE WRITER OF LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, TO THE LOCAL PRESS. I DID WRITE THEM. JUST NOT ENOUGH.

WHEN YOU READ OFF-HAND, ILL CONSIDERED REMARKS, LIKE "BULLDOZING" WOODCHESTER, FROM SOMEONE WHO MAY NEVER HAVE TOURED THE MUSEUM, AND IS ONLY LOOKING AT THE COST OF REPAIR, AS THE END-ALL OF WHETHER IT STAYS OR GOES, WELL, IT'S TO BE EXPECTED. WHEN THERE IS A BASIC INDIFFERENCE ABOUT STEWARDSHIP, IT JUST STAYS THIS WAY FOR ANOTHER TERM OF OFFICE…..OR UNTIL IT "GOES AWAY." IT'S JUST A MODERN DAY CONUNDRUM, NOT JUST IN MUSKOKA. HOW DO YOU EVER TAKE SOMETHING LIKE WOODCHESTER VILLA, OR THE BARGE FOR GRANTED? YET BY THE TERMS OF OFFICE THEY WERE ELECTED TO FILL, IT CLEARLY FALLS WITHIN THEIR RESPONSIBILITY? TIME AND AGAIN HOWEVER, THIS IS THE REALITY, AND ITS NOT JUST ABOUT TWO HISTORIC VENUES IN OUR TWO TOWNS. BEFORE THE ELECTION, I OFFERED A NUMBER OF CANDIDATES ADVICE ON HERITAGE AWARENESS, AND I'VE ALWAYS MADE MYSELF AVAILABLE TO CONSULT WITH WHOMEVER HAPPENS TO BE INTERESTED, IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE LEGACIES OF OUR COMMUNITIES. IF THEY WANTED THOSE OPINIONS, THEY CHOSE OTHER REGIONAL HISTORIANS TO INFORM THEM. JUST NOT ME. IF THEY HAD CONTACTED ME, I WOULD HAVE INSISTED WE HAVE OUR DISCUSSION, ON THE GROUNDS OF WOODCHESTER VILLA, OR IN GRAVENHURST, STANDING OUT ON THE RAMP LEADING TO A SLOWLY DECLINING LEGEND IN OUR TIME. AS I AM NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT, AND I TEND TO LET MY FEELINGS BE KNOWN, WITH SOME AGGRESSION, I CAN PRETTY MUCH UNDERSTAND WHY BEING BERATED ISN'T THE BEST STARTING POINT OF CONVERSATION. THAT'S PERCEPTION. NOT FACT. FOR THOSE COUNCILLORS WHO HAVE THOUGHT IT RELEVANT TO TALK TO AN OLD HISTORIAN, FOR WHAT INSIGHTS, PASSION FOR THIS REGION, HAS INSPIRED OVER A LIFETIME, NOT A SINGLE ONE HAS BEEN HOSPITALIZED OR EVEN MILDLY TRAUMATIZED BY MY BARK. ADDITIONALLY, THEY HAVE YET TO PROVE ME WRONG, WHEN I MAKE THESE ASSERTIONS. IT GIVES ME NO PLEASURE TO HAVE TO SAY, "I TOLD YOU SO."

I HAVE WEIGHED INTO THE WOODCHESTER DEBATE FOR ONE REASON……AND THAT IS STEWARDSHIP OF HISTORY. THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE HAS ONLY RECENTLY BEEN PRAISED FOR THE WAY IT HAS PRESERVED ITS HERITAGE BUILDINGS. OBVIOUSLY THE SCOUTS FOR THIS AWARD NEVER MADE IT UP THE WOODCHESTER HILLSIDE TO SEE AN UNFORTUNATELY CLOSED MUSEUM, DUE TO NEGLECT. WHAT SHOULD BE HUGELY EMBARRASSING TO OUR SOUTH MUSKOKA TOWNS, WHEN IT COMES TO THE HERITAGE CONNECTED TO BOTH THE BARGE AND WOODCHESTER VILLA, IS THE LIST OF NAMES ATTACHED TO THE HISTORY OF BOTH SITES. MAYBE IF RESPECTIVE COUNCILS DID A LITTLE RESEARCH, WITH THOSE FOLKS WHO KNOW BEST, THEY WOULD BE REMINDED WHAT A LEGACY IS ALL ABOUT. I'LL BET THEY DON'T TRULY APPRECIATE THE COMMUNITY BUILDERS, WHO HAD DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE VENUES, AND IN THE CASE OF WOODCHESTER, THOSE PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO DEDICATED THEMSELVES TO HOUSE RESTORATION IN THE EARLY 1980'S. AND YES, IT WAS THE WHO'S WHO, JUST AS IT WAS IN GRAVENHURST. WHILE PRESENT COUNCILLORS MAY MISTAKENLY BELIEVE, THEY ARE THE TRUE TREND SETTERS OF THE LATEST TERM OF OFFICE, THEY ARE BUT LINKS OF THE GREAT CHAIN THAT BEGAN IN THE 1850'S…..AND WHILE IT MIGHT WELL BE CONSIDERED A PONDEROUS LENGTH, IT IS A NECESSARY BURDEN NONE THE LESS. WHILE IT IS UNDERSTOOD, SOME HERITAGE REALITIES CAN NOT BE CONSERVED, AND THAT FISCAL REALITIES ARE OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE TO OUR COMMUNITY WELFARE, IT DOESN'T MEAN AN ABDICATION OF RESPONSIBILITY, TO HANDLE THESE MATTERS WITH RESPECT AND SENSITIVITY. IN MY MIND, THE DECLINING SITUATION OF BOTH HISTORIC SITES, HAS BEEN PAINFULLY DISRESPECTFUL, TO THOSE WHO DEDICATED SO MUCH TIME AND EXPERTISE TO THEIR CREATION IN THE FIRST PLACE. IN BRACEBRIDGE, IN PARTICULAR, COUNCILLORS NEED TO REVIEW THOSE NAMES, ASSOCIATED WITH THE HOUSE AND MUSEUM SINCE THE 1880'S, AND APPRECIATE FULLY, THAT THE HERITAGE, LEGACY FOUNDATION OF THE WHOLE TOWN, IS LINKED TO THIS NOW RUN-DOWN FORMER MUSEUM.

I WON'T HIDE MY CONCERN, OTHER COMMUNITY HISTORIANS HAVE NOT BEEN AS CONCERNED ABOUT THESE ISSUES, AS I HAVE FOUND MYSELF EMBROILED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. WHAT IS THE GOOD OF HAVING THIS EXPERIENCE, MUCH OF IT HANDS-ON……JUST TO WRITE BOOKS FOR PROFIT. I HAVE NEVER ONCE, EVEN IN THE DISCUSSION AND PROTEST ABOUT THE FATE OF BRACERBRIDGE'S "JUBILEE PARK," HAD ANOTHER HISTORIAN ACTUALLY CONTACT ME…….TO HELP CREATE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATION SOURCE, FOR THE BENEFIT OF BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUMENT. I DID MENTION THIS TO ONE HISTORIAN, IN BRACEBRIDGE, WHO SIMPLY TURNED AND WALKED AWAY, MUCH AS IF TO SAY……BEING CONNECTED TO YOU, MR. CURRIE, WOULD HURT MY REPUTATION. I SUSPECT THIS WAS A CORRECT ASSESSMENT, JUST THAT I'VE NEVER TAKEN A LOT OF TIME TO WORRY ABOUT THAT KIND OF THING…..ESPECIALLY WHEN NEED ARISES TO DO SOMETHING TO CORRECT WHAT IS WRONG. WOODCHESTER VILLA IS A CASE IN POINT. WHERE ARE THE TOWN HISTORIANS? I LIVE IN GRAVENHURST. WHERE ARE THE FOLKS WHO TOOK PART IN THE ORIGINAL RESTORATION? EVEN IF THE MUSEUM WAS TO NEVER OPEN AGAIN, ISN'T IT INCUMBENT ON THOSE WHO STARTED THE BALL ROLLING, TO FOLLOW THROUGH, AND AT LEAST BE PART OF THE SOLUTION TO ITS FUTURE……AS A STILL OPERATING MUSEUM, OR JUST A BRASS PLAQUE MOUNTED ON A ROCK, ON THOSE SAME BEAUTIFUL LAWNS? MIGHT WE HAVE THE SAME FOR THE BARGE, WITH A PICTURE OF WHAT IT ONCE LOOKED LIKE? DOES THIS MAKE YOU MAD? MAD THAT A FLOATING TWO-TOWN HISTORIAN, CAN MAKE SUCH COMMENTS? OR MAD THAT WE HAVE PUT TOO MUCH ONESS ON TOWN HALL, AS STEWARDS, OF OUR MUNICIPAL RESOURCES?

I HAVE NO PRIVILEGE OTHER THAN WORDS HERE, TO MAKE MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE IN EITHER TOWN, FOR EITHER VENUE. IT IS THE WILL OF COUNCIL THAT DETERMINES THE FATE OF BOTH. WHILE I WOULD LOVE TO SAY THAT HUNDREDS OF CALLS AND LETTERS HAVE BEEN DIRECTED AT OUR TOWN COUNCILS, I AM PRETTY SURE THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN. FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT THEN ASK, "WHY THE HELL DO YOU KEEP ON TRYING," WELL, IT'S OUT OF IMMENSE RESPECT FOR ALL THE COMMUNITY LEADERS IN THE PAST, WHO CAN'T SPEAK OUT IN DEFENSE TODAY, TO REMIND US WHY THESE PROPERTIES WERE IMPORTANT IN THE BEGINNING, AND SHOULD BE JUST AS IMPORTANT, TO COMMUNITY VALUES TODAY. THAT'S WHY.

TRUTH IS, I KNEW, RIGHT FROM THE BURST OF NEWS, VIA THE LOCAL PRESS, BRACEBRIDGE'S JUBILEE PARK WAS GOING TO BE SOLD-OFF, SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I WAS UNDER NO ILLUSION THERE WAS ANYTHING WE COULD DO TO REVERSE THE DECISION, THAT WAS FORGED BY LIKE-MINDEDNESS. EVEN BEFORE OPPONENTS COULD RUSTLE UP A FEW BUCKS TO DEFEND THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, I REALIZED BY EXPERIENCE IN THESE MATTERS, AS A FORMER REPORTER, IT WAS A DONE DEAL. AS I CARRIED AROUND A PLACARD, PROTESTING THE SACRIFICE OR URBAN PARKLAND, I KNEW IT WAS ALL A WASTE OF TIME….IF ALL I WAS LOOKING FOR WAS ACTUALLY SAVING THE PARK. WHAT BECAME MUCH MORE IMPORTANT, WAS THE VERY REAL OUTCOME, OF SHOWING THE TOWN AND THE REGION, THE CITIZENS WERE NOT AS UNANIMOUS AS THE RESULTS OF THEIR COUNCIL'S VOTE…..AND IT WAS VERY MUCH FOR THE RECORD OF HISTORY, THAT JUBILEE PARK WAS SOLD, WITHOUT REFERENDUM…..NOT VOLUNTARILY SURRENDERED.

I HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO ASSIST BOTH PROJECTS, AS AN INFORMATION SOURCE. IF THEY WANT MY OPINION, I WILL BE GLAD TO OFFER MY CONCERN FOR BOTH VENUES. WILL I BE SOUGHT OUT FOR MY WISDOM? I'M NOT HOLDING MY BREATH.

THE CITIZENS ARE, IN REALITY, THE ULTIMATE STEWARDS OF THESE VENUES, THESE VESTIGES OF LOCAL HISTORY. THIS IS WHERE DIRECTION MUST ULTIMATELY COME FROM, WITH STRINGS ATTACHED. WE ALL HAVE TO GET INVOLVED IN THE SOLUTIONS, AND SO FAR, THERE ARE HUGE GAPING HOLES WHERE CITIZENS SHOULD BE……..