The Grand Trunk Block, an 18-acre site on the southern edge of downtown Stratford, was once the home to a third of Stratford’s workforce.
Now, the site is largely empty, but poised to revitalize the Festival City’s core – if it's feasible.
“It's not lost on me that it is a significant building in the history of our city,” Dan Mathieson, chair of the Ad-Hoc Grand Trunk Renewal committee told StratfordToday. “I am well aware of some of the sentiment within the community regarding those that are pro having it retained and repurposed – and those that feel that it has no economic value.”
Mathieson discussed what the public can expect from the committee moving forward.
The goal of the committee is to be pragmatic when it comes to the building and to crystallize the committee members’ expertise – and the public’s sentiment – into an execution strategy moving forward, he said, adding that ideally that execution strategy will be ready for council by early 2024.
A workable roadmap, the strategy will be a list of what needs to happen, in what order, and every decision that can be made on the site. It will be developed through discussion and consultation with community partners. After being developed, it will go to council for final approval and ratification.
That strategy will come in time. For now, Mathieson said that the first order of business is to get everyone in a room and discuss what process would best suit them – when they should meet, how, and where.
He also indicated that the committee members will be at the building’s open house scheduled for Saturday, weather permitting.
“That will allow the ad hoc committee to have a good discussion amongst the 11 members. And then from there, lay out a strategy and a process that they can then articulate through the working groups and then take it back to council to make sure it aligns with what council would like to see.”
The committee has 13 members, including Mayor Martin Ritsma, Barb Cottle, citizen at large, Andy Bicanic, development, Franklin Famme, economic development, Stephen Mitchell, accounting, Trudi Jonkman, Stratford Lakeside Active Adults Association member, Georgia Neely, youth, Mark Vandenbosch, education, Ron Dodson, theatre, Nick Flanagan, designs, Paul Parlee, legal, and Melanie Hare, land-use planning.
The committee members were largely all recommended by Mathieson, with only Cottle and Flanagan added by council, replacing Patty Walker Mann and Steve Cooper, respectively.
Mathieson said that he is looking forward to working with everyone and stressed that out of the 60 applicants, many could easily have been recommended.
When members were chosen at city council, Coun. Jo-Dee Burbach put forward amendments, specifically to add diversity, pointing out a narrow range of age: all except one of the recommended appointments were over the age of 50.
Burbach later said in emailed correspondence that her amendments were intended to make “a strong committee even stronger.”
“My recommendations included a citizen-at-large (Cottle) who has really amazing community connections,” Burbach stated. “As well as some younger professionals who have great qualifications and can also bring forward fresh ideas and an understanding of the needs of younger individuals and families.”
Mathieson said that his recommendations were developed in consultation with Ritsma and City CAO Joan Thomson. Diversity, equity, and inclusion were a part of the conversation, he said, balanced with the qualifications that candidates brought with them.
“Council, at the end of the day, they saw the same information I had and I think they made some strategic changes that they felt were appropriate,” Mathieson explained. “I'm happy to work with whoever council identified. To be candid with you, there were over almost 60 applications. By way of applications, many of them had some great skills and ability and it was a very tough process to wean down.”
Coun. Bonnie Henderson and Coun. Cody Sebben were not in attendance when the committee members were chosen. Henderson later told StratfordToday that she was watching online and was very impressed with the amount of applicants and believes that the committee will work hard for the community.
Sebben was also contacted for comment, though did not provide feedback in time for publication
At that same council meeting, council also approved the appointment of five working groups and eight chair positions in Karen Haslam (a former mayor) and Herb Klassen, partnership; Melanie Hare, vision, planning, and architecture; Franklin Famme, real estate, legal, and finance; John Kastner and Andrew Hilton, communications, advocacy and civic engagement, and Steve Cooper, infrastructure, environmental.
They also appointed Alan Kasperski and Ray Harsant as the working group coordinators.
Mathieson explained that the committee will essentially be a steering committee that will report to council and give recommendations. The working groups are five areas that need specific areas of expertise that can get deeper into issues than the committee.
In that respect, they may be more fluid, able to bring in consultants and outside input, but they are still an arm of the committee, and by extension, city council.
“At the end of the day, they still have to go before council and council has to know who's on the working groups, and ratify those.”
The committee and working group members are all volunteers. They serve on a two-year term, until September, 2025. Mathieson said that if they have developed a strategy and have it in place, then perhaps the committee will not continue further past the initial term, leaving council and city staff to execute that strategy.
Mathieson said public consultation is an important part of the process given the original Grand Trunk Master plan is aging.
“So it's an opportunity for citizens and groups and community organizations to update kind of their thinking around what they expect and would like to see,” Mathieson said. “Through the public consultation and feedback, I think we'll get a pretty clear understanding from them, how they feel about it.”
As with all advisory committees, the meetings will be public. Additionally, the minutes will be accepted by council. Mathieson also indicated that they may present to council on a semi-regular basis, whether that be monthly or quarterly.
Aside from the committee members meeting, next steps are to fill out the working group members and to schedule the meetings.
Mathieson wants to ensure the public knows that every option will be considered and whatever strategy will be brought forward will be thoroughly investigated.
Mathieson said he has received plenty of feedback on the site, whether out for dinner, leaving the golf course, or buying groceries.
"It's my intent to make sure that whatever decision is brought forward with regard to retaining all or a portion of the property at the existing building, that it not only have justification from an architectural, planning, and design standpoint, but it also has the fundraising feasibility and economics clearly laid out.”
