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Stratford Institute Progress

rdaner

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For those interested, the Statford Institute is a giant step closer to securing a fantastic downtown site with immenent acquisition of the Cooper Site (please see first article below). On a more worrying note, the two largest churches in Statford may be on the market soon; they are beautiful structures whose loss would be a tragedy (second article).

Does anyone know if the churches are being looked at for the Stratford Institutes activities or by the Festival?

Stratford%5COntario%20Street%20-%20142%20-%20Knox%20Presbyterian%20Church%20-%2001.jpg


Judge sides with city on expropriation of former Cooper site
Posted By PAUL CLUFF


The city of Stratford won legal arguments against Lawrence Ryan yesterday in its efforts to expropriate the CNR Centre.

Justice Roland Haines said, in his view, the city has complied with provisions of the Expropriations Act and it has proceeded in a timely manner in efforts to expropriate the downtown property, the preferred site for the University of Waterloo Stratford Institute campus.

In his disposition faxed to representatives of the city, CNR Centre owner Lawrence Ryan and his numbered company, Justice Haines ruled the court would not intervene in the pace of the city's expropriation efforts, a blow for Mr. Ryan, who argued he is losing $1,500 a day in mortgage interest.

John Doherty, Mr. Ryan's legal counsel, contended the city was acting in bad faith, accusing the city of sitting on an appraisal to rack up costs for his client.

A request was made to cross-examine Stratford CAO Ron Shaw on the matter, however, Justice Haines said he "wasn't satisfied the defendants exercised their right to cross-examine with reasonable diligence."

The judge wasn't prepared to grant the defendants request for adjournment to cross-examine the CAO.

Counsel for the city earlier said its appraiser hasn't evaluated environmental issues at the CNR Centre, therefore the appraisal isn't yet complete.

"Assuming without deciding that there is inherent jurisdiction in this court to intervene where bad faith is demonstrated there is nothing to support such a finding in this case and, therefore, no basis for this court to assume jurisdiction," the judge said.

City council instructed legal counsel to prepare the materials necessary to start expropriation in December, not long after University of Waterloo officials informed council that the downtown core was their preference for a campus.

Notice of intent to expropriate was sent the following month.

The city must provide a monetary offer on the CNR Centre within the 90-day timeline that recently began and Mr. Ryan has to vacate the property by mid-September, Stratford mayor Dan Mathieson told The Beacon Herald last night.

"The city is pleased with the judge's ruling," the mayor said.

"It allows us to continue following the Expropriate Act and to keep moving in a thoughtful and legitimate manner while following legislation."



Knox-St. Andrew's merger on uncertain ground
Posted By LAURA CUDWORTH


The amalgamation of St. Andrew's and Knox Presbyterian churches may have come to a grinding halt.

A vote to approve the amalgamation plan was taken by the congregation of Knox last Wednesday and was turned down by a vote of 86 to 23.

St. Andrew's Church has been home to both congregations since November, though the Knox congregation held an Easter service at the downtown church this year.

"We voted to stop, we did not approve the plan and we wish to come back to our building and become Knox again," said Sue Orr, a board manager at Knox.

Meanwhile, members of St. Andrew's took the same vote Sunday and voted in favour of the plan 56 to 22, Ms. Orr said.

Theresa Palmer, a member of St. Andrew's and the transition team, declined to comment before meetings planned between the two sessions -- a court at the congregational level -- were held in the evening.

Ms. Orr stressed the Knox congregation didn't vote against amalgamation because members of the two churches aren't getting along. The "no" vote came out of uncertainty, she said.

The Huron-Perth Presbytery will meet tonight to discuss the issue.

The presbytery owns both buildings but the individual congregations maintain them.

About two years ago, the congregation at Knox voted 80 to 20 in favour of looking at amalgamating based on an agreement that plans for a new church would be produced before the process went forward, Ms. Orr said.

A transition team was formed with members from both congregations. Proceeds from the sale of the churches would allow for the construction of a new building to be named Grace Church.

Both Knox and St. Andrew's churches have storied and long histories in the community. Like schools, people love their churches.

"It is a tough road. I struggle with how many people have been hurt," Ms. Orr said.

The original Knox Church burned to the ground and was replaced in 1915 for $85,000. Today the organ alone is worth more than that.

St. Andrew's was the first church built in Stratford in 1840. The simple structure was later replaced on the original site beside the Stratford Public Library.

As beautiful as the buildings are, they cost a lot of money to maintain.

"We're both bleeding red ink, something's got to give," acknowledged Ms. Orr. "It's in the presbytery's hands."

Ms. Orr said if the church does go up for sale she would like to see someone preserve it rather than tear it down. She noted the church has served as a venue for many community events including Stratford Summer Music, community meals and others.

"My dream is to make Knox green. It would take maybe $2 million but at least we'd have something in the end," she said.
 
It's certainly the best site in Stratford to put it. I hope Levitt Goodman gets the renovation contract; you only have to look at the School of Architecture to see what they can do with an old industrial building.

I haven't heard anything about the churches, but I rather doubt they'll be at risk. Buildings like that would only be demolished by developers with holes in their heads and death wishes.
 
UW campus construction could begin in spring

City, Ryan reach deal on Cooper site
UW campus construction could begin in spring
Posted By PAUL CLUFF Staff Reporter
Posted 2 days ago


The City of Stratford and Lawrence Ryan have reached agreement on a price of $4.5 million for the Cooper property.

The deal — a significant jump from the initial $500,000 offer tabled by the city in September — should see the city take possession of the downtown property Feb. 9.

Construction of Phase 1 of the Stratford Institute, an advanced digital media school through the University of Waterloo, could begin as early as spring.

The city's expropriation of the land led both sides to courtrooms, but Stratford CAO Ron Shaw said the city wanted to settle possession with Mr. Ryan, "so we could proceed with the university project and get it in the ground this year."

Mr. Ryan leaked details of the settlement to media last week, however minutes of settlement were only signed by both sides Monday.

According to court records obtained by The Beacon Herald, $3.9 million will be paid to Republic Mortgage Investment Co. and $566,935 to Mr. Ryan's numbered company.

In addition, the city will pay $150,000 in legal and consulting costs to Mr. Ryan and $60,000 towards relocation costs. Because the city took title of the property in June, it must pay six per cent retroactive interest on the full amount.

Mr. Shaw said Phase 1 could include a 45,000-square-foot building on a 1.3-acre parcel of land immediately west of the Stratford-Perth YMCA building.

That property currently is part of the St. Patrick Street parking lot but not on land occupied by the buildings.

No demolition of the former CNR repair shops building is scheduled of yet, however, demolition will be brought up at the next city finance and labour subcommittee meeting, scheduled for Jan. 19.

and also...


Cooper site saga has finally come to an end comment
Posted By John Kastner
Posted 21 hours ago

http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2261462

It certainly appeared that when the City of Stratford began the expropriation process to gain control of the Cooper site for the University of Waterloo that the final die had been cast.

The city, in conjunction with the University of Waterloo, had determined what everyone else knew all along -- the Cooper site was the perfect place for the new University of Waterloo campus.

Given the arduous if not hostile relationship between the city and the owner of the property, Lawrence Ryan, an amicable sale always seemed to be unlikely, so it was reasonable and logical for the city to pursue the property through expropriation.

Situations like this seem to be exactly what the expropriation process was designed for. It was in the best interests of the city as obtaining that property for the university killed two birds with one stone.

One, it addresses the issue of a having what amounts to a massive, burned-out dilapidated building in the heart of downtown, a huge eyesore in plain view of both citizens and tourists alike which has cast a pall on what is otherwise a reasonably bustling city centre for much of the year.

Two, bringing students and people and jobs and new construction to the downtown core is also positive and will hopefully spawn more of the same.

The logic and merits of expropriating the property aside, there must have been more than a few cynics in Stratford who thought they would never see this day.

The city is now days away from regaining control of the key downtown property, and construction will begin within the calendar year.

There have been many times -- when the city and Mr. Ryan were at loggerheads in court, when the building caught fire, when Mr. Ryan ran for city council, when a sitting councillor became his advocate at city council meetings, when another of Mr. Ryan's advocates ran for mayor -- that many people thought they would never see a conclusion to this incredible situation.

Given that the city sold the property 14 years ago and it has been mired in controversy, failed starts and grandiose plans for development ever since, that skepticism was reasonable.

Those same cynics may suggest that this whole thing could still come off the rails, but that seems very unlikely now and it seems, remarkably, we are now in the final few days of the Cooper site saga as we know it.


It has been quite a story, to be sure, and certainly has had an impact on the community. It has been the subject of every municipal election for over a decade and the building itself has been a very visible and daily reminder of the issue. Legal bills aside, the city's billable hours for its staff on this file over the last 14 years is surely astounding.

It's hard to believe it's almost over.
 
OCAD involved with Waterloo Stratford

Waterloo Bulletin reports that OCAD University has joined the University of Waterloo and the University of Western Ontario in creating Waterloo's Stratford Campus. http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca/

Is there any word on who the architects are for the new building?
 
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