Among the many entertaining witticisms uttered by New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra, “It’s déjà vu all over again” remains high on the most memorable list.
For residents of the neighbourhood surrounding Sunset Park, it indeed felt just like that as they mobilized to fight the inclusion of that greenspace on the short list of consultant-recommended sites for a new north-end Peterborough fire hall.
Last year saw members of Friends of Inverlea Park vehemently protest that park’s inclusion on the short list, a movement that ultimately proved successful with Inverlea Park being dropped from new fire hall site consideration in January. In the aftermath, what was three recommended sites became two: Sunset Park where Sunset Boulevard meet Chemong Road, and the site of to-be-closed Northcrest Arena on Marina Boulevard.
Enter Friends of Sunset Park, a residents’ group determined to let city councillors know, loudly and clearly, that their neighbourhood green space isn’t an option.
On Monday night (April 12), city councillors meeting at the committee level will vote on a staff recommendation that the new $11-million fire hall be located at the Northcrest Arena site.
According to Councillor Andrew Beamer, Peterborough Fire Services chair and one of two Northcrest Ward representatives, his council colleagues “will be very supportive” of the staff recommendation, which after Monday’s preliminary vote will go to full council April 26 for final approval.
“People are absolutely ecstatic,” says Monica Moran who, with Franco Mattiucci, started and organized Friends of Sunset Park to have “our neighbourhood gem” removed from the proposed site list.
The pair led an effort that saw flyers printed and distributed door-to-door and then collected with signatures of support attached. In addition, they liaised with members of Friends of Inverlea Park, not only calling on their protest experience but also borrowing their lawn signs, which were adapted to read ‘Save Sunset Park’.
“I do understand the importance of integrating fireballs with neighbourhoods,” says Moran.
“What we didn’t agree with is taking our park away or even being considered and being put on that list. To us, that is head shaking. Parks are for people, not fire halls.”
Mattiucci concurs, saying “It didn’t make any sense to me … I was very surprised they would consider (Sunset Park as a location for the new fire hall).”
Back in June of last year, the city hired Toronto-based Dillon Consulting to review city-owned properties where a new fire hall could be built to replace the 52-year-old often-flooded Fire Hall 2 on Carnegie Avenue. Therein, says Moran, lays the problem.
“I was born and raised in Peterborough … the tag line in the 1960s was Peterborough First,” says Moran.
“You employed local people and the money would go back into the community. Hiring consultants from Toronto … they don’t have exposure to what the city looks like. When that list came out, I thought ‘Holy mackerel. Do they not understand where Sunset Park is?’ To me it looked like they took at an aerial map and just picked out vacant land.”
“People refer to it as vacant piece of land,” says Moran.
“They haven’t explored or walked through that park. The schools in our neighbourhood take students for walks there to learn firsthand about nature and wildlife and that kind of thing.”
Adding to Friends of Sunset Park’s concern, says Moran, was a perceived lack of promised public consultation starting in early 2021 regarding the Sunset Park location. She says in lieu of that, a short-term online survey was issued in February.
That, shes adds, was a problem for many of the neighbourhood’s senior residents who don’t have access to a computer. It was then that both she and Mattiucci undertook the door-to-door blitz distribution of some 200 flyers.
According to the report recommending the Northcrest Arena site authored by Peterborough Fire Services Chief Chris Snetsinger, there were 210 survey responses with 87 per cent of respondents in support of the Northcrest site and 13 per cent of respondents in favour of the Sunset Park site.
In addition, respondents indicated that support of green spaces and parks ranked as the most important consideration, with fire response times being the second consideration.
While Councillor Beamer wasn’t, and still isn’t, surprised by the resulting backlash from both neighbourhood groups, he says the consultants’ mandate was to look at the best possible sites with provincially mandated emergency response times front of mind.
“Putting a fire hall in any location is complex,” he says, acknowledging the Northcrest Arena site “was always the preference” over the park locations.
“A lot of factors have to be looked at. One of the top ones is emergency response time. You can’t build a new fire hall that’s three miles away from the nearest house.”
Councillor Beamer adds that once the Northcrest Arena site is approved by council, demolition of the arena will commence this fall as schematic designs of the new fire hall are made. He notes public consultation with those living in the area of the site will be held.
“I don’t anticipate too much push back,” he says, adding “The expectation is that shovels will be in the ground in the spring of 2022.”
Admitting the fire hall site shortlist “created a lot of buzz,” Beamer says the exercise proved something he already knew — “Residents are passionate about their neighbourhoods.”
“At the end of the day, we’ll have a state-of-the-art fire hall. The north end is the fastest growing area of the city. Safety is priority number one. This will make sure the north end is well covered for emergency response times.”
Ahead, Beamer adds, is the identification of potential sites for yet another new fire hall in East City — a rapidly growing part of the city that does not have a fire hall.
“We’re already starting that process,” he says.
It’s déjà vu all over again.
