Aurora council approves Library Square project in downtown core

'Iconic beacon' or project being 'rammed through'? Feelings strong on both sides

Yorkregion.com
August 28, 2020
Lisa Queen

Library Square is a go.

After years of discussion, council approved the ambitious downtown project at a special council meeting the night of Aug. 25 in a move that generated strong feelings on both sides.

The Aurora Chamber of Commerce, Aurora Cultural Centre, the downtown Aurora Business Improvement Area and the Aurora Public Library all urged councillors to approve the project, while about three dozen residents pleaded with the town to put the brakes on.

Council awarded the $41-million tender to Chandos Construction Ltd. as part of an overall budget of $51.9 million, with councillors John Gallo, Rachel Gilliland and Wendy Gaertner voting against the move.

Gilliland said she is disappointed council wouldn’t agree to her suggestion to pause the project for 120 days, as a report on the town’s finances is coming to council in October.

While Gilliland said she continues to support Library Square, she likened taking time to reflect to a customer reconsidering whether they should scrap the bells and whistles when ordering a new Mercedes.

Mayor Tom Mrakas described approving the project as an exciting last step in a decades-long journey to realize the transformation of the downtown core.

Library Square has long been a hot topic of debate, he said, but it’s time for the town to create a social, economic and cultural hub and to invest in the slumping downtown.

“We cannot continue to ride the merry-go-round of indecision,” he said.

While many others are questioning whether it makes sense to proceed with the project during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mrakas argued the time is right.

Interest rates are low, he said; delaying the project would result in higher construction costs, and the town is in a healthy financial position.

Governments are spending record amounts to kick-start the economy and neighbouring communities are moving forward with capital projects such as Mulock Farm in Newmarket, recreation centres in King Township and Georgina and a York University campus in Markham, Mrakas said.

But about three dozen residents protesting outside the town hall before the meeting said that council should reassess Library Square, especially in light of the economic and social implications of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m not opposed to Library Square in principle, it has been discussed for a while,” Deni Crescenzi said.

But he argued that Aurora has a history of projects coming in significantly over budget.

“Every time, they say ‘Whoops, sorry and we’re going to learn for next time,’” but they don’t, Crescenzi said.

“This is being rammed through, it’s an agenda that’s being rammed through without proper consideration and analysis.”

On a motion from Coun. Michael Thompson, council approved a budget control task force to monitor and examine all financial aspects of the project.

But now is not the time for a legacy project, one protester said.

Aurora should follow the lead of other communities and pull back on expenditures, Doug Bushey said.

Dianne Harrison said the initial vision for the site was a simple community space, but council has since changed it into an expensive, “extravagant” project.

However, library CEO Bruce Gorman urged councillors to approve the “fabulous” project.

“This will be a community destination for community activities, gatherings and events of all kinds for generations to come,” he said.

“Rarely do you get the opportunity to develop an iconic beacon to our town where the community can come together under any and all circumstances.”

Library Square is a rare opportunity to build a centre of excellence that will boost both the town’s economy and cultural presence, Gorman said.