CULLEN: Open Letter To Mayor Mark Sutcliffe

11/21/2024

This is an open letter to Mayor Mark Sutcliffe from former Bay councillor Alex Cullen on the issue of aging recreation infrastructure:

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Mayor Mark Sutcliffe

City of Ottawa

Ottawa City Hall

Dear Mayor Sutcliffe:

City of Ottawa Budget 2025

Funding for Recreational Facilities Life-Cycle Costs

Last September 24, 2024 I wrote to you and members of Ottawa City Council concerning the challenge facing the City of Ottawa in maintaining Ottawa’s aging recreational and cultural assets, urging that the 2025 City budget should provide sufficient funds to meet the funding gap identified in the City’s 10-year Recreation & Cultural Services Asset Management Plan.

What prompted my letter then was the announced closure of the Belltown Dome – one of Ottawa’s 36 indoor artificial arenas – due to equipment failure and building deficiencies. The loss of this facility as an artificial ice rink, will add pressure for ice time at Ottawa’s remaining arenas. That plus the deteriorating state of Ottawa’s aging recreational assets, calls out for investment in order to maintain existing recreational facilities, upgrade where required, and meet the needs of our growing population. The Recreation & Cultural Services Asset Management Plan estimates the funding shortfall to meet these objectives is $910 million, of which renewal accounts for about half.

Unfortunately the draft City 2025 budget tabled on November 6 does not address these issue.

The issue of preserving our recreation and cultural facilities is a pressing one. From the Recreation & Cultural Services Asset Master Plan we know:

• the average age of Ottawa’s arenas and is rinks is 45 years. For aquatic facilities the average age is 40 years; for community assets (community centres, fieldhouses, etc.) it is 39 years; for cultural assets it is 62 years.

• 34 arenas & ice rinks (14%) are in poor or very poor condition. 82 aquatic facilities (35%) are in poor or very poor condition; 172 community assets (17%) are in poor or very poor condition; 22 cultural assets (22%) are in poor or very poor condition; 288 outdoor assets (41%) are in poor or very poor condition.

The Recreation & Cultural Services Asset Management Plan shows the City’s planned annual expenditure for renewal needs of these facilities averages $90.7 million a year, for enhancement & upgrades $16.6 million a year, and to accommodate growth $65.5 million a year.

However, these are insufficient to meet needs. According to the Recreation & Cultural Services Asset Management Plan, the shortfall to meet these planned expenditures is an average of $87.5 million a year:

The 2025 City budget does not address these issues, but Ottawa’s recreation and cultural facilities continue to age. Belltown Dome is the first casualty.

How to address this funding shortfall? My recommendation is to set a dedicated time-limited surtax to fund these life-cycle costs. Taxpayers will understand that these dedicated funds to maintain these well-used community facilities are necessary in order to keep them operational.

What is the alternative? City council would be derelict in not making the necessary investment in maintain the recreation and cultural assets it has, that the community uses. These facilities are valued highly by residents, and allowing them to deteriorate would be irresponsible.

Your attention to this pressing matter would be appreciated.

Yours truly,

Alex Cullen