February 23, 2011
Mayor calls for open
doors at town hall
by Vance Gutzman
The mayor of Deep River
wants to see an open door policy at town hall.
Quite literally, in fact.
Mayor David Thompson, speaking last week to a motion of which he had
given prior notice earlier this month, said he wants the lobby of the
town hall to be open to the public, 365 days a year, from 8 am to 1o pm.
By way of explanation, Thompson noted he was on the town hall building
committee 20 years ago, when he sat as reeve on municipal council.
"The vision back then for the town hall was a community meeting place,"
Thompson told council.
"A place where people could gather and be welcome."
Such is not the case with the town hall now, according to the mayor.
"Over the years it's become a little bit more of a fortress," Thompson
said, noting that there are times when committees are waiting for
delegations who can't even gain entrance to the building.
Opening up the town hall to the public would also flush another problem
down the drain, he said.
"We do have public washrooms downtown," Thompson said.
"They're right here in our very own building."
The mayor did note that opening up the lobby of the building year-round
would pose some logistical problems, such as maintaining the integrity
of the building's security.
"I realize it's not just as easy as unlocking the door," he said.
"But this is a beautiful town hall, it's paid for by the residents and
the residents deserve better utilization of it."
And while it may be a beautiful town hall, in the mayor's eyes, it
could also use a facelift, Thompson went on to say.
"The esthetics need an update," Thompson said, noting there is
furniture jammed under the stairwell, a church pew the town picked up
somewhere along the way, and brochures by the multitude in the lobby.
"We're the brochure capital of Renfrew County," Thompson said.
"There's one down there warning people of Y2K."
Thompson urged staff to set aside a day in which they and council
members can come in and straighten things up.
"The whole place needs a little tidying up," he said.
"We'll all come in with our sweaters and our jeans and see how we can
spruce this place up."
But the mayor's idea of opening up the town hall wasn't one bred in
everyone's genes.
Deputy Mayor Mary MacCafferty was quick to point out that the town hall
is used quite extensively already by a wide range of community groups,
and she listed a wide range, from the Horticultural Society
to Unity in Diversity.
"We do offer the town hall all the time," MacCafferty said.
"If we're not communicating that, we have a problem. And who else
beyond this list do you expect to come in and use it between nine and
10 at night?"
Councillor Ron Desrochers made the comment that, with the lobby
remaining open so late in the day, the police and firefighters in the
building may have to keep an eye out for security.
"So we don't have skateboarders," Desrochers said.
MacCafferty said that even with the hours the town hall is open right
now, there are already some issues with the way the public washrooms
are being used "with the police only a couple yards away."
Council decided in the end to support a motion by Councillor Terry
Myers to table the motion keeping the town hall open until more details
of its implementation can be obtained.
"I think there are probably things that can be worked out if the will
is there," Myers said.
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