New parks and trails or the recreation equipment to maintain existing parks? How do you want to see parkland reserve money spent? If you care about greenspace in Orangeville, please come to the public consultation meeting on Monday, May 29th at 7 pm at the council chambers.

The parkland reserve is money the town gets from developers in lieu of developing parks (5% of the total land value of a project). When a development project is too small, it makes sense to take cash.

This money, however, could be used to build new parks in other parts of town. Instead, it is mostly used to upgrade playgrounds and buy recreation equipment (including a truck, a scissor lift, and a booking system in 2005). These are all good and necessary things, but should they come out of parkland reserve or our general taxes?

When we have built out to the town's limits, there will be no more parkland reserve money coming in. When we have spent the money on equipment and the fund is empty, where do we find the

money for further equipment purchases? But more importantly, when we have built houses and businesses on the last of our open space, how do we then create parks and trails?

Our trail system is only half complete. We still have only fragments of a l5-km loop around town. Why not use the money in our parkland reserve to finish it? Or develop a natural environment park adjacent to Humber College in the west end?

In the 2005 and 2006 tax years, the town will have used $314,000 of the reserve toward equipment purchases and playground upgrades, leaving $179,000 in the reserve fund.

The Municipal Act permits towns to use the parkland reserve for these park-related expenses. But is that how Orangeville should be spending the reserve? A park or trail created today lasts for generations to come. Who cares about a truck in ten years? If you agree, please let council know. They need your input.

Bernadette Hardaker

Orangeville