Questions, I get questions!

Thanks to those of you who have reached out in the last while, asking where I stand on some of the issues our next town council will face. I'll post my responses here over the next while.

Here's one of those questions and the answer I sent back:

"What do you think the town should do with the Collingwood terminal building?"

The grain terminals are an iconic and enduring symbol of Collingwood's rich history. They're a unique landmark which I'd like to see made safe and used, so long as it doesn't break the bank. My dad worked at the terminals to supplement our farm income when I was a kid, and traveling toward town on the school bus, I would sometimes imagine the building as a castle. Many people have told me, when they're headed down 124, their first sight of the terminals tells them, "Ahhh... I'm home." Some municipalities have re-purposed similar buildings; in Buffalo, a zip-lining adventure course uses a waterside grain silo as its launch pad. It was truly a disappointment when the plan a few years ago for a mushroom farm came and went so quickly after so many other proposals had also fallen through. When making a decision, our next council will have to remember that the communications towers on top of the building currently provide revenue to the town and a necessary service. With some expert information about its condition now available, a decision about the terminals' future can be based on facts in addition to emotion and a desire to honour our past.

It's funny, I wrote the answer to this question late last week, and as I was doing some errands yesterday, I ran into several people who wanted to talk about the election. One of them brought up the terminals, too. She was tentative at first, wanting to hear what I had to say before jumping in with her opinion. When I told her about imagining the terminals as a castle she said, 'castle!', at the exact time I did, and started telling me how she gives a little sigh when she first spots the terminals from the hill on 124 above Duntroon. When I told Sweetie about the conversation, he said he feels the same thing; especially at the end of a snowy drive, the sight of the terminals means you've made it.