You Guys! We Saved the Terminals!

 A few months ago, I sent a note to one of my council colleagues after a meeting:

OMG we just SAVED THE TERMINALS and we CAN'T TELL ANYONE!

We had just put the finishing touches on the document that put 'preserving the terminals in some form' at the very tippy-top of the list of requirements for any of the developers who wanted to be part of the project for the future of the quay and grain silos. 

You've now seen the list; it's a public document.

What you haven't seen is how much work went into this project by our amazing staff, and what you haven't seen is how hard it was to keep the successes along the way under wraps for the sake of an honest process.

As tempting as it was, I entered the online conversations regarding the terminals only once, via private message, providing to a very prolific writer, a copy of the public list of requirements for prospective partners.

Why did we on council have to stay quiet while the process was working? Because this is the biggest thing the town has done in a while and we needed to apply the lessons we learned in the Judicial Inquiry about fair procurement and honest dealings. 

The terminals were not mentioned in the final report of the Judicial Inquiry, but those of us who have been around Collingwood for a while know that previous discussions surrounding the terminal building weren't, shall we say, quite so clean, and I'm not referring to the guano in the marine tower. 

The vision that's come to us is unique and beautiful and I'm very excited for you to see it. I am proud of the work the staff has done, and I look forward to your reaction. 

You'll get to see the plans just as soon as the developer and the town sign the MOU we voted for, which, if all goes to plan, will bring the terminals back to life, and bring the quay firmly into the future.