Market Square falls short
By Rob Tripp
Local News - Thursday, June 22, 2006 @ 07:00
Taxpayers could be asked to pick up a bigger share of the $5.7-million tab for refurbishing Kingston’s historic civic market.
The largest phase of the reconstruction project is on schedule and nearing completion, but a public fundraising campaign that was envisioned to pay for the final phase of work is still more than $1 million short of its $3.65-million goal.
“One option is the city making up the difference now, and I certainly don’t want to speak for council on that one, but certainly that would be an option,” senior manager Mark Segsworth said in an interview Tuesday.
When work began last year, the city committed to using public money to pay about one quarter of the cost, $1.53 million.
Fundraising and donations were to cover more than 60 per cent of the bill, while downtown businesses will pay nearly 10 per cent of the cost, $500,000.
The final work that was planned, including finishing some areas that are now gravel or stone, installation of seating and a courtyard, can’t proceed and will remain unfinished when the square reopens this summer.
“We can’t do anything more until additional resources to fund it become available,” said Segsworth, who is guiding the work.
He said he favours completing Phase II of the project which involves the reconstruction of streets surrounding Market Square, the installation of a fountain and work on the concrete ice rink base before deciding how to pay for the remaining work.
“Let’s take stock of where we’re at and let’s see where we’re at in the fundraising at that point and weigh our options,” he said.
Segsworth said that if he decided the best approach was a bigger city contribution, he’d likely bring a report to councillors in August or September.
“We’ve got a million more to raise,” said Peggy Reid, the Kingston businesswoman who chairs the fundraising drive.
She said the total amount of pledges and donations is now at roughly $2.5 million.
Reid said quite a few appeals to potential donors are outstanding.
The largest single contribution came from Kingston’s Springer family. The well-known business family gave
$1 million to the campaign.
The city will rename the two-century-old public site Springer Market Square in recognition of the donation, although that decision is still the subject of an ongoing court case.
A group of citizens is seeking to have the city’s decision overturned, citing secrecy and a failure to follow procedures.
A judge rejected the claim, but that decision was appealed.
Segsworth said no final decision has been made about the design of a plaque or pedestal that will bear the names of donors to the project.
Overall construction is on schedule, he said.
Vital streets around the square, Market, King and Brock, have been closed to traffic as underground pipes and wires are replaced and asphalt is replaced with paving stones and granite curbs.
Brock is the only street that remains closed, but Segsworth said he expects it will reopen, as planned, by Canada Day.
“I have not heard anything to the contrary that would suggest that Brock Street won’t be open by July 1 and I have not heard anything ... to suggest that the market vendors won’t be back on the square on Saturday, July 1,” he said.
Vendors who have sold produce in Kingston’s public market for more than 200 years were moved to nearby Clarence Street to make way for the construction.
Segsworth said the only component of the second phase of work that won’t be complete by the end of this month is the installation of a fountain.
That work should be done, he said, by the end of July.
rtripp@thewhig.com