It was an airing of grievances at Tecumseh Park in Chatham.
Close to 50 local residents gathered to voice concerns over the proposed Community Hub, which would combine the Civic Centre, library, and museum in the former Sears building in downtown Chatham.
The town hall style meeting, dubbed “Save Our City Hall,” was a privately organized event with no municipal administration present to answer questions or clarify misconceptions. Six councillors, Michael Bondy, Ryan Doyle, Brock McGregor, Trevor Thompson, Alysson Storey, and Rhonda Jubenville, were on hand, mainly taking in the conversation.
Organizer Liz Vallee said it feels as though many residents have lost faith in the municipality and don’t trust the mayor or councillors to make decisions that are in the community’s best interest.
North Kent Councillor Rhonda Jubenville spoke to the crowd at length, fielding questions and discussing her notice of motion to hold a referendum and allow residents to have a say on whether the hub project should move forward. Jubenville said after discussions with municipal staff, rather than calling for a referendum, her motion is being revised to ask the municipal clerk to look into the options and feasibility of a referendum. The issue will be up for discussion at next Monday’s council meeting.
Chatham Councillor Alysson Storey encouraged residents to visit the municipality’s Let’s Talk Chatham-Kent website for a full breakdown of the hub proposal, including cost estimates and the most recent information presented to council.
