How much will you spend caring for your lawn or garden this summer? Does $300,000 sound about right? Well, if you suddenly added more than 90 acres to your property, as the Town of Whitby did this year with the purchase of Cullen Gardens, you may also be faced with a six-digit figure.
Although the money to maintain Cullen Gardens would have been significantly higher had the Town chose to maintain it as a tourist attraction, the fact that it will cost more than $300,000 just to keep the property neat and tidy may be a warning sign that the Town can't see the forest for the trees.
It's easy to applaud council for saving Cullen Gardens from becoming the site of another subdivision, but how it will choose to manage its new acquisition remains somewhat of a mystery. Aside from the development of a new children's camp, relatively little is known about what the future holds for this prime patch of land in north Whitby.ยจ There's talk of developing a trail system from Heber Down Conservation Area down to the top portion of the property, but what the Town intends on doing with the remaining buildings remains unknown. Mayor Marcel Brunelle said there appears to be some money-making opportunities through the restaurant and banquet facilities on site, but does the potential exist for significant revenues that can offset the mammoth costs inevitably associated with running the property?
Although the Town is directing money in its capital budget toward its new operation, how far can it stretch it? Is this a money pit waiting to happen? Did council react too quickly? What about selling off parts of the land to recoup some of the $8.9 million it paid just to prevent concrete from being poured over Cullen Gardens?
These are all questions local officials will have to ponder to truly prove they made a right decision without making taxpayers, and the municipality as a whole, suffer financially over the long run. A report on what the future holds is apparently forthcoming.
"We've got significant investment; we've got to treat it properly," Councillor Mark McKinnon said upon learning of the $304,500 that will be needed this year for grounds maintenance.
Maintain it, yes, but for how long and at what price to the Town and taxpayers?
Reporter David Blumenfeld's column appears every other Wednesday. E-mail dblumenfeld@durhamregion.com