Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Report to Stakeholders April 23 & 30, 2005

Report to Stakeholders on Community Meetings
Held at the Johnstown Parish Hall April 23, 2005
and
Red Islands Fire Hall April 30, 2005


Background
The Johnstown Community Development Cooperative (JCDC Ltd.) is in the process of preparing a business plan that would reflect a new strategic direction for JCDC. This business plan would assist the Board of Directors in their efforts to obtain financial assistance for the renewal/upgrade of the infrastructure of the property. The first step in preparing a plan was to hold community meetings on April 23, 2005 and April 30, 2005 to receive feedback from stakeholders (community and coop members) about the appropriate use of the property and to hear their concerns, suggestions and questions regarding the future of this property.

The mission of JCDC was stated in 1990 as follows:
“to conserve, develop, and renew the human resources, the physical infrastructure, and the social and natural resources of the areas surrounding the settlement of Johnstown, so as to enhance the area’s capacity to attract and keep year-round residents who can contribute to its life.”

Among the original goals stated for the development coop were to provide needed services to local residents, especially to seniors and youth; to conserve the environmental values of the Bras d’Or Lake; to support the cultures of the main ethnic groupings of the area; and to contribute to sustainable development of Cape Breton.

A number of initiatives have been undertaken over the past 15 years:
  • Seniors club activities;
  • Tourism related ventures;
  • Rental of space for the credit union and other tenants;
  • Establishment of a Community Access Project (CAP) site;
  • Youth employment and music/recreation camps.

The Board of Directors have consulted with the Bras d’Or Lakers Seniors Group, the first organization to take an active role in the use of the building, and have received a letter (September 24, 2004) confirming that the Seniors support the concept of a Seniors Room being included in any building on the property in cooperation with JCDC plans.

The Board of Directors approached the District 10 Fire Hall to ask permission to relocate the CAP site to the fire hall. This move was made on April 17, 2005.

Suggestions from the April 23, 2005 meeting (13 attendees)
  1. Assess the building.
  2. Sell the property and building.
  3. Declare bankruptcy.
  4. Create seniors housing with coop members having preference.
  5. House the fire hall.
  6. Sell a piece of property.
  7. Sell the CAP site.
  8. Acquire resources for facilitated meetings.
  9. Meet with the NS Co-op Council in Arichat for resources.
  10. Partner with the following groups: League Savings, Municipality of Richmond, CAP Society, Federal Government, ECBC Innovation Fund, Seniors Council, Richmond, New Dawn, Big Pond Community Council, Community groups (Sacred Heart Ladies, Fire Hall, Parish Council, Seniors, JCDC Ltd.)
  11. Have JCDC take responsibility for a planning committee inclusive of entities willing to participate.
  12. Discuss with politicians about the retirement of the mortgage.

Questions arising from the April 23, 2005 meeting

  1. Who owns the CAP assets?
    In the event that the CAP site cannot be re-activated, the CAP assets will revert to the Richmond Community Access Society (RCAS) and the RCAS Board (comprised of representatives of the 11 CAP sites in Richmond County) will re-distribute these assets, possibly opening a new CAP site in a community that applies for one.
  2. How do we disseminate the report from these meetings?
    JCDC will do a mail-out to the coop members, provide an insert in the church bulletin, and provide copies of the report to the groups identified in the conclusion of this report for them to distribute to their membership.
  3. What happens when a member of the coop passes away?
    JCDC has a policy that enables a member to nominate, in writing, a person to whom his member loan shall be transferred upon his death.
  4. Is there any money in reserve?
    No.
  5. How are we meeting the mortgage payments?
    RCAS has provided sustainability money for the CAP sites to enable them to cover the costs of operating. This has enabled JCDC to cover mortgage payments and overhead costs in the short term.

    The remaining questions will be answered in a follow-up report.

  6. What is the status of the sewer and water system?
  7. Can we get any assistance from the Department of the Environment with regard to taking down the building?
  8. What is the cost of tearing down the building?
  9. What issues would come up, when and if we sell?
  10. Can we go back to the municipality to write off the rest of the mortgage?

Suggestions from the April 30, 2005 meeting (21 attendees)

  1. Go back to council for relief from payment of the mortgage.
  2. Get assessment of the property and building.
  3. Approach the parish hall for good water.
  4. Make the building a seniors’ complex – apartments, meeting rooms, doctor’s office.
  5. Have more than one building on the site – include a fire hall in the complex.
  6. Refer to the Big Pond experience with one building for many purposes – look for advice from Big Pond.
  7. Sell a piece of the property.
  8. Restructure the coop community – revert to community ownership, seek new members.
  9. Pledge the land to a community or parish council (requires consultation with the coop members).
  10. A business plan would have to be initiated by an incorporated body.
Questions arising from the April 30, 2005 meeting
  1. 1. Who would own the complex and whose responsibility would the complex be?
  2. What do the shareholders want to do with the building?
  3. If a larger group were to take over, would the coop be willing to give the building over to the larger group?
  4. Is there an assessed value on the property?
Conclusions
A steering/planning committee will be established through consultation with stakeholder groups. Anyone interested in participating on the committee may contact Betty MacNeil, JCDC, 535-2765; Dan Cash, Parish Council, 828-2791; George Presby, Fire Hall, 535-3553, Theresa Campbell, Seniors Group, 535-3598. There are also two “at large” positions for any persons who may not belong to one of the above groups. Interested persons may contact any one of the above.

Further Input
Anyone interested in putting forth further suggestions or concerns may contact JCDC Ltd., c/o Box 284, St. Peter’s, NS, B0E 3B0, phone: (902) 535-2765, email: betty.macneil@I-port.ca.
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