A Sarnia councillor believes the city has spent too much money on Centennial Park and has little to show for it. Dave Boushy stated Monday he gets the impression staff's plans are "not going well" right now and that there's "something wrong" with the Dow People Place. A report for council's information states the Environmental Assessment process has changed staff's plans to now include the platform of the existing Dow People Place, rather than demolish it and start brand new. Councillor Boushy says he expects the stage area to be a legacy for the future. "My opinion, I think the industry should be brought in [to] contribute money to the legacy of Sarnia," he says.
"Go down to the industries and say 'you put a lot of asbestos on the ground, build the thing, completely 100%, and make Sarnia proud!' That's what should be done."
Councillor Anne-Marie Gillis was quick to respond to Boushy's comments Monday, noting the project has indeed been a mess of environmental issues and applauded staff for dealing with it. Staff expect the project to be within council's approved budget for Centennial Park of $8-million, including $5.5-million for Phase 2 and 3 remediation.