Interview with Mayor Jerry Acchione - August 12 2024

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Monday, 12 August 2024 at 10:50

The agenda for this Thursday's City Council meeting includes an official plan amendment for the old Capitol Theatre site and a delegation from Woodstock Public Swimmers.

WOODSTOCK - The future of Woodstock's Aquatics Facilities will be a big topic at the next Woodstock City Council meeting.

Two representatives from Woodstock Public Swimmers will present a delegation Thursday night, calling on council to install a new outdoor pool and save the Spray and Play wading pool at the Southside Aquatic Centre. They also have a online petition making the rounds, and you can find more information online here.

Council decided to decommission Lions Pool in July 2023 with the intention of replacing it with a new outdoor pool, but Mayor Jerry Acchione explains why they put those plans on hold this past spring.

"It wasn't about saving money this year or any other projects. They're not tied together whatsoever, it was just a future debt decision. Will that pool come back into play? Who knows! If the needs study shows that we need another pool, so be it. Then we will put another pool in."

As for the Spray and Play wading pool, he says that facility has also reached the end of its life and a large splash pad is being built nearby to replace it. He believes the new splash pad is a better fit for the City.

"A wading pool you need lifeguards, you need circulating water that's chlorinated, and there's a lot of factors that I'm not quite sure a lot of public understands. Having something that we can simply turn the water on and you can play all day long versus the staffing needs of having an inch of water is quite a bit different."

With all of this being said, Acchione is glad that local residents are speaking up about local issues they're passionate about and he's looking forward to hearing their delegation.

The old Capitol Theatre site will also be brought back to Woodstock City Council this week.

Oxford County is going to turn it into an apartment building with 36 affordable and market-rate units on Dundas Street. However, Mayor Acchione says the City will have to approve an Official Plan amendment before the project can move forward.

"They recognized that the first floor is needed for parking and it's not for businesses. So it needs an Official Plan amendment because all downtown buildings are required to have businesses on the first floor."

If the City approves the amendment, the project will go back to the County for final approval before the Request for Proposals can be sent out.

The Downtown Woodstock Streetscape Master Plan will also be discussed this Thursday.

Viewcon Construction is ready to complete the first phase of work which will have new cement poured for the sidewalks and get rid of the curb. But with it already being August 2024, there are concerns whether the work should begin this year or not, because they might not be able to finish it before the winter months.

Mayor Acchione understands why the project could be pushed to spring 2025.

"If it goes to spring, I can see the justification and the thought behind it. That way not only the busy Christmas time isn't affected, our Christmas parade won't be affected, and it will overall be an easier time with no worries about any of the products that are needed to go ahead with it."

Thursday's City Council meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. and it will be livestreamed on the City of Woodstock YouTube page. You can also find the meeting agenda online here.

During his interview with Dan and Marcie this morning, Mayor Acchione also discussed the following:

- His experience attending the Canadian Association of Police Governance Conference in Halifax over the weekend.

- The current status of the boundary adjustment discussions with Norwich Township.

- His excitement for Cowapalooza this Friday and Saturday.

You can listen to the full interview below: