Brad Clark Report

Temporary site expected next month

October 25, 2019 By Kevin Werner

A new temporary location on Paramount Drive for the relocated Valley Park Library is scheduled to open “shortly” to accommodate the renovations that will begin at Valley Park Arena, starting in November.

Shelly McKay, communications manager for the Hamilton Public Library, said the new short-term location for the library will be at 1050 Paramount Dr. The building, located in a plaza near Mistywood Drive, will be undergoing “minor” retrofits for electric, water, HVAC and technological upgrades.

Once the upgrades are made — and library materials and furniture are relocated to the Paramount location — it will open after the Valley Park library is closed, expected to be by mid to late November, she said.

During the transition time when there are no library operations available, a material drop box and library Bookmobile will be offered to the community, she said.

Stoney Creek’s Valley Park recreation centre and library project set to begin | HamiltonNews.com

The $8.1-million renovation project for the Valley Park library is expected to take up to two years to complete. The tender for the project is open until Nov. 12.

Stoney Creek Coun. Brad Clark said the recreation centre’s pool has been drained, and equipment has been removed from the facility. Construction fencing and hoarding should be installed sometime in November.

He said the arena will remain open because it has its own entrance. The pool had to be shut down because it shared an entrance with the library and was too close to the construction and would have violated Ministry of Labour regulations. When the two-year pool closure was announced in July, it prompted an outpouring of complaints from pool users.

Clark said despite “rumours” on social media, the library construction schedule remains on time.

“I will be providing quarterly updates about the renovations to the public and making sure everyone understands where we are,” he said.

Stoney Creek’s Valley Park recreation centre and library project set to begin | HamiltonNews.com

Upgrading the Valley Park library branch will mean expanding the facility’s square footage from the current 3,000 to about 12,000 square feet. The design, by McCallum Sather Architects, includes building an all-glass side that looks out onto Marston Street.

Inside, the plan includes creating a lounge to attract teenagers, a children’s area, collaborative space, a makerspace that has proven popular at the downtown Central Library, multi-purpose rooms that can be used in conjunction with the recreation centre, washrooms and a general collection area.

A glassed-encased courtyard is also proposed to house trees, plants and seating rocks.

The library is providing $965,000 in reserves as part of the project’s funding, with the city contributing about half a million dollars. The Heritage Green Community Trust is contributing $1.25 million for the facility, which will go toward the two multi-purpose rooms of at least 1,500 square feet. Development charges are expected to cover the rest of the cost.

Valley Park Community Centre, which includes recreation and meeting room spaces, was last renovated in 1990. The city says mechanical equipment had reached the end of its service time, requiring an upgrade to the building and interior.

The renovations will include expanded recreation programing space, a new reception desk and common areas, roof replacement, exterior cladding, block repair and parking lot resurfacing.

Opinion Jul 15, 2019 by Andrew Dreschel

Opinion | Andrew Dreschel: Brad Clark shows leadership on hate file https://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/9501057-andrew-dreschel-brad-clark-shows-leadership-on-hate-file

While Mayor Fred Eisenberger has been criticized for lack of leadership during Hamilton’s summer of hate, Coun. Brad Clark’s get-up-and-go has been largely overlooked.

But after the Pride brawl at Gage Park, it was Clark who led the charge on a number of initiatives intended to address snowballing concerns about hate groups.

He pitched asking the courts to consider banning people from the city hall forecourt who’ve been charged or convicted of assault on city property.

He proposed seeking a court injunction against protesters accused of illegally inciting violence and hate on the forecourt.

Opinion | Andrew Dreschel: Brad Clark shows leadership on hate file | TheSpec.com

And it was Clark who, against the city solicitor’s advice, pressed council to discuss legal options in open session rather than behind closed doors.

Whether or not his ideas bear legal fruit remains to be seen. But optics do matter.

The criticisms of Eisenberger are largely unfair. He’s spoken up for and reached out to the LGTBQ+ community before and after the Gage Park clash.

But by grasping the leadership reins at a critical moment, Clark gave council the opportunity to send the message it’s prepared to take a stand and use whatever tools it can against purveyors of hate and violence.

“I just felt, frankly, compelled to do everything we can now to make it clear — almost a line in the sand — that this is what you can get away with and nothing more,” he says.

Clark, 58, firmly believes intolerance and hate speech is on the rise. He’s heard the same from constituents, community groups, and through his work as council’s representative on the city’s committee against racism.

Opinion | Andrew Dreschel: Brad Clark shows leadership on hate file | TheSpec.com

“I’m really afraid that if we don’t stand up and say enough is enough that people are going to get hurt and someone is going to get killed one day.”

But something else may also be informing Clark’s actions. Since his return to council in last year’s election, he’s frequently demonstrated a more statesmanlike approach than he has in the past.

The Stoney Creek (Ward 9) councillor’s political pedigree is well known. A former Conservative MPP and transportation and labour minister, he was first elected to council in 2006 but stepped aside in 2014 to run for mayor, a race he lost to Eisenberger.

During his first two council terms, Clark was generally seen as both an outspoken lone wolf and opportunist. Nobody ever doubted his smarts, hard work, range of knowledge and capacity for critical thinking. But he had a bullish quality and lecturing tendency about him.

This time around, he’s notably more conciliatory and judicious, often acting as an honest broker between the incipient factions that are shaping up among some council veterans and newbies.

Why the change?

“I think I’ve come to the realization that life is short and we really need to work together to get things done.”

“I’m not interested in the tribalisms, the factions. I’m certainly not interested in poor decorum and insults across the table … we really do get more done if we actually listen to each other.”

You have to wonder if his perspective changed when his son Brandon was badly wounded by a shotgun blast in 2015. After undergoing several surgeries, Brandon recovered but was lucky to have escaped paralysis.

“You can’t have an incident like that happen without it impacting your philosophy,” says Clark.

Seeing him in action these days, it’s not surprising some observers wonder if another mayoral run is in the cards. Obviously, it’s absurdly early days yet. Council is still in the first year of a four-year term.

But Eisenberger has already said he doesn’t intend to seek re-election and he’s jokingly noted a lot of councillors are eyeing his chair. Is Clark one of them?

“Been there, done that,” he chuckles, adding, no, he’s not considering running for mayor.

Fair enough. But, again, it’s early days. And once upon a time Clark said he wouldn’t run for council again either.

I am honoured to have been selected by Hamilton Community News Readers as the Diamond Winner, 1st PLACE, in the category of Local Politician. It is a privilige to have this opportunity to serve Ward 9 and Hamilton.

Thank you for your votes of confidence.

Gratefully yours

Brad

CHCH TV – February 14, 2019, 8:00 pm

https://www.chch.com/the-public-deserves-to-have-answers-council-hears-letter-by-father-of-rhvp-victim

Hamilton city council has unanimously passed a motion to consult a lawyer regarding the recently revealed report about poor friction conditions on the Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP).

During Wednesday’s council meeting- which lasted roughly 10-hours and included a five-hour, closed door session – councillors agreed to seek legal advice on how they should proceed with an investigation into the report by Tradewind Scientific.

According to city staff, the 2013 report was never brought to the attention of the public or council and was only discovered in late 2018. It stated friction levels along the busy parkway were below expected standards and even well below in some areas.

Councillor Brad Clark reached out to David Smosarski, whose daughter died in a collision on the parkway in 2015, following news of the report. Olivia and her best friend Jordyn Hastings were killed when their car crossed the median on the RHVP and struck another vehicle.

Clark read aloud a letter written by Smosarski during Wednesday’s marathon meeting about his concerns of the recent information regarding the state of friction on the parkway.

“To this day my family does not have any answers on why the car my daughter was a passenger in lost control that night. The Hamilton Police accident reconstruction team stated the car Olivia was in skidded across the Parkway as if “on ice”. My family has always felt that there was something inherently wrong with the surface of the Parkway. This has been echoed by numerous families over the years initiated by reports of numerous accidents on the Parkway,” writes Smosarski.

He continues, “I am sure you can imagine my surprise and anger to hear that there was information pertaining to the surface of the Parkway 18 months before the passing of my daughter. I do not understand why this report was not brought to the knowledge of the public and yourselves for so many years.”

Smosarski then asks for a judicial review of the process that led to the delay in the release of the report. “The public deserves to have answers. The answers need to be delivered by an arm’s length process that has the power to affect 5.14 change and to restore trust and faith in our municipal government,” he writes.

During Wednesday meeting, council also passed a two-part motion put forward by Sam Merulla that will have the 2015 and subsequent 2019 safety analysis of the RHVP and Linc by the external engineering firm CIMA, be made public and a public education campaign that will address the recommendations from CIMA regarding the risks of speeding and distracted driving on both roads.

Last week, council voted to change the speed limit to 80 kilometres an hour from the current 90 limit between Greenhill Ave. and the QEW. They are also expediting the resurfacing of the RHVP in spring 2019.

Roughly 75,000 vehicles travel on the major roadway each day.