I am not a resident of the City of Guelph, but I do own property and as such am a tax payer in the city. I am writing to voice my deep concern over the anticipated increase to “Special Event Parking” in the downtown core.
Special events at the River Run and The Sleeman Centre occur on various nights throughout the week. I support events at BOTH of these venues on a frequent basis. I do not object to paying for parking as needed for these events when I attend them.
I grew up in the City of Guelph… I believe it is one of the best cities in Southern Ontario. As a child I was taught the importance of giving back to my community, something which I have also tried to instill in my children and will do so with my grandchildren as well. As such, one way I give back to the community is to be actively involved in events and programs offered through my church congregation. I am a member of Knox Presbyterian Church; I am on the Kirk Session (it’s governing body); I participate in the choir and in our Bell ensemble; I am on the Board of our LOGOS program, a program for children (not just from our congregation but from the community as well); I volunteer at the church a great deal. I am also the President of a not for profit organization (The Glass Guild of Guelph) which holds monthly meetings in the downtown core.
I do not have the choice of taking Guelph Transit to the downtown to attend meetings and do my volunteer work. I must drive from outside of the city and park in the Baker St. Parking Lot as a rule. I happily do this drive because I believe in the importance of volunteerism.
Having worked in the past as a Volunteer Coordinator in a not for profit organization located in the downtown core, I have seen the tremendous benefit of volunteers. I can only say that we (our City) would be lost without these wonderful people who do so generously give of themselves to others. I feel that it is inappropriate to penalize volunteers by forcing them to pay a $5.00 fee to give of their time and talents. This City has a strong volunteer base. It is totally unfair to ask these wonderful people to PAY to VOLUNTEER.
I am very concerned that the steep cost of paying to park will cause many to think twice about volunteering for organizations in our downtown. This could also have a financial impact on the downtown businesses. If people are not going downtown to volunteer, they may chose to shop elsewhere.
Is there not some way that this concern could be addressed? Perhaps non profit organizations and churches in the downtown core could apply for and receive some sort of dispensation on the Special Event nights… a card perhaps that indicates their presence is for volunteering not for attending the event.
I urge council to look at this issue again and consider all of the implications this increase would have on the vitality and life of our wonderful city’s core. Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
KB