Oro-Medonte residents attend Burl’s Creek information session

By Andrew Philips, Orillia Packet & Times

Oro-Medonte residents listened patiently, but in the end some left frustrated with what they heard at a Burl’s Creek event park information session.

“We just don’t understand how things can get so far without the residents having proper knowledge of what’s going on,” said Bev Parcells, who has lived in the township for 16 years.

Parcells and about 200 other residents heard from township, OPP and a range of other health and safety officials during the more than two-hour meeting Monday afternoon at the Oro-Medonte Community Centre. A second evening meeting was held at Trinity Community Presbyterian Church.

Parcells moved to the area from Barrie South where she lived near Molson Park and said she regularly had to contend with traffic, noise, garbage and vandalism that she linked to park events.

“We enjoyed being out here in Oro, it is a beautiful community,” she said. “Something has gone wrong here. The residents have not had a full accounting of what is occurring. We got no answers today.”

Prior to a lively question and answer session, township development services director Andria Leigh told meeting attendees the Burl’s Creek group has submitted its revised planning application, which residents will soon be able to view on the township’s website.

A public meeting on the application is now slated for May 11 with council eventually making the ultimate decision on whether or not to approve the group’s plan after hearing from staff, the public and relevant agencies, according to Leigh.

Shawn Binns, the township’s recreation and community services director, told residents the township has been pro-active in assessing potential risks associated with large-scale events like this summer’s Boots and Hearts and WayHome music festivals.

“Everyone has concerns,” Binns said, who tried to assure residents that their safety and quality of life is the municipality’s top priority.

“We want to anticipate and address issues before they happen. We’re learning from communities that have hosted big music events.”

General safety issues were brought up several times during the meeting with Oro-Medonte Fire Chief Hugh Murray, Barrie OPP Sgt. Joe Pileggi and other officials discussing ways to keep things problem-free by ensuring adequate manpower is in place both at the venue and throughout the municipality.

“We will have a lot of staff to ensure the safety of residents,” Pileggi said, pointing out there will be canine units on site and that all vehicles entering the Burl’s Creek site will be searched by police and security officials to confiscate any drugs or weapons.

“We will have extra officers on the scene and on highways.”

But some seemed worried by what they view as a lack of community involvement in the process.

“It almost sounds like this is a done deal, it’s like icing on the cake,” said Ann Honeywood of Save Oro, who added she feels residents are getting short shrift over those who may only be visiting the township during the summer events.

“As a long-time citizen, I’m a bit appalled and so upset, I can hardly talk. This is a community we all want to live in and we have to make a difference.”

At the outset of the meeting, MC Karen Wianecki outlined the ground-rules, which at times seemed a little like an elementary school teacher speaking to her students at the beginning of the year.

“As one person is speaking, the rest of us are listening,” she told the crowd. “Your input is certainly valued. We’re all working as part of the same team.

“To reiterate, please hold your questions until the end.”

Republic Live responds

Republic Live wants to get the word out about what it’s planning for the Burl’s Creek event grounds.

The company plans to send out an information mailer to all homes in the township this week.

In the promotional item, the company addresses upcoming events, statistics on both of its major summer music festivals while also outlining what it sees as the economic and traffic impacts to the local community.

It states both festivals will attract 40,000 people to the region while pumping an estimated $21.5 million dollars into the regional economy, according to Ministry of Tourism estimates.

Based on previous years, organizers are projecting approximately 90% of festival-goers for Boots and Hearts will be camping on the grounds, with approximately 12,000 vehicles in total staying on the site after arrival and 1,000 vehicle commuters daily.

Ryan Howes is vice president of venue operations and business development for the Burl’s Creek Event Grounds.

In a release, Howes said the company is currently working on a number of steps to receive approvals from various agencies within the township and county as it moves towards hosting festivals and/or large-scale shows.

“We are well down the road with a number of approvals, submissions and planning applications that cover our current site modifications as well as land use,” Howes said.

Howes said his company is also working with the township and a number of other groups such as the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario along with police and emergency medical service providers.

“The acceptance from these agencies has been very positive and we look forward to following through with all needed applications, public meetings and processes that need to be met to host internationally recognized events at Burl’s Creek Event Grounds,” he said.

And since potential traffic congestion remains a major concern for groups like Save Oro, the organization’s brochure says it’s working with appropriate government agencies as well as the leading international festival traffic experts to ensure everything goes smoothly.

“From alternate routes for neighbours to be diverted from festival traffic, special vehicle passes, ensuring access for EMS responders and directing festival goers to follow festival traffic routes for minimal impact on the village itself,” the mailer states.

The company is also planning a job fair at month’s end for previous Burl’s employees with two other job fairs slated for early May.

Aside from the in-house staff, the organization says it also wants to recruit local “third-party staffing partners.”

It plans to hire at least 200 bartenders, 200 production crew, 75 security personnel and 50 groundskeepers and cleaners per event.

The release goes on to a list a number of area companies the Clarington-based organization is working with along with its charitable initiatives such as a $10,000 Band-Aid grant, in partnership with MusiCounts, to W.R. Best Elementary to strengthen its music program.