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Why the Alarm?
The Milliken Complex as we now know it is scheduled
to disappear in 2-3 years, and then re-emerge in a radically changed
state.
Why Will this Happen?
The City of Toronto has planned to expand the
Milliken Pumping Station and Reservoir, which is what lies underneath
the large hill under A and B fields. The City of Toronto actually owns
most of this land. The existing in-ground reservoir is located in the
Town of Markham and is part of the City of Toronto's and York Region's
water systems and supplies.
This work is being undertaken to maintain “water
distribution system pressure based on future water servicing demands,
and to service approved growth in York Region and the City of Toronto”
according to the City of Toronto website
http://www.toronto.ca/involved/projects/milliken_pumping_station/.
The existing hill will be doubled in size “to
expand the storage capacity of the in-ground reservoir, increase the
pumping capacity and provide stand-by power”,
What Impact Will this Have?
At this stage, without further input from the
community, this project will wipe out C and D fields at the foot of
the current reservoir, part of the only tournament quality complex in
Markham, and thereby, destroy that complex. Ultimately, as the plan
currently conceives it, the fields would be replaced with substandard
fields which cannot be lit, irrigated, or fitted with
tournament-quality goal posts, and therefore do not rival the quality
of what we have now.
Further, these fields would be completely
unavailable for three or more years.
This would of course directly impact the seven (7)
tournaments servicing approximately 9,000 players, which use the only
tournament-quality complex in Markham.
What is the Town of Markham Doing?
It is the City of Toronto and Region of York who
are the municipal authorities responsible for this project. They do
listen to input from the Town of Markham. We are looking to the Town
for efforts to replace the complex and to maintain the standards of
recreational opportunity which have been set in this community.
Deputy Mayor Scarpitti, Councilors Jim Jones and Jack Heath, and a
group of Town staff met with Unionville Milliken Soccer Club
representatives on July 17, 2006.
The UMSC has been advised that even now the Town is
reviewing a list of alternatives for presentation in September 2006.
What are We Doing About This Now?
Right now, this project is in the public
consultation phase of a Class Environmental Assessment.
A project team composed of members of the
Unionville Milliken Soccer Club (“UMSC”) board has met with the Town
of Markham, the City of Toronto, to give input.
We have advised the Class Environmental Assessment
team of the 7 tournaments and 9,000 players that use this complex
annually, as well as our house league and competitive league youth and
young adult programs that have made this complex an “urban oasis”
according to one tournament brochure.
Who are the Stakeholders?
The UMSC came into existence in 1976, and is the
volunteer club which has been built around the Complex. The Club has
about 2000 members participating in over 100 recreational and
micro-soccer teams, over 30 competitive or “Rep” teams, and a “Special
Needs” program providing soccer for the developmentally challenged.
One of the Club’s premiere tournament achievements, launched from the
Milliken Complex, include the 2003 youth under-18 team which won the
Ontario Championships, and came in second in the National Canadian
championships held that year.
Soccer is about volunteerism in Canada, and the
UMSC is such a volunteer organization.
Tournaments which share Complex fields with the
UMSC include the “Robbie” international tournament, the Unionville
Milliken Challenge Cup competitive tournament the Unionville Milliken
Select / All-Star Tournament, the elite Ontario Youth Soccer League
annual opening tournament, the Tom Dunleavy Premiere Central and
Southern soccer leagues season closing tournament, the mid-summer
“Toronto Cup”, and the grass-roots and inclusive “Soccer Day” held for
young recreational players every September.
What Can I do as a member of the Community?
We need your assistance with public input. This
portion of the UMSC website is dedicated to linking you to the project
website and contact people. You can:
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Visit ”City of Toronto/involved” website set out above, and view any
or all of the 19 slides posted on the site, which tell the City of
Toronto engineer’s story (not necessarily our own).
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It
is very important for our community to voice our opinions and
comments about how this city project will destroy our soccer
community. Please take a few moments to fill out
the
comment sheet. Have the parents, children the soccer players,
complete the comment sheet and make your voice heard. Pass on the
information to your friends, relatives,
neighbours and your fellow soccer players. Send in as many
comment sheets as possible to:
Ms.
Jennie Weller,
c/o
Toronto Works and Emergency Services
Public
Consultation Unit
55 John Street
19th floor Metro Hall
PO
BOX 15266 STN BRM B
Toronto
Ontario M7Y 2W1
Alternatively,
you can fax the comment sheet to: Ms.
Jennie Weller, of the
Toronto Public Consultation Unit at 416-392-2974 (fax number)
OR email to
jweller@toronto.ca (subject line: Milliken Pumping Station
project) with a copy to
secretary@u-msc.com
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Have you signed the UMSC
petition yet? You can also help to collect as
many signatures as possible, and return the petition to the Club
Office.
Visit the website to find the date
of the next public consultation (the first was held on June 14, 2006
and the second was held on September 19, 2006). Attend the
consultation, familiarize yourself with the project,
add your comments to the voices of your
neighbours.
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If you have been involved with a Class Environmental Assessment
previously, please contact us at
president@u-msc.com or
secretary@u-msc.com , and help us maintain our presence and
knowledge base about the “Class EA” process.
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Contact your Councilor
http://www.markham.ca/markham/channels/council/council.htm to
let him or her know how important volunteer organizations such as
UMSC are, and to express your support.
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Please visit this website periodically for updates.
Thank you for your interest!
Richard Herold, President, Unionville Milliken
Soccer Club.
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