Packed public meeting backs golf course plan on Confederation Bridge fabrication yard
‘We will decide what is going to come into this community'
Bailey Dawson of Augustine Cove would love to see a golf course built on the former Confederation Bridge fabrication yard in Borden-Carleton.
Dawson was one of about 100 people to attend a public meeting Tuesday night in Borden-Carleton, many of whom joined him in supporting the idea of a golf course. The 45-hectare site has been vacant since Confederation Bridge, linking P.E.I. and New Brunswick, was completed in 1997.
"It's been 25 years since there's been any excitement in the Town of Borden. I think it's time to put Borden back on the map," Dawson said following the meeting.
"The idea is to bring more excitement to Borden, you start with the golf course, there's talks of a marina … then you start growing with a hotel, maybe some more units, duplexes or whatnot for more growth, economically, here in Borden."
The P.E.I. government is now accepting proposals for the redevelopment of the fabrication yard. Innovation P.E.I., which owns the land, is working with the Town of Borden-Carleton on a request for proposals from the private sector.
Almost everybody at the meeting who spoke supported the idea of a golf course.
Last September, developer Kris Taylor held a public meeting in the exact same building to pitch his plans to turn the land into a links-style golf course.
Taylor, who is a competitive golfer and pharmacist, called the location unique, and said playing there would be an experience in itself. His proposal included two 24-unit residential buildings, as part of the second phase of the development.
Taylor was not at the meeting Tuesday night.
'We need the community to stand up'
But at least one person at the meeting raised concerns about the potential of turning the site into a golf course.
Isaac Macdougall of Borden-Carleton said he's not convinced everybody in the town is behind a golf course.
"I think it would be better suited if we split the entire 120 acres up," said Macdougall.
"Keep it under the town and make it all as a big trust, basically, to take the town and go OK, we have this lot, we'd like to chuck this into tourism, we'd like to chuck a small store in this lot, we'd like to do this with this lot. The rest of this is for housing."
'Nothing greener than a golf course'
Dwight Sexton of Borden-Carleton said he's concerned about the lack of transparency around the process.
He said residents will only find out about the proposals after a successful bidder has been chosen.
"It can't be like that and we need the community to stand up and say it's not going to be that way, it's not going to happen like that. We will decide what is going to come into this community," Sexton said during the meeting.
"We need to figure out what we want here in this community and we need to do it as members of the community. Together as a whole. We got to tell people what we want and what we want is green space and there's nothing greener than a golf course."
Provincial and town officials were not at the meeting. Town officials said they didn't want to take part and prejudice the current requests for proposals.
Ultimately, town officials will have the final say on whatever goes into the fabrication yard.
The town says it will have a public meeting once its gets a formal request to enter into a development agreement.
'Kick start some discussion'
Matthew MacFarlane, MLA for Borden-Kinkora, organized the meeting.
MacFarlane said he called the meeting because he feels the public should have a say throughout the process. He plans to draft a letter to provincial officials about what he heard at the meeting.
"Having a public meeting after the close of an RFP, when the committee's in place to make the determining selection on the project, to me is late," said MacFarlane.
"This meeting here was valuable tonight to kick start some discussion, and then when we have the public meeting, which we hopefully will have later in the process, we'll get the public back in and engaged again to review the projects that have come forward."
The deadline for proposals is Nov. 13 at 2 p.m.
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