Sudbury city council seeks federal funding for $4M city hall courtyard

Refurbishing the courtyard at Tom Davies Square rose to the top of Sudbury city council's priority list at its meeting Tuesday night.

City council selected it as the lone project to put forward for federal infrastructure funding under the new Canada 150 program.

Staff had also asked council to consider several other projects for the $5.2 million in funding up for grabs in northern Ontario, of which staff predict Sudbury might get between $50,000 and $100,000.

Also on staff's list were the $1 million — $650,000 of which is unfunded regreening of the old General Hospital parking lot that the city wants to make part of Bell Park, $1 million for new splash pads in Dowling, Capreol, Garson and the south end, as well as $1.8 million to replace the ski lift at Adanac ski hill.

But Ward 10 city councillor Fern Cormier convinced his colleagues to go with the courtyard, which is already slated to get $4 million worth of work, due to the age of the membrane underneath protecting the parking garage below.

"I feel that would be the least contentious, second it's the one were actually the most prepared to move forward on, third, it's the one we actually have to move forward on if we want to continue having a parking garage here at Tom Davies Square," said Cormier.

But Ward 5 city councillor Robert Kirwan was worried about the city getting stuck with a big bill just to chase a small cheque from the federal government.

"This is a frightening thing to ask for. Because it does seem like throw the City of Sudbury $50,000 and we have to spend $4 million."

At the suggestion of Councillor Joscelyne Landry-Altmann, city council decided to commit any federal funding to a public art installation to be featured in the redone courtyard.