The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday December 14, 2007 - 7 Council clips Bronte Butterfly Park's wings Town withdraws support after foundation misses another deadline By Kim Arnott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER It appears that Bronte's butterfly will never emerge from its cocoon. For more than seven years, the Bronte Butterfly Foundation (BBF) has been trying to raise money to build a Butterfly Park and Winter Skateway on the Bronte waterfront. Originally envisioned as a millennium project, the $3.6-million endeavour has simply never been able to find the "generous godfather" it needed to bring it to life, admitted BBF executive director Susan Sheppard. On Tuesday night, Oakville's Community Services committee officially put the BBF dream to death by withdrawing the Town's $500,000 commitment to the project. That donation, to have been taken from the Town's cash-in-lieu of parkland reserve fund, was contingent on the BBF having raised the remaining $3.1 million in funding by Dec. 1, 2007. Unable to meet that deadline, the BBF is now offering the Town the money that it did manage to raise, to be put toward the purchase of benches, trees and pavers for the 3.5-acre plot of land at the foot of Bronte Road. Sheppard declined to say how much money the foundation has available. She said the BBF will honour the commitment made to donors who made contributions over the years, but will not be returning their money. "They gave donations for a specific purpose, and we can fulfill that purpose," she said. Details of how that might happen will be worked out over the next six months. The Community Services committee approved a series of recommendations, along with $25,000 in funding, to allow town staff to consult with the public and develop a proposal for the creation of an alternative park concept for the Bronte waterfront site. Town staff is suggesting the land be used for a passive, or informal park featuring a specific theme element ­ possibly even a modified butterfly garden. "I would like to see that initiative move forward as quickly as possible," Sheppard told councillors. "I think that would be a positive response to a sad turn of events, for lack of better words." Although staff will talk with BBF officials about incorporating features paid for by donations, town commissioner Domenic Lunardo emphasized that the project would be designed, managed and maintained solely by the Town. Town staff will report back to council by April 2008, with a concept, schedule and cost estimate for the park. However, former Bronte Town councillor Mike Lansdown urged the committee not to rush into planning the park without considering the needs of the entire area. He suggested the waterfront property should be considered as part of an overall Bronte Revitalization Study, which was initiated about four years ago, but shelved as a result of the Town's Official Plan review process. "In Bronte, we've been befuddled with ad hoc plan- ning for years," said Lansdown. "What we need is an integrated approach to planning. That's a key area for the Bronte community." VISIT US ONLINE If you have a news tip or story idea, call the Oakville Beaver at 845-3824 DENTURES COMPLETE DENTURE 349 905-842-8209 ea. $ LIMITED TIME OFFER