City Council Liaison Committee Meeting

The liaison committee received an update on Brightside Park, a planned Ward 3 sports field and park on the former Dominion Glass site. Environmental approvals remain outstanding, and city staff said the project's anticipated timeline remains 2028. The committee also advanced a shared-use agreement between the City and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) and deferred a school-board briefing on Hamilton's stormwater utility fee.

Topics Discussed

Brightside Park timeline and environmental approvals

City staff said the former Dominion Glass property requires testing, reporting and environmental approvals before it can be developed as parkland. The City has received comments from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks on its second submission and expects to prepare a third submission.

"Our timeline is still 2028 right now," said Wes Kindry, manager of Landscape Architectural Services. He said the schedule depends on the ministry's review and the steps that follow.

The project is expected to take 18 to 36 months once construction begins because it includes environmental remediation, an athletic field, buildings, playgrounds and other park facilities. An initial completion target of the third quarter of 2028 was also discussed.

School and community use

The park is planned to include a Class A athletic field built to accommodate CFL football specifications. HWDSB has maintained a $1-million contribution toward the field in exchange for priority access for Bernie Custis Secondary School.

Maria Felix Miller, HWDSB chair and Ward 3 trustee, said the site is approximately one kilometre from the school and would not be practical for daily physical education classes. She said the field is intended primarily for special events, including football games, while remaining available to the community outside school hours.

Shared-use agreement

The committee referred the Brightside Park Shared Use Agreement to a staff liaison group and the Joint Planners Action Committee. The groups will develop an arrangement governing access between the City and HWDSB.

The referral addresses access for students and residents, including the school board's priority use of the athletic field. Miller described the project as "the missing piece of the puzzle" for Bernie Custis students and the Ward 3 community and asked the City and school board to continue coordinating.

Stormwater utility fee

City staff said Hamilton's stormwater utility fee remains scheduled to begin on January 1, 2027. Report FCS26071, the Stormwater Utility Fee Implementation Review and Funding Framework, is scheduled for consideration by the General Issues Committee on September 28.

Amisha Faruk, manager of Utility Billing Revenue Services, recommended deferring a planned citywide briefing for school boards until the first quarter of 2027. She said the briefing should follow council's direction on the funding framework:

"Staff [are] recommending the deferral because there is a related storm water report ... scheduled to go to GIC on September 28th to make sure the committee has the most completed and up to date information."

Previous meeting minutes

The committee considered and unanimously adopted the minutes of its April 2, 2024, meeting.

Motions

• Adoption of the April 2, 2024, meeting minutes: Passed unanimously.
• Brightside Park Shared Use Agreement referral: Referred unanimously to the Joint Planners Action Committee and a staff liaison group to develop a formal City-HWDSB agreement.
• School board stormwater utility fee briefing: Deferred to the first quarter of 2027.
• Rejected motions: None identified in the provided material.

Attendees

• Maria Felix Miller — HWDSB chair and Ward 3 trustee
• Cynthia Graham — City director of Environmental Services
• Wes Kindry — City manager of Landscape Architectural Services
• Amisha Faruk — City manager of Utility Billing Revenue Services

The provided material does not identify which city councillors attended.