Lord Mayor speaks of first 100 days in office

Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa assessed the first 100 days of the new Niagara-on-the-Lake council in front of a friendly crowd gathered in the Lounge at the 124 on Queen Hotel and Spa last Wednesday evening.

It was the first event in a planned monthly speaker series in the modern new lounge space.

Zalepa began by thanking the evening’s hosts, calling the new hotel a beautiful, great location.

“The expansion that has happened for this business,” he said, “and it being part of the Heritage District here, is really special. We are able to share our town with our guests who come to visit in a truly exquisite, top-notch facility.”

He then complimented the current council, who he said is “a really engaged group who is asking excellent questions, working very hard. They have the community’s spirit in mind when they do what they do. I’m really impressed, and it’s been a lot of fun to work with them.”

Zalepa said one of the first things council has already begun working on is the tourism master plan, one of the top priorities for the current term.

“It’s really an important instrument that we’ve never had before,” the lord mayor said. “It’s a guiding plan for the community to help manage the pressures that successful tourism brings. It’s flattering that so many people know and come to Niagara-on-the-Lake, but what comes with that is the pressure on a small community to serve millions of people.”

According to Zalepa, the town needs to find an effective balance by determining what the gaps are to ensure that the quality of life for residents is maintained, while at the same time sharing what the town has to offer with its visitors.

“We’ve just begun with that,” he pointed out. “In fact, on our website, you can now go and engage with the firm that is helping us with that. Tell us what is important to you. That work will be pulled in for consideration. And over the next few months we’ll be going out to meet with residents to get an understanding about what is important to them.”

On the topic of strategic planning, Zalepa stressed that the town needs to focus primarily on three or four high-level community priorities. 

“We need to focus on building a plan around some action items,” he explained, “and then giving the staff the direction to get it done. A lot of the debate will come around growth management, health and wellness for our residents, sustainability in our delivery of services and the infrastructure to deliver those services.”

When the lord mayor told the crowd budgeting is a topic that is near and dear to his heart, it elicited many chuckles from the gathering. 

“Council has begun the process,” he said, explaining that it has been a bit delayed because of the election. “We’ve been engaged in this process. We did shake it up a bit, doing a complete council involvement as opposed to a small group managing the budget.”

Council members have been participating in work-shops on the three categories of the budget: capital, rate and operating sections. Zalepa said a committee of the whole meeting followed each workshop, giving councillors a chance to discuss the details of the budget proposals, business plans and suggestions.

“It’s been really engaging,” he added. “I’m hoping to wrap that up soon and have a sustainable budget for the community that addresses the gaps in our infrastructure management and the ability to maintain our infrastructure going forward.”

Town hall meetings at each of the NOTL’s five villages should be starting within the next month, promised Zalepa. 

“We’re calling them Village Open Forums,” he said. “They’ll be a workshop format, not an official council meeting. We’re going to ask the residents what’s missing in their community, what they’d like to see. Do they have ideas? Do they have solutions? Council needs to listen to them. We won’t be there to talk.”

He went on to plant the seeds for some of that upcoming conversation, mentioning housing as a top issue of discussion. 

“I really believe we’re in a generational issue with housing attainability,” the real estate executive stressed. “Housing needs to be available in our community for those earning a typical income in this community. When we don’t have that, it causes a dysfunction in the housing market. It affects first-time home buyers and seniors who are looking at staying and aging in place.”

Acknowledging the supply of homes for those types of buyers is nearly non-existent in NOTL, Zalepa said the government has a role in changing that.

He suggested that those open forums starting soon are a great place to have the conversations about how flexible housing can fit into each of NOTL’s five villages. 

Zalepa concluded his speech by talking about the town’s youth, whom he called inspiring and passionate. 

“I’ve had a chance to meet with the young people on the Lord Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council (LMYAC), and I’ll tell you, our jobs are at risk,” he laughed. “They’re excellent, thoughtful young people, and they’re really passionate about life here. I really look forward to engaging with them on their initiatives.”

His choice to conclude by speaking of the LMYAC was appropriate, as he then turned over the microphone to Caroline Polgrabia, who followed Zalepa with an update on the NOTL Youth Collective, begun earlier this year. 

The evening was a fundraiser for the fledgling community initiative, which has been providing a place for young students to gather after school, earn babysitting and other certifications, and attend movie nights and other special events. 

“I’m pleased to involve the NOTL Youth Collective,” Zalepa said. “It’s really important work in our town. We know the pressures that young people have in our community. We’re so appreciative of the work being done by that group.”

Alana Hurov, director of marketing at 124 Queen, said totals are not final, but 60 people attended the event, raising about $1,200.