Raise the Hammer

Good and very informative article and comments. Thanks Joey.

Returning to the ostensible purpose of this project ( but remaining in the utopian mode with everybody else), if the intent is actually to deliver family and public health services to the eastern regions of the old city, then buildings modelled on the new North Hamilton Community Health Centre might be a better choice.

The Centre, which opened early this spring, is a very handsome two storey structure (McCallum and Sather) of 30,000 square feet. LEED certified. Located in the middle of the neighbourhood, beside the rec centre and a school. Ninety staff serve 8000 clients. Cost was about 16 million.

This would imply that you could build 4 more of the same for 64 million. Put them in the centre of four neighbourhoods. For example, one could go into a rehabilitated Sanford school,or on its site, beside the new Cathy Wever school and the Pinky Lewis recreation centre, all on the same block. "Synergies", as the apparatchiks say, would result.

Moreover, we would begin to move the built form of the city toward walkabilty and reduced auto dependence.

Allot one of the four centres a little extra dough, say 23 million instead of 16, and you could place it downtown in a rehabilitated Board of Ed building. (Assuming it merits retention) This totals out at 70 million, down from the 105 required under the current proposal.

House the students in a rehabbed Connaught and they would be on a main transit line between the university and med school campus and the various Community Health Centres to the East.

Of course, all of this presumes that health care delivery and training is in fact the object of Mac's exercise here. Personally, I believe with all my heart and soul that this is the case. I'm having a little trouble recruiting my mind, though. I must seek help.