The decommissioning of the Brookside Youth Detention Centre and its eventual repurposing was the subject of an update to Cobourg council this week by Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini.
Its closing was done quickly because plans to close the facility leaked out. The dedicated staff whose jobs would be lost deserved to hear it from their union leaders instead of through rumours, Piccini said, so they announced Friday, Feb. 12, that it would be closing effective immediately.
It was no secret that, for years, the facility has been underutilized. Recommendations for its closing were part of the 2012 Auditor General's Value For Money Audit.
Over the years, its approach had gone from incarceration to community rehabilitation, which aligns with the approach the provincial government's approach – evident in its support of community partners in service to young people and its launch of such initiatives as the Guns and Gangs strategy and the Black Youth Action plan.
A forum for ideas on what should happen to the vacated property is the subject of imaginebrookside.ca, a site that has to date gathered input from more than 350 members of the community (many of whom note the need for more housing).
Meanwhile, Piccini said, “I want to thank Mayor Henderson for his leadership and commitment to working collaboratively with the province on the site, with support from the staff at the Town of Cobourg.
“This is as really good example of the levels of government working together,” Councillor Nicole Beatty agreed.
“I applaud you for taking the public-engagement initiative, and I know many of our constituents who have been participating in the site.”
Piccini said the decommissioning of the site will include shifting the property from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to Infrastructure Ontario, “the arm of government that handles sales of surplus property.”
The public input will help guide the sale, Piccini said.
“It's important we balance the needs of our council, all of us, our community and, of course, various needs of the government,” he noted.
“When we are disposing of it, there are levers I can engage various ministries to look at to be sure, when we are disposing of this property, it aligns with community needs.”
In similar cases in other communities, he continued, the municipality has purchased the surplus property or perhaps public-private partnerships come into play.
At any rate, he continued, “this decision will involve the town. It will involve the people, and I feel very strongly for the people getting engaged in this process.”
Deputy Mayor Suzanne Seguin said that 350 submissions to imaginebrookside.ca indicates how important the property is to the town. She has also heard from people who would like to see some kind of post-secondary institution on the site.
She also reminded him of the heritage building on the site known as Strathmore.
“I just wanted to make sure you are aware of that,” Seguin said.
“We need to make sure the heritage component of that building is part of your deliberations when you come to your final decision.”
Piccini was well aware of the history of the former Brookside administration building. He has even had discussions with local Architectural Conservancy of Ontario members and heard stories from older constituents who had enjoyed grand dinners there in the past.
Beatty noted that members of the town's planning department are getting a number of enquiries about the property from community citizens and even real-estate developers.
“But, as duly noted, there's a detailed process that is going to be led by the province,” the councillor said.