By Cecilia Nasmith
Cobourg council has approved the memorandum of understanding that will give the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit use of the larger ice surface in the Cobourg Community Centre for a public vaccination site from March 15 through Sept. 30.
Council reviewed details at this week's committee-of-the-whole meeting, such as the walk-through of the site conducted earlier that day conducted by key partners in the effort.
Chief Administrative Officer Tracey Vaughan said that a group with representation from Northumberland Hills Hospital, the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit and the Town of Cobourg have taken a personal look at the site, which is expected to open shortly after March 15.
For the first few weeks, vaccinations will be provided by NHH staff five days a week. Then health-unit staff will take over and the clinic will run seven days a week.
Councillor Emily Chorley asked about the safety of staff and users at the facility. Deputy Director of Community Services Teresa Behan said that users of the gym and the smaller ice surface known as The Pond will use the entrance off D'Arcy Street, while those headed for the vaccination clinic will use the northeast entrance near the soccer field. And staff at the CCC will not be the same staff running the clinics.
“I see no reason for people crossing paths,” Behan said.
“We are also looking at robust signage and wayfinding as well,” Vaughan added.
“There will be clearly marked pathways for individuals to follow, with screeners, registration and people directing them where to go next.”
The Cobourg Police Service will dispatch special constables to direct parking and traffic control. Northumberland paramedics will make certain equipment available.
Another walk-through is scheduled for Friday, Vaughan added, in advance of the clinic opening next week.
The time line for vaccinations begins with the over-80 population, Vaughan said, and the hope is to have them done by the end of the month. Then the province's Phase 2 kicks in, with individuals aged 60 and up, those with specific health conditions, some primary care givers, people who live in congregate settings and certain workers who cannot work from home.
Chorley asked about the impact on CCC users – and on the budget, given the forfeited revenue from losing the surface known as The Bowl.
“We have been able to reallocate 98% of the activities that were to occur on the arena surface,” Vaughan said, though she added that the agreement required them to take the ice out earlier than the Easter date they had hoped for.
That said, the pandemic has already ensured there are very few opportunities for the kind of revenue-producing events that happen there such as home shows and graduations.
Vaughan said that the CCC offers an unbeatable combination of location, accessibility and compatible structure that no other building in town can equal.
“There's room for registration, room for screening, a vaccination area, a monitoring area – the arena floors really lend themselves to that,” she said.
Behan noted that the users were notified of these plans as soon as they became apparent, so they have been aware of plans from early in the process.
They are always working ahead a few weeks, she added - so that, by August, they will be planning ahead for the best way to bring the ice back.
Mayor John Henderson told council that the town has received good news from Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini of $172,093 in funding to support its work in rolling out the vaccinations.
“I thank MPP Piccini and the government of Ontario for having the foresight to recognize we have some challenges ahead of us and putting some dollars towards those challenges,” Henderson said.
Deputy Mayor Suzanne Seguin asked Vaughan how the news will be announced. Vaughan said it is for the health unit to announce and that a press release is in the works for release early this week.
