Following Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini's announcement at Cobourg council Monday that – in terms of acquiring and repurposing the former Brookside youth correctional facility – the ball is in their court, the town is announcing a public-engagement exercise on the project.
You can look for Former Brookside Youth Detention Centre Site on the Engage Cobourg platform to share your comments on the possibilities of what this facility – which closed a year ago – could become.
Councillors and staff members will be exercising due diligence to evaluate the site's potential through a comprehensive assessment of both land and buildings to establish their assets and liabilities
“We ask for the community’s patience as we undertake this important evaluation,” said Mayor John Henderson said in the announcement.
“For anyone wishing to provide general comments to council and town staff on the (former) Brookside Youth Detention Centre I encourage you to visit our public engagement portal, Engage Cobourg, for relevant updates and to provide general comments. On behalf of Municipal Council and Town staff I would like to thank you for your understanding.”
The press release reiterated some of the history of this project, starting in August 2020 when council passed a Notice of Motion to the Government of Ontario to consider alternate uses for the Brookside Youth Detention Centre site at 390 King St. E., which had been operating for several years at a greatly reduced occupancy rate.
The province closed Brookside in February 2021, vacating 14 buildings that sit on about 30 acres of land and transferring the young people in residence to other facilities.
As Piccini told council, the decommissioning process now stands at the point where the municipality has the opportunity to express an interest in acquiring the site from Infrastructure Ontario, which handles the province's real-estate holdings.
Residents are encouraged to share their thoughts through Engage Cobourg by joining the forum and subscribing for project updates.
To register on Engage Cobourg, visit www.engagecobourg.ca and click on the Register Today! Button. The Engage Cobourg project page will provide updates to the community throughout this long-term project. There is currently no deadline for comments.