A continuation from the last posted SP article, keeping things fresh in Saskatoon.
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Richards leaves post
Rod Nickel, The StarPhoenix
Published: Friday, August 15, 2008
Thirty-five years after he signed on as a personnel assistant with the City of Saskatoon, Phil Richards is leaving its top job of city manager.
Richards, 60, retires in January after 10 years as the boss for the city's 2,900 employees and the administrator closest to city council. How do you replace him?
"Quite easy, you get a trained monkey," he said Thursday at City Hall.
Then seriously: "You do need that change. New ideas. It's an opportunity for someone new to come."
Richards leaves with a grocery list of city accomplishments under his watch for which he deflected credit to staff, mayors and councillors. His top priority when he was hired in 1999 -- developing south downtown -- was a political minefield of competing visions.
"I said hopefully in my term we can do something with this," he said. "Now (with) River Landing, Persephone Theatre, Ideas Inc., we really did get that going. That's the key highlight."
The south riverfront is on its way to becoming the core's top attraction, bringing life to both downtown and Riversdale.
There have been other city milestones reached under Richards' tenure: new neighbourhoods springing up in the east, west and south ends of the city; an enterprise zone that rewards property owners in core neighbourhoods for fixing up their properties; widening Circle Drive North; landing funds to build the south bridge.
Atchison said Richards' defining strengths have been his ability to marshal co-operation and his flexibility.
"This is a day the citizens of Saskatoon will earmark as a time of tremendous accomplishment," Atchison said. "Mr. Richards in his role as city manager has done a tremendous job."
SaskTel Soccer Centre was built on a partnership of the city, Saskatoon Public Schools, both senior governments and a group of soccer officials. Richards, once skeptical of moving city equipment out of the downtown yards to make way for housing, is now preparing the area for growth.
Richards' successor will face the challenge of keeping up with the growing city's need for infrastructure when most of its capital is tied up in the Circle Drive South project. The next city manager would be helped by a long-term senior revenue-sharing commitment, Richards said.
"The biggest challenge (ahead) is getting both levels of government to realize cities need sustainable, predictable funding. Even though we're getting more federal funding, we're at their whim on budget day."
Atchison suggested replacing Richards will be difficult without hiking the position's pay. He earned $180,000 last year.
"Management and staff are not paid to the level the private sector pays," he said. "That's a major problem."
Richards will have a year left on his contract when he retires, but is not owed any pay, Atchison said.
City council will meet in early September to consider what kind of hiring process to begin. Atchison would not say if council prefers to hire from within or outside, but said the position will be advertised nationally.
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CONTENDERS IN THE WINGS?
City managers have typically been hired from among civic department heads. The race to replace Phil Richards is hard to handicap, because no one has specifically been groomed to replace him and it's not clear who will apply. Being a city manager requires not just administrative skill, but a certain political finesse.
Here are a few of the possible contenders, according to city hall insiders.
- Theresa Dust (city solicitor) and Paul Gauthier (GM, community services): Department heads with the longest tenure in their positions. Gauthier is nearing retirement age. The city has promoted its solicitor (Marty Irwin) to the top job before.
- Marlys Bilanski (GM, corporate services): Richards was promoted to the top job from this department. Bilanski has been a department head for only a few years.
- Murray Totland (GM, infrastructure services): Served as acting general manager this summer with Richards on holidays. Has the broadest senior management experience at city hall, having previously served as GM of utility services. If he wants the job, he may already be the frontrunner.
- Chris Dekker (manager of special projects): He's never been a department head, but has been responsible for stickhandling the River Landing project. Works closely with Richards. He has political skills that he has used in his role working with other levels of government.
- Outside city hall: The job will be advertised nationally. A few private-sector managers around the city may consider applying, possibly those at Stantec Engineering. The firm employs several city management alumni who have continued to work closely with the city.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2008
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More carrots for downtown development? Of course
As well, I thought a sod turning was due for River Landing Village (e.g. Lake Placid) this fall, October specifically? CtrlAltDel?
And Winnipeg, very admirable incentives for building downtown, we may just take a page from you
Regina, you too should look at boosting incentives for downtown housing, let's get our cities hopping so we can build some high speed rail between the big two
Time for city to rejig policy on incentives
The StarPhoenix
Published: Friday, August 15, 2008
It's hard to remember an era as exciting as this for housing in downtown Saskatoon.
Belief in the city's core is punctuated by the ring of hammers in the historic Rumley, King George and Bay buildings in north downtown.
A sod-turning is expected in spring on the River Landing Urban Village, which could be a $200-million project.
Only a few years ago, it seemed unlikely that so many big housing projects would get underway downtown. They have as much to do with Saskatchewan's hot economy as with careful city planning.
But would downtown's prosperity become even greater if the City of Saskatoon recalibrated the housing incentives it offers to developers? Does it make sense that the Rumley, King George and Bay conversion projects benefit from incentives that only are modestly better than those given to the recently built Riverfront and Parkville Manor -- highrises on some of Saskatoon's choicest real estate?
Is it logical that building on one of the many gravel parking lots in the downtown brings no more reward than building rooms with a view of the South Saskatchewan?
The city allows developers to pay no additional property tax on the increased assessment of their projects for five years if they build housing with unrestricted residency. The Riverfront, for example, pays taxes for five years as if it were bare land. The company planning the River Landing Village is expected to get the same break.
Builders of housing that's restricted to seniors, such as Parkville Manor, qualify for tax abatements of 100 per cent, 80, 60, 40 and 20 per cent for the first five years. The Rumley, Bay and King George buildings all qualify for the five-year tax abatement, plus a rebate of taxes during construction, offsite levies and development charges. The rebated levies and charges amount to a modest $35,000 for the Rumley owners.
Contrast Saskatoon's carrots offered for housing to those proffered in Winnipeg. Granted, the Manitoba capital's core is in desperate shape, but developers there are rewarded with tax credits that can add up to millions of dollars. A rental property, for example, qualifies for a tax credit of $20,000 per unit. That means the developer of a 200-unit building gets a $4-million credit on municipal property taxes. The Manitoba government is poised to match that credit on its education portion of property taxes.
The argument for giving property tax breaks on valuable Spadina Crescent real estate is that the owners can pass along the savings to condo buyers and apartment renters. Downtown is certainly a winner as more residents move in, wherever they are, so some incentive is justified.
But there's a reason the King George was neglected for years and why the Rumley building had long been underused. Making a profit by transforming old buildings that no one else wants involves a higher level of risk tolerance and vision -- not to mention a bigger upside for the downtown.
Saskatoon's economy will cool eventually, making it more challenging to find developers for risky properties. City hall should be ready for this by sweetening the pot for those willing to build housing where Saskatoon needs it most.
The corner of Third Avenue and 22nd Street, for example, would be a signature location for a housing highrise with retail and office space on lower floors. It requires, however, a developer to have vision enough to picture the rejuvenation of Third Avenue.
The city will have to reassess its downtown housing incentives if it's serious about filling in the city yards property with residential highrises. Drawing potentially thousands of new residents to the north end of downtown would be a coup of the same magnitude as River Landing, a development that has benefited from millions of public dollars. But building in the city yards will involve environmental cleanup and taking a gamble that people will buy new homes located near railway tracks.
Such gambles should be rewarded.
City planners in Regina and Winnipeg can only wish for downtown Saskatoon's vibrancy. Imagine what can be done if this city leaves bigger carrots for developers in the right places.
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"Democracy cannot be maintained without its foundation: free public opinion and free discussion throughout the nation of all matters affecting the state within the limits set by the criminal code and the common law." - The Supreme Court of Canada, 1938
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2008
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Food for thought?
Pedestrians, cyclists need rights on roads protected
The StarPhoenix
Published: Friday, August 15, 2008
I've followed with interest the dialogue about pedestrian safety in Saskatoon and agree that car drivers are clearly seen as superior on our roads.
If your bike or person is struck, there is usually little or no followup, while if two cars collide or a vehicle is scratched by a vandal, there are news stories, accident reports and charges laid.
Some years ago, while driving to work one Sunday afternoon, I struck a pedestrian. I was not in the best condition to drive, so less attentive. A car turning left caused me to go to the right while a pedestrian, at a marked crossing, was entering the street.
She thought I would stop, but I didn't notice that it was a crossing, let alone that there was a person in it. I couldn't brake in time on the snow-coated street, and the fender of my car connected with her thigh, leaving her with a limp.
I pulled over, terrified of the certain consequences. There was even a police officer parked on the street at the time. But there were no consequences.
I even tried to replace the pedestrian's broken CD player and was refused. No penalty, no charge, no ticket, no nothing. Certainly I was happy to get off scot-free, but to this day I know it was wrong.
Until we start acting like pedestrians and cyclists are as worthy of justice as cars, will drivers pay attention?
Yolanda vanPetten
Saskatoon
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Parking restrictions make sense, for so many reasons.
Parking restrictions serve to protect area residents
The StarPhoenix
Published: Friday, August 15, 2008
Re: Residential parking plan only relocates problems (SP, Aug. 11). As a resident of a neighbourhood close to the Exhibition grounds, I must respond to this call for no parking restrictions around the Fringe and Exhibition neighbourhoods at certain times of year.
Being a father, I can only imagine the danger presented if people were allowed to fight for parking spots on my street. Traffic in the area already is bad enough, without adding irritated and aggressive drivers to the side streets.
Instead of parking and walking from many blocks away, perhaps the proponents of removing parking restrictions should investigate the alternatives provided by the city.
With the purchase of a Super Pass, transit is free to the Exhibition, and without the pass, costs only $1 from any mall. A mall parking lot provides lots of hassle-free parking and a professional driver will chauffeur you right through the heavy traffic.
To suggest that banning parking by non-residents during events merely is a way for us to keep our parking spots is ridiculously under-thought. It helps to keep our children and homes safe. The inconvenience to those who must walk farther as a result of the restrictions is a small price to pay to preserve that safety.
William Livingston
Saskatoon
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The junk laden compound that currently occupies the site looks terrible. Condos and retail on that property would complement RL II and 20th St. so much and vice versa.
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