Terrace Bay Community Garden Proposal Needs Further Discussion

This weeks Terrace Bay Council meeting opened with the land acknowledgement, followed the adoption of minutes of the previous meetings.
There were no delegations scheduled to appear, but 2 residents were in attendance for a later discussion on the proposed community gardens project.
The CAO report opened with a discussion about the Tesla supercharging stations. Terrace Bay was one of the first communities on the north shore to implement charging stations in an agreement with Tesla. The terms of the contract will be modified to accommodate  the changing charging market. As CAO John Hall explained, having the stations in town has been a great asset to tourism and visibility. As more manufacturers adopt the Tesla standard it will open up the usability of the stations. 
An update to the structure of committee and board meetings was proposed and accepted.
The public works report highlighted recent equipment purchases and warranties. Department head, Ryan Falzetta, stressed the importance of having a proper warranty package in place due to the increasing complexity of newer equipment. 
Community Development supervisor Luke Bedard presented his report on building maintenance and repairs. The Arena and community centre both require some work to maintain the structures. Any work would have to be done before the winter season and is considered urgent. 
A request was submitted to highlight the need for shopping carts designed with special needs in mind. Many retailers in the both Terrace Bay and Schreiber have expressed interest in this idea and a fund has been established to try and pay for the carts with contributions expected from both municipalities.
Councillor Dube then brought up a request for support to modify the 'oath of office' for the swearing in process of new councillors and mayor.
All bylaws brought forward for this meeting were then approved and passed.
Under 'other business' on the agenda, a lively discussion ensued. The proposal for a community garden project is somewhat controversial as the location in the back of the seniors complex seems ideal but there is some resistance to how compensation would be carried out. Raised boxes would be built by the high school students enrolled in the wood working classes and installed on the empty lot. The senior centre has been using the area to hold special events and it has been maintained by the senior committee. The seniors would like to be reimbursed for all the work they have done to maintain the area and would have to deal with the loss of use of the property. Councillor Bert Johnson expressed concern that the garden may cause a split in public opinion as to the benefits of the garden against the loss of the area for the seniors' needs.
The open meeting then closed and council moved to in camera for the duration.