BradfordToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following is in response to letters that have been published following an article regarding the Tec-We-Gwill Women’s Institute Hall, published April 10.
I have read with great interest a few letters to the editor about some recent discussions held by town council regarding the Tec-We-Gwill Women’s Institute Hall in Newton Robinson. I’d like to clarify a few matters for the benefit of your readers.
This community hall located near County Road 27 and Line 10 was built in 1935. It was first known as the Orange Lodge and has been home to the local branch of the Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario for over 70 years. The local branch is known as the Tec-We-Gwill Women’s Institute and it proudly serves communities within the former Tecumseth/West Gwillimbury Township area and beyond.
At the request of the Tec-We-Gwill Women’s Institute in 2015, the town agreed to assume ownership and maintenance responsibilities for the hall. Maintenance and operating costs had grown beyond the financial capacity of the group and council saw this as an opportunity to ensure that an important and historic facility remained available to the community. The town has happily operated the building since that time, with the Women’s Institute as the predominant tenant.
Council regularly reviews the financial performance of its public facilities. During a meeting held this April 4, council reviewed a report indicating that in 2019, operating expenses for the Tec-We-Gwill Women’s Institute Hall totalled $12,200, whereas rental income totalled $1,700. The town had also invested over $25,000 between 2017 and 2020 on building improvements including a new furnace and flooring.
While these are not huge costs, council is accountable for ensuring that all taxpayers’ funds are invested fairly and wisely. With that in mind, council directed staff to explore options for improving the financial impact of the building. No other steps have been taken at this time and we have not made any decisions — council will consult fully with the Tec-We-Gwill Women’s Institute before doing so.
Council has great respect and appreciation for the Tec-We-Gwill Women’s Institute as well as all of our community groups and service clubs. We look forward to working with them on any partnerships that involve taxpayer investments in a fair and transparent manner.
James Leduc
Mayor, Bradford West Gwillimbury
