The head of the community group that's been the driving force behind Back to the River is confident the city is moving ahead with the project.
During budget talks Thursday council approved $700,000 for an environmental assessment of the revamp of the forks of the Thames River. The politicians stopped short of approving the $5-million requested for the project by the London Community Foundation. Instead, the money is in a reserve fund pending the completion of the assessment.
Foundation President and CEO Martha Powell says supporters shouldn't be discouraged by the move.
"What council did really was their due diligence. We knew there would need to be an environmental assessment. If you are working in an area such as that you need to make sure that what's being proposed is appropriate," says Powell. "There really was, with the exception of one, unanimous support to not just set aside but earmark $5-million for the project. So they want to do the environmental assessment to first see if we need to tweak the project but there was overall support that we are doing the project."
The foundation says private donors have expressed interest in putting up $2-million towards Back to the River.
"It's not to take away from the $5-million that the city has set aside but to add to it to make the project bigger and better," says Powell.
Civitas and Stantec were announced as the winning bidder in an international design competition for the project in November. Their design for the forks of the Thames portion of the two-part proposal includes a crescent bridge named "the ribbon." The second portion of their proposal, for the SOHO area has yet to receive funding.
Powell reassures Back to the River will not only compliment the recently approved Dundas flex-street but also drive economic dollars into the core.
"Our research showed in Pittsburgh after 15 years that for every dollar invested in the revitalization of their riverfront there has been a $30 spinoff economically," says Powell. "If there are small little cafes, art galleries, and shops like that along the Thames, that's going to be an economic spin-off. The development that would occur and the people who would choose to live downtown because there is such a draw...that's an economic spinoff. So there are merits to it."
