Can we count on your support?
Dear Stonebridge Community Residents,
Now that the legal agreements that will protect the Stonebridge golf course lands have been developed and the Stonebridge Levy has been approved by the City of Ottawa; we, the Board of Directors of the Stonebridge Community Association (SCA) are reaching out to ask for your assistance in ensuring that the SCA has adequate funding to finish paying the hefty legal bills on this file and to ensure that we have sufficient operating funds moving forward. We have launched an online GoFundMe campaign to make this happen and are confident that with your generous support, we can attain our fundraising goal of $45,000 by the end of this year.
Why are we doing this?
As expected, the legal agreements that we entered into required the oversight and extensive participation of professional legal counsel. These have been complex agreements to prepare due to the number of parties involved. Fortunately, the SCA was able to provide immediate funding for this, as required, from its operating reserve. This provided us with the flexibility to focus on establishing a proposed solution acceptable to the large majority of the community, along with the legal agreements to support it and to avoid reaching out for financial assistance until now when your support is absolutely needed.
What were the costs involved?
The SCA has been actively engaged in this file since Mattamy announced its Phase 16 development application in June 2018, with the first public community meeting hosted by the SCA in July of 2018. Substantial expenses have been incurred on this file along the way, most notably the costly professional fees required in 2019-2020 as illustrated in the diagram below. Community-wide mailouts and community billboards used extensively throughout 2019 to keep residents informed are examples of the advertising and communication expenses incurred. The SCA was also required to incorporate as a non profit corporation in order to be recognized as a legal entity for the purposes of being a signatory to the agreements.
The unfortunate arrival of COVID-19 and the required physical distancing protocols that have been placed upon all of us have obviously curtailed the SCA’s planned community events and activities (they are also at risk in 2021). The small fees charged for participation in some of these activities, along with our nominal membership fees, are part of the revenue that provides funding for our usual operating expenses such as software licenses, signage, room rentals, etc. However, this file was an anomaly that severely affected our budget, especially over the course of the past year.
We realize that the timing of our fundraising initiative is far from ideal given the nature of COVID-19 and its impact on everyone; however, it is important that the SCA raise funds to cover the legal costs and build up its operating funds again so that we can continue to be of assistance as a resource for residents in the Stonebridge community.
We are fortunate that the costs aren’t even higher
It should be mentioned that through the collaborative effort made by the three signatories to the agreements and the countless hours contributed by the volunteers on the SCA and the Stonebridge Working Group (SWG), the costs related to the implementation of the agreed-upon plan are considerably lower than they might have otherwise been. This allowed the legal counsel to concentrate on ensuring the agreements protected the residents of Stonebridge.
For example, the City with the support of our Councillors was committed to finding an independent consultant to facilitate negotiations between the Stonebridge Working Group (SWG) and Mattamy, managing the costs associated with this. Councillors assisted with the rental costs of public meetings. Mattamy provided free access to the Stonebridge Golf Club for countless drop-in sessions and meetings. Mattamy’s legal counsel drafted the Letter of Intent (LOI) and the Tripartite Agreement, while the City drafted the Two-Party Agreement, both of which SCA legal counsel was extensively involved in. The City also administered the community-wide Stonebridge Levy voting process with our Councillors support, and have now moved the Stonebridge Levy through to approval. All to say that although the SCA has made significant expenditures, these are only a small portion of the overall contributions made by all involved.
We appreciate your support!
The levy vote results overwhelmingly confirmed that the majority of homeowners in the Stonebridge Community are in support of the proposed solution, which will now finally be legally binding agreements, to be finalized and signed in the coming weeks. Please donate today to ensure we reach our $45,000 goal, which will allow us to pay the remaining legal bills and will ensure that the SCA can remain in a stable financial position to continue serving our incredible community going forward. There are many ways to reach this goal, 450 donations of $100 is one of them. Donate electronically here or pay by cheque if you prefer. Every little bit helps, we can do this together! Thank you kindly.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors -Stonebridge Community Association