Kingston, Ontario. sleeping cabins to be moved as permanent location remain undecided – Kingston
Imagine having to move every six months. It’s not an ideal situation, but it’s one that sleeping cabin residents in Kingston, Ontario continue to find themselves in.
The cabins, currently located at the Center 70 arena, are expected to return to Portsmouth Olympic Harbor the first week of October where they will remain until spring. But residents hope a permanent location can be found sooner rather than later.
“Trying to put things away, it’s chaos with everything everywhere,” said sleepy cabin resident Marsha Wiggins. “Some older people really can’t do anything, so we have to try to help them as much as possible. »
Since their creation in 2020, the chalets have alternated between the two sites, with the promise of a permanent location each spring, but each year the chalets end up at Center 70.
“We tried, absolutely tried, to research properties and contact owners. We did a major media campaign a few weeks ago and sent letters to potential guests in our cottage community and unfortunately we received nothing in response,” said our General Manager of Living Solutions, Chrystal Wilson.
There are two places the city is currently coveting. The first is at Rodden Park in the Calvin Park area, while the other is the former Rideau Marina, which is Our Livable Solutions’ preferred option.
“It’s a better location for us,” Wilson said. “This is also a very generous donation from Homestead as it includes the capital costs needed to get started as well as operating costs. It’s a ten-year lease, which would stabilize us for ten years. »
But City of Kingston staff say they are still working to find a permanent location that suits all parties involved.
“In presenting this from all the different angles, I think we really need the council to then have a debate and a conversation about what they think is best,” said Ruth Noordegraf, director of Housing and Human Services from the city of Kingston.
Residents can have a say in the permanent location of sleeping cabins. A public meeting was held at the Rideau Marina for residents of this area of the city, while another will be held on Thursday, September 28, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Calvin Park Library for those interested in the location of Rodden Park.
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