The community group who pushed for the construction of a steel palm tree in a north Toronto neighbourhood is speaking out against criticisms from a local council candidate that the project is a waste of money - and they say he's misrepresented the project.
The palm tree costs about $4,200, they say, far less than the $100,000 price tag quoted by Rob Davis, who is running for a seat in Ward 15, Eglinton-Lawrence. Renovation of the entire transit island, which divides the busy five-point intersection at Oakwood and Vaughan costs about $100,000, representatives from the 5 Point Community Action group said Friday.
"We considered aluminum [for the palm tree] but we thought it was too expensive," said group co-founder Kenton Kroker, adding that the tree will be made of the cheaper hot dipped galvanized steel. "We weren't engaged in some sort of spending orgy. We thought the palm tree would be a really beautiful symbol of the kind of unity and hope that I think reflects this neighbourhood."
He said funds for the palm tree, which is only part of the widening and refurbishing of the transit island, came from the city's Clean and Beautiful program. The overwhelming majority of that money, which will go toward the roadwork required to revamp the island, is from section 37 of the city budget - a pot of cash that comes from developers' fees, he said.
"That's not taxpayer's money."
Construction on the island has already begun. When it's finished, a drinking fountain will sit beneath the 18 foot high palm tree.
Reached on Friday, Mr. Davis clarified that he was referring to the entire project when he brought the palm tree story to the media the day before.
In a press release, he said the "$100,000 steel palm tree is a symbol of waste at city hall" and that taxpayer's money was being misspent.
In an interview, Mr. Davis said that as a taxpayer and as a member of the black community, he was "insulted" by the palm tree's construction.
"I stand by my statement," he said Friday evening. "The project is an example and that palm tree is an example of wasteful spending."
Mr. Kroker pointed out that the area is home to people from many different countries where palm trees are grown, and that it's meant to symbolize the "globalism" of the neighbourhood.
The project is as much about safety and revitalization as it is about beautifying an area that was in dire need of a spruce up, Mr. Kroker said.
When the group first proposed the makeover in 2006, three benches on the island had been destroyed, an outdated bus shelter was consistently full of discarded food and garbage and four locust trees were dying on the vine.
They had erected a steel pole as a pedestrian barrier, but it kept being knocked down by cars tearing around the corner and driving over the curb, Mr. Kroker said.