GLEN WALTER – As South Glengarry gets ready to build a bicycle-themed waterfront park in Glen Walter, the head of the parks department says the public was never consulted on what it might want.
The revelation came Monday night as council looked at a conceptual plan, which has two phases for development. The first is picnic tables, benches, signage, bike racks, a bike repair station and shrubs. The second phase would be more benches, a trail through the park, more bike racks and bollards at the entrance to the park.
The township budgeted $25,000 this year for the project, which will cover items in the first phase.
Asked by Coun. Rebecca Luck, the general manager for parks says staff were clear during the budget about what they wanted but the public was never asked.
“This park was brought to me when I had just started later last summer and the issues…was people parking on the park itself so we wanted to get some amenities in there that would eliminate that,” Sherry-Lynn Servage said. “There wasn’t any public consultation between bringing it to budget last year and now, although…we were clear about the items we were going to be putting in the park. But there was no full consultation about it…public input,” she explained.
A staff report shows South Glengarry did consult with “applicable parties,” including the United Counties of SD&G, the Raisin Region Conservation Authority and the Waterfront Regeneration Trust.
It’s not the first time the Glen Walter Waterfront Park has had parking issues. In 2017, drivers were parking at the side of the road, blocking the bike lane and the line of sight for eastbound traffic. Some on council were concerned about liability for the township should their be an accident. The township later pulled down the waterfront park signs.
Servage told council there will be signs for no parking along County Road 2 “although it may be inevitable.”
Coun. Martin Lang was also concerned about accessibility, like someone in a wheelchair.
“We don’t want people parking along Highway 2 for long periods of time but if they’re going to drop someone off or they can park along Highway 2 to maybe unload their picnic, unload the picnic and then park at Glen Walter (Regional) Park,” Servage suggested.
The township hopes to have the “majority” of the first phase of the park complete by the end of this month.