| Nov. 16/99 Your Worship and members of City Council, Re: Closure of Old Lakeshore Road to Vehicular Traffic What is not indicated on the Public Notice is the plan for what is to be done to this road, after it is to be closed to vehicular traffic. Therefore, I make this submission as a property owner in the sense of collective public ownership of the road, not as one whose private property adjoins this road. As you on Council are all aware, you were invited but did not attend (a couple of regrets were received) a gathering of many members of the Bluewater Trails committee held at Huronview Park the evening of June 21/99. We intended to walk west from the park along the waterfront to Perch Creek, a.k.a. the Cull Drain. As it turned out, we discreetly did not proceed because of boundary uncertainties of the public Right of Way (ROW) along the course of the scoured-out Old Lakeshore Road. It was clarified by City representatives at the next meeting of the Bluewater Trails committee that this land on the ROW had never been turned over to the adjacent owners of private property. I trust the same is intended for the stretch in question today so that it remains a place for public access, as is the existing walkway/bikeway connecting to the west end of this road. Bluewater Trails has recently heard a preliminary report from Ken Buck, the hired consultant for trail development within city limits. It is not my purpose here to relate specifics of this report here. I expect this to be done formally to City Council by the Chair of Bluewater Trails in the near future. However, I have, in a previous submission that led to my appointment to the Bluewater Trails committee, identified the potential for the stretch between Huronview Park and Perch Creek and mentioned the portion for consideration today. Along with Council's discussion of plans for the section relevant today, I would hope to see Council move unanimously to commence the following activities: 1.Remedial work on the remains of the asphalt road to bring it to complementary width of the existing trail to the west, removal of the existing barrier there and an asphalt connection between the two. 2.Have City Engineering take inventory of work needed to refurbish the historic Perch Creek bridge (how many of these relics still stand in Ontario?) to bring it back to original appearance and assure lasting structural integrity for pedestrian traffic. Submit to Council cost estimates for such work. 3.Survey and prepare a site map of the waterfront stretch between Huronview Park and Perch Creek showing ROW property of Old Lakeshore Road that still exists today. This is all necessary preliminary work to explore potential for what could be a seamless public trail all along the waterfront from Cow Creek near the city limits at County Road 26 to the Rainbow Curve. I hope Council will find this an opportune time to act on these recommendations. Yours truly, George Sunaitis |
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