Pittock lands controlled by UTRCA or Woodstock? What is best ?
By Mark Schadenberg
PART ONE
Every
city – Woodstock most certainly included naturally – needs an
abundance of green spaces for parks and trails and for nature.
Keep
in mind, like all municipal services parks cost money as trails need
to be maintained, grass must be cut, and playground equipment needs
to be upgraded and replaced.The city parks department under the helm of Chris Kern and recreation department boss Brian Connors have done a terrific job building new playgrounds for children and improving others.
TRAILING
Woodstock
already can brag about its immense system of trails weaving from the
west (Standard Tube and Millennium) to Innerkip Road along the Thames
River, and beyond to 'The Pines'. City employees such as Leon Tryon
deserve a hug as there are fewer vegetation (trees) to hug with the Ash trees
gone. Folks like Bill Bes, John Duffy, James Holdsworth, and Jeff
Skevington are all long-time environmentalists who know nature,
species of birds, flora and fauna, and are friends of Pittock (See
many links below).
The
City of Woodstock is again knocking on the door of the London (Ont)
palace of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) to
earn more control of the acreage which wraps around Pittock Lake
(Thames River widening reservoir named after Gordon Pittock) at the north end of the city. The
parks and recreation department would propose purchasing some of the
property and leasing some terra-ferma as well. Sounds like a great
long-term (over the next 20 years) venture to connect all trails and
create some more parkland for new subdivisions on the north of
Pittock pond such as Havelock Corners. You can recall, that the
Havelock homestead developed by Senators Homes will number over 600
houses when completed.
The
UTRCA is the watchdog – often a mean biting mutt and only sometimes
a docile aging golden lab. The UTRCA along with the City is writing a
master plan (We have too many master plan and feasibility studies,
but they keep consultants employed) to cover the next two decades
for the Thames River watershed meandering through Woodstock, which
includes the Cedar Creek as it trickles through Southside Park and
desperately needs a dredging (I've penned about this several times).
Be
sure to read a posting of mine from about one week ago where I praise
the UTRCA on its Beachville-to-Woodstock watershed works, but the
City will most certainly have frustration long-term negotiating and
discussing ideas (in my opinion) with the governing water body when
pondering and pandering occurs to Woodstock gaining some more control
of the green spaces on the north side of Pittock, plus some already
trail lines on the south shore, which at times are poorly maintained by the UTRCA or the City of Woodstock or both.
There would never be an intention to
close the conservation area and its 'day use' and 'camping' and
'membership' provisions. Bill Bes and his sailing club would boil
(I'm guessing as I have never asked Bes and his sailors their
thoughts on this one) if plans were afloat to scuttle the campground.
The City, does however, want to create a formal defined loop trail around the lake.
One
city council member at the last meeting described this waterway and
its accompanying nature, as the future Central Park of Woodstock.
A
long term project that will cost money, but an adventure worth
tackling. Since minor soccer and hockey and other recreational
committees and associations require a ton of volunteers, some of this
future trail maintenance will have to be conducted by volunteers,
such as an expanded Oxford County trails council. As I have always
said, when riding my bike on the trails I always wear a helmet for
safety, but I also don the headgear so I don't have to duck for all
the branches. In other words, trail maintenance would require only
modest pruning of over-hanging branches and the like, but the trail
can not grow over either.
Take
consideration quickly to the wonderful system of pathways through The
Pines cycling trails east of County Rd 4. That 'park' is maintained
by the Woodstock Cycling Club, which has a very dedicated axle,
spokes and wheels group wielding the rakes and clippers necessary in expanding and nurturing that treasure.
LINKS:
Mark
Schadenberg, Sales Representative
Senior
Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)
Royal
LePage Triland Realty
Email:
mschadenberg@rogers.com
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