Angus residents not sure about trail proposal
ANGUS – Essa Mayor Terry Dowdall believes a new trail may be the best way to secure the longterm future of one of the township’s oldest forests.
The mayor shared his comments during a public meeting last week where residents weighed in on the township’s proposal to make a one-kilometre walking path through the Simcoe County-owned forest in Angus, also known as the Rippon Tract.
Dowdall is certain the county will be tempted to sell the 40-plus acres of land south of Mill Street at some point, saying it would fetch a good price because of its location along Highway 90 and proximity to downtown Angus.
“I sit at the county and I can tell you the more chance of a trail going through there, the less chance it will be developed,” he said.
There are three options for the trail. One would see the trail meander diagonally through the forest, while the other two options are to create linear paths along the south or north border.
The idea is to link the trail from Mill Street to the Nottawasaga Fishing Park to access the recently created Pine River Trail.
The trail could use parts of an existing path that runs through the forest. The entire track would be widened to three metres and finished with a layer of crushed limestone to allow for wheelchair access.
While putting a trail through the forest may deter the county from one day selling the land, manager of planning and development Colleen Healey said it’s by no means a guarantee.
“The township would have to agree that we could lose that investment someday,” she said.
About half a dozen residents shared their concerns, with much focus being placed on littering, loitering and graffiti problems.
Dominic Sasco, who lives on Summerset Place, the neighbourhood that backs onto the south side of the forest, doesn’t want the path to run next to people’s backyards. He said a 40-foot buffer or privacy fence wouldn’t help much either.
“It’s going to be open season for graffiti artists,” he said.
His neighbour William Black used to live near a walking trail in Toronto and said he experienced many issues with garbage and graffiti. While motorized vehicles would be prohibited on the trail, he’s worried people will go ahead and use them anyway.
“If you put a straight trail, you’re going to get snowmobilers and ATVers going down there like it’s the Molson Indy,” he said.
Resident Crystal Babin, meanwhile, doesn’t want to see the trail become a hotspot for drug use, saying she’s found several syringes and empty pop cans around the Pine River Trail. She said garbage has been piling up as well, including an old couch that was moved near the river at some point recently.
Residents also raised concerns over the trail’s environmental impact and potential traffic safety issues from having pedestrians crossing Mill Street to access the path.
Healey said the township would look at planting more trees to reduce erosion issues and place garbage cans along the trail to cut down on litter.
The municipality is working on the trail proposal with the Healthy Community Committee. The committee is made up of local residents and its purpose is to advise council on ways to make the community a healthier place to live.
For this proposal, the township can apply for funding through the county’s trails strategy, which provides matching dollars for these projects.
Council will be taking the comments from the public meeting into consideration before making a decision at a later date.
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