Very soon, you’ll be able to get there from here, and you’ll be able to walk the entire way.
City council has thrown its support to an addition to its growing network of trails, accepting an offer from Rolling Meadows Land Development Corporation president Glen Gordon to help cover the cost of extending the Decew Road trail for its current end point at Merrittville Highway all the way to the Morningstar Mill 1.85 kilometres away.
Plans for an eventual trail were originally envisioned by the Lake Gibson Corridor Preservation Task Group who hoped to link the Decew House Heritage Park and Morningstar Mill with the urban area and the Mel Swart Lake Gibson Conservation Park.
Inspired in part by the upcoming arrival of the 2021 Canada Summer Games, Gordon proposed in December that he would cover half the project’s cost if the city would commit to moving forward with construction with a completion date by this coming summer.
But according to city Director of Public Works and Community Services Geoff Holman, that timeline is a little too ambitious.
Pegging the total price tag at $850,000, Holman wrote in his report to council that Ontario Power Generation and the Regional Municipality of Niagara need to cooperate and provide approvals for the trail to move forward. In addition, he said additional engineering may be necessary, as well as further consultations with the parties involved.
“Recently staff met with the LGCPTG to discuss issues such as alignment, parking, maintenance expectations and connectivity issues. More discussion is required with the City of St. Catharines Museums, the Bruce Trail representatives and local residents,” he said, before recommending the project be included in next year’s budget.
Councillor Fred Neale let council know Gordon is ready to go as soon as they are, adding the developer is prepared to "front load" his portion of the bill if it means the city begins construction as soon as possible.
"It may be unrealistic to think all the due diligence can happen and it can get done this year, but if we can, we would definitely look at moving this project up," said Mayor Terry Ugulini in a later interview.
"It's such a generous offer. How often do you get someone coming forward and saying they're going to cover 50 per cent of a project?" the mayor said, adding future plans call for the trail to reverse course and extend all the way down Decew Road to Beaverdams and eventually connecting with the long-planned trail to Pelham along the former railway tracks.
