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Thorold council considering generous offer from developer

Thorold entrepreneur Glen Gordon has offered to help fund the stalled development of the Lake Gibson trail
trail-map-Gordon
Map showing proposed new trail (in red) to augment existing trails including the Bruce Trail around Lake Gibson. Submitted photo

During Tuesday’s Council meeting, Councillor Anthony Longo asked for an unusual item to be lifted from the correspondence section of their agendas for discussion.

The letter in question was from Glen Gordon, president of Rolling Meadows Land Development corporation, concerning the trail long proposed by the Lake Gibson Corridor Preservation Task Group (LGCPTG) along Decew Road. Mr. Gordon expressed his interest in the project and offered to help make it a reality by splitting the cost with the City on a 50/50 basis.

Gordon suggested that the project, which would span the distance from the Merrittville Highway to the Morningstar Mill, could be completed by the fall of 2019, with a start this coming winter.

He noted that the LGCPTG had previously well expressed the benefits of the trail, and added the additional point, “Now as we approach the hosting of the 2021 Canada Summer Games such a proud linkage to some of our City’s heritage and cultural assets would be ideal.”

Councillor Longo had lifted this item asking, “What are we doing about it?”

In answer, Councillor Fred Neale, the founder of the Task Force and presently its Council representative, offered a motion for a staff report, to be completed by the February 5, 2019 meeting. When asked by Mayor Terry Ugulini if it should be forwarded to the budget committee for consideration, Neale pointed out that the process could take them well into March or April, which might be too late.

It was announced that there would be a meeting of the principals with the Region about securing permission to cross portions of their land on Jan. 11.

Following some discussion about alternative funding for the City’s portion by Councillor Longo and a specific request for costing by Councillor Victoria Wilson, Council passed Councillor Neale’s motion unanimously.