Haliburton resident Carolyn Langdon is calling on Dysart et al council to establish a new public trail system that would one day connect the future County Road 21 development to the rest of the community.
Representing the Friends of Grass Lake advocacy group, Langdon pitched elected officials at last week’s (July 28) council meeting.
“We are requesting a formal, phased, active transportation corridor. We want to connect the new municipal property to Glebe Park,” Langdon said. “This would create a safe, walkable corridor from one part of the village to another.”
The idea, she said, would be to map out a trail from the approximate 10-acres the municipality has set aside for a public park and have it run to the property’s northern border. It would then cross several other parcels owned by the township, and one private lot, before connecting to Glebe Park.
Because of the extensive trails system already in place at Glebe Park, Langdon said people would be able to travel into the downtown without walking along a busy highway. It would also provide access to Halbiem Crescent and Bayshore Road – not an important feature today, but could be significant, Langdon said, if the township builds a new recreation facility on the CR21 property.
There have been preliminary talks about an arena, curling club and swimming pool being built, with council setting aside space in early development proposals that could, potentially, accommodate all three.
Proposal would connect CR21 site to downtown
Langdon did not present any costs or timelines, later telling The Highlander that while the project was thought up by the Friends of Grass Lake, with help from former MP Barry Devolin, she hoped the township would take it on. She didn’t think it would be an expensive project.
“We can look to Europe and the UK for a successful model. These regions have thousands of miles of historic, low-impact paths that cut through various properties. They don’t require heavy infrastructure – often, it’s just a simple, unpaved path,” Langdon said.
She pitched the trail as an economical alternative to the township extending sidewalks out to that stretch of town. Using something like crushed granite would require minimal upkeep. Langdon has outlined a potential route for the trail.
She made two official requests – that council formally protect a right-of-way corridor in all development plans moving forward and that staff work with consultant, Biglieri Group, which is helping the township with its development plan, to include a trail in future proposals.
Council spoke favourably about the idea, with mayor Walt McKechnie, deputy mayor Pat Casey and coun. Barry Boice expressing support.
“It’s a great idea in principle, but if you look at some of the areas on the map there are some things that come into play – there’s some wetlands out there, so we have to be careful,” Casey said. “This will also cost money at the end of the day – we’ll have to bring surveyors in… we have to look at this more before agreeing.
McKechnie said he thought “it’ll be a great little hiking trail.”
‘Good for community’
Langdon said investing in the system would greatly enhance one of Haliburton’s best features – its walking trails.
“There is a proven trail culture in Haliburton – when you consider the popularity of the Hike Haliburton festival and the high use of Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) trails, this would be a great addition,” she said, noting the trails could also be used for educational purposes.
“There is a wetland, so maybe a boardwalk becomes part of the conversation. There are groups in our area who have experience doing that kind of thing,” Langdon said, noting the recentlyreopened boardwalk in Minden is a popular destination for school nature trips and environmental programming through groups like HHLT and Environment Haliburton!
William Vitalis has been cottaging in the Highlands for his entire life. Spending summers growing up on nearby Peninsula Road, he feels a trail would be well-used by residents and visitors alike. His son, Ishvara, feels it would be a great addition for youth.
“I like biking over in Glebe Park, so for me this would be great. I’d have a closer connection to the park, but also just having a longer route, being able to see more of our green spaces would be good,” Ishvara said.
William added, “and if the township is seriously talking about having a rec facility on this new property, leaving space for a trail would be a great way to plan and prepare for that by making sure people have various ways to access it.”
Township planner Kris Orsan said the idea would be discussed with Biglieri Group and brought back to council in the fall.
