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Home My WebLink AboutClinton News Record, 2015-05-27, Page 17Wednesday, May 27, 2015 • News Record 17 Council to review The Point to Port Trail Proposal Eve Challoner Pella Special to the News Record The new Ashfield-Col- borne-Wawanosh Council will soon be offering the floor to the Port to Point Trail (P2P) Association. At Council's upcoming meet- ing, The Association will be presenting the facts on the proposal to construct a hik- ing and biking trail on Minis- try of Transport highway allowance land to the west side of Highway 21 between Goderich and Point Farms Provincial Park. The proposal, included in the Green Transportation Plan that the previous Coun- cil developed at the request of the MTO, was supported "in principle" in 2012, but rejected by the then council at its June 18, 2014 meeting, just prior to last fall's election. Following that highly unexpected reversal of the previous expression of com- mitment, The P2P Associa- tion conducted an informa- tion campaign, which showed that there is major popular support for the pro- posed trail. Six -hundred and eleven individuals signed an online petition in favour of the trail and 192 residents mailed postcards to the ACW council in support of the proposal. Council also received 13 letters from resi- dents -11 in favour of it, one neutral, and one opposed to it. The P2P Association are pleased that the new council is prepared to review the project. The P2P Association want to highlight the many bene- fits that such a trail would bring to the ACW commu- nity. The trail would be set back from the main pave- ment on the farthest part of the MTO land, providing approximately 4,800 perma- nent and 75,000 seasonal Point Farms visitors, who previously had use only of the paved highway or unpaved shoulder for travel, with a much safer route along this stretch. The five - kilometre trail would encourage residents of all ages and abilities to walk, bike, or roll to destinations along its length. A similar trail, The Grand Bend Rotary Nature Trail connecting Grand Bend and The Pinery along Hwy. 21, constructed in Lambton County in 2000 has drawn only praise from Lambton Shores Mayor Bill Weber, who, commenting on how much use the trail gets, says, ""The Grand Bend Nature Trail is a fantastic trail in our community. Every day...I see someone using it, walking, cycling, walking their dog... It is a very safe aspect of our community as well, keeping people far off the road, whereas before there would be bicycles and pedestrians right on or beside the highway': The Grand Bend trail proves that construction of a trail can increase safety for bikers and pedestrians: from 2001 to 2010, the trail has provided a safe recreational venue for the community with no accidents, compared to two car/pedestrian acci- dents with injuries along the same stretch of Hwy 21, from 1990 to 1999. The P2P Association feel that had there been a P2P trail here, the rollerblader killed on June 6, 2003 might still be alive. Health promoters at the Huron County Health Unit are fully in favour of the trail as "a safe way to be active and enjoy nature year- round". The benefits of walk- ing and biking and 'being in nature' to a person's physical and mental health have become more and more apparent, as has the increas- ing cost to our health ser- vices resulting from poor health directly related to inactivity. The Ministry of Health feel that trails are one of the most accessible ways for people of all ability levels, from the elderly to the very young, the disabled to the abled, to be active. Trails are good for you financially too. According to real estate information com- piled by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Trans- portation Authority in 2007, trails raise property values. In fact, potential buyers seek them after. Renowned Canadian authors celebrating the short story Laura Broadley Clinton News Record Huron County will be in the midst of pure writing tal- ent next week. From June 4-7 Wingham and the surrounding areas will be host to the Alice Munro Festival of the Short Story. The festival will start off at the Clinton Town Hall on June 4 at 7:30 p.m. with a reading by Heather O'Neill from her short story collec- tion Daydreams of Angels. Her first novel Lullabies for Little Criminals won the 2007 Canada Reads compe- tition and the Hugh MacLen- nan Prize for Fiction. O'Neill was a finalist for the 2007 Governor's General Award for Fiction and the Orange Prize. The official opening of the festival will be on June 5 at 7:30 p.m. with a reception and book signing at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Wingham. O'Neill will be joined by Andrew Kaufman. Kaufman was born in Wing - ham and attended F.E. Madill high school. He is the author of novels The Water- proof Bible, The Tiny Wife, Born Weird and the short story collection Selected Business Correspondence. A writer's masterclass on writing linked short stories will be led by Caroline Adderson at 11 a.m. on June 6 at the North Huron Museum. Adderson is the recipient of multiple national and international awards including the Inter- national IMPAC Dublin Lit- eraryAward, two Common- wealth Writers' Prizes and the Governor General's Lit- erary Award. She is the author of books for young readers, four novels and two short story collections, Bad • PARK TMRE wri, ti OL?EI"t1CH . 524 Thi: FOR MOVIE INFORMATION... wa . rnav elinks, Imaginings and Please to Meet You. Lisa Moore will present the keynote address at the Jubilee Gala at 6 p.m. on June 6 at the Knights of Columbus Centre. Moore is the author of two novels and two short story collec- tions Degrees of Nakedness and Open. Moore's work has won many awards. Her novel February won the 2013 Canada Reads compe- tition and Alligator won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. Merilyn Simonds will also be holding a masterclass on writing flash fiction on June 7 at 10 a.m. in the Bayfield Town Hall. Simonds is a for- mer freelance journalist and author of nine nonfiction books. Her book of creative nonfiction The Convict Lover was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award. For a complete schedule of events go to www.alicemun- rofestival. ca. IYNDP L`S illonore j $ ' "SPECIAL" erAN Classes: Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday Night from 6:00-7:OOpm Children Ages 5-7 Ages 8-12, Teens & Adults Starts: Monday, June 1st, 2015 Location: Holmesville Community Centre To Register CaII: Ron Tyndall at 482-3634 The Seattle Office of Plan- ning notes that while exist- ing owners are not always aware of the value of a trail to the value of their property, "new owners felt the trail had a more positive effect on adjacent property". In a 2006 report on two Massachusetts trails, Craig Della Penna, points out that "the most significant feature of home sales near rail trails is that these homes sold in an average of 29.3 days as compared to 50.4 days for other homes". Increases in sale prices are also reported. The Maitland Trail Associ- ation maintains 60 kilome- tres of trail in ACW. ACW, is, in fact, already connected to a large trail network. Hwy. 21 is an integral part of the Great Lakes Perimeter Trail, already completed from Quebec to Essex County, and with comple- tion in Lambton County anticipated within the next year. The Port to Point trail would extend this larger trail through Huron, encouraging ecotourism and increasing sales opportunities for both existing and potential new businesses along the route. Cyclists, for example, spend a good deal of money. In 2010, two million cyclists in Ontario spent 391 million dollars. On average, a cyclist on a multi -day trip spent an additional $148 each day on purchases other than accommodation. While some have raised concern about cost, The P2P Association stresses that the proposal involves no cost to ACW: one hundred percent of the funds necessary for the trail design, construc- tion, operation and mainte- nance would be provided through provincial grants, corporate sponsorship, and direct fundraising. The Port to Point Trail Association are happy to provide further informa- tion, address individuals' concerns and answer any questions about the pro- posal. They can be con- tacted by email at port- topoint@gmail.com or by phone by calling Con Mel- ady at 519-524-8730. Birthday Club eyton Lobb May 2 Felix Dawe May 26 Carson Williamson May 30 Hayley Davidson May 31 Alex Wammes May 31 Teaguen Edwards May 31 Avery Grist June 1 Kinley Wood June 1 Aaron Feddes June 2 Sophia Hayter June 3 Sadie SquiresNincent June 4 Ethan Hayter June 5 if you wish to have your childs name & birthdate in the Birthday Club for ages 1-12, please call the office, it's free. 519-482-3443 Call our In -Store Bakery to Order BIRTHDAY CAKES OR ANY SPECIAL OCCASION CAKE • MAGIC CAKES • CHARACTER CAKES • Clinton • BIRTHDAY CAKES • Made to your specification. 01AN 6 Mary St., Clinton • 482.9341