The Municipality’s multi-use pathway is set to be expanded and upgraded, thanks to some anticipated government funding. It was announced at the regularly scheduled Council meeting on March 7 that an application for funding from the “Active Transportation Fund (ATF)” was accepted. The money will be used to add an extension to the trail from Sutler’s Trail to River Road, with this “lit pathway” being the first of its kind for North Grenville. The funding will also cover a PXO pedestrian crossing, bike storage, and benches.
The ATF was created under then Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Catherine McKenna. “This new Fund is part of an eight-year, $14.9-billion public transit investment to support communities as they build vibrant neighbourhoods where people can safely live, work, and play,” reads a July 2021 release on the Government of Canada website. The total amount of funding that the Municipality is eligible to receive is significant – $941,980 over a two year period. With other projects also on the way, it is not expected that the project will be completed until the spring of 2025.
The news of the trail extension was revealed at the Council meeting, but other routine items were discussed as well. Council heard two presentations during the meeting, including a lengthy presentation called “Grenville Community Futures Development Corporation”, which resulting in much discussion. Readers are encouraged to view the discussion themselves by watching the Council meeting.
As part of the consent agenda, Director of Public Works Karen Dunlop was appointed as acting CAO of the Municipality. Consent agenda items are enacted in one motion, with individual items only pulled for discussion if requested my a member of Council. No discussion took place regarding the acting CAO appointment. A spokesperson for the Municipality confirmed that “Karen Dunlop has been appointed Acting CAO while Gary Dyke is on leave”.
Director Dunlop addressed Council toward the end of the March 7 meeting, specifically to explain a bylaw that acts as acceptance of funding from the provincial and federal governments’ “Safe Restart Agreement for Municipal Transit”. The SRA provides funding to Municipalities to help offset transit restart costs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the case of North Grenville, the funding will continue to support Accessible Transit.
The March 7 meeting was relatively short compared to some other recent meetings, lasting just over one hour. To view the March 7 Council meeting, or previous Council meetings, visit https://www.youtube.com/@NorthGrenville/featured.
