Improvements at Confederation Park accelerated thanks to private donor

ELORA – A private donor has come forward with $125,000, and that has accelerated the plan for Confederation Park.

Managing director of community services Adam Gilmore told Centre Wellington council on July 13 that the donor, who wasn’t named, provided three conditions to the donation that staff feels they can accommodate:

– the end-to-end accessible path be moved forward for construction in 2026;

– the new lookout deck be designed in 2026; and

– the path and lookout deck shall be called the Don Watson Trail and Lookout, in honour of Don Watson, who served the Town of Fergus for 42 years and retired as works superintendent.

The accessible path was to be part of phase two of the project, and the lookout deck was part of phase three.

The  revised list of improvements at Confederation Park for 2026 now includes:

– removal and replacement of boardwalk; 

– invasive species removals; 

– removal of existing shade structure; 

– construction of non-motorized boat launch; 

– construction of accessible end-to-end park pathway; and,

– concept design of outlook/overlook feature.

Phase-one improvements are planned to be tendered in late summer and constructed in fall this year, Gilmore said.

Council had already approved spending $214,260 on phase-one projects in the 2026 budget, and approved the donation agreement at the meeting.