Guelph-Eramosa residents appear to be generally in favour of a township proposal to expand Rockmosa park here.
Several residents did raise concerns at a Jan. 27 public meeting at the Rockmosa Community Centre, and at least one clearly had difficulty understanding the proposal.
But most of the 60-plus in attendance who spoke were in favour of altering the northern boundary of Rockwood to expand Rockmosa park and permit the construction of a new $6-million Catholic school and a new church.
Sherol Steinberg, who noted Rockmosa park is “never empty,” was perhaps the most vocal in support of the plan.
“If we just put houses on that green space we will have nowhere [for recreation],” she said.
Resident Graham Smith echoed that sentiment, saying, “If we miss this opportunity we will look back with great regret.”
Township planning consultant Bernie Hermsen, of MHBC Planning, outlined the proposal to alter the Rockwood boundary by adding an irregular-shaped parcel of land to the northwest corner of the village.
Most of the land is currently owned by Barb Bonner and a sale to the township for the park portion is expected to be finalized once the official plan amendment is approved by the county.
Hermsen explained the plan originally included a new road behind six existing Main Street properties, but it will likely be removed, largely in response to complaints from the owners of those properties.
“Hearing from residents … we went back to the drawing board,” said Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) planning consultant Nancy Shoemaker.
Board officials said their current preferred concept now includes access directly from Wellington Road 27 (Main Street) north of those properties, which will be about “ten times” cheaper than having to build a new road.
The altered proposal means the school gym will no longer be located directly adjacent to the park, but Shoemaker noted the school board is still open to “shared uses” of the facility with the township.
Resident Mike Nagy said he is not opposed to expanding the park, but he cautioned council about making such “a big decision” that will “displace quite a bit of good farm land.”
Additional concerns raised by Nagy and others at the meeting included:
– speed and traffic issues at the north entrance to Rockwood;
– parking capacity;
– possible light pollution;
– the visual impact of the overall proposal;
– the possibility of lost trees and/or animal habitat as a result of the proposal; and
– drainage and stormwater issues, particularly with the future subdivision north of the park expansion (township officials cautioned that while the development will consist of about 160 units, no one knows what it will look like).
Mayor Chris White said the township will consider all concerns before making a decision. Both he and Hermsen noted many of the residents’ concerns with the church/school proposal can be addressed with the board during the site plan process.
“We thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” White said of the park expansion, which officials have said could include additional soccer pitches, a skateboard park, a perimeter walking/running trail and a toboggan hill.
White noted the boundary alteration would not add a single home – just flip the area to be developed with the park land.
The WCDSB plans to begin construction on the school this summer, with the goal of having it open for September 2015. The church would proceed sometime in the future.
