by Sylene Argent
With Walker Road dividing McGregor between the municipalities of Essex and Amherstburg, collaboration has to take place to ensure the hamlet’s needs are met.
Last week, Essex’s Ward 2 Councillor Kim Verbeek and Mayor Sherry Bondy met with representatives of Amherstburg’s Council to discuss shared priorities for not just McGregor, but also Co-An Park.
“It was a good start to see if we are on the same page,” Bondy said. “There is a lot of work to do in terms of McGregor.”
Bondy said the meeting, which also included administration from both municipalities, focused on matters like sewage capacity. Essex and Amherstburg are funding an Environmental Assessment, which will provide information about sewage capacity, which is located on the Amherstburg side of the boundary. This will aid in planning development for the area and identifying restraints.
McGregor homes feed into the lagoons on the Amherstburg-side, so growth must be a joint-endeavor, Bondy explained.
Discussion about beautification also took place, and how both municipalities can work together to maintain the aesthetics of McGregor’s downtown core.
The shared vision of Co-An Park was also discussed, Bondy noted. Essex and Amherstburg co-own the nearly 40-acre sports facility.
Currently, a multi-year Master Plan is being drafted for Co-An Park, which will outline short, medium, and long-term goals. As a way to gather public input, get new ideas, and discuss opportunities for the park, staff members for the two municipalities hosted an open house last November, in addition to an online survey.
A second public feedback session will take place in the near future. The document, when ready, will be presented to the Co-An Park Advisory Board and both municipal Councils to gather input.
To date, The Town of Essex has $240,000 set aside in a reserve for a future splashpad at Co-An Park. In addition, during the 2022 Budget deliberations, Council voted to forward $81,741 into reserves for Co-An redevelopment as well.
Verbeek, who represents McGregor on Essex Council, was pleased the conversation took place, and is looking forward to future discussions.