Goderich Mayor says Turnout for Last Weeks Public Meeting on Downtown Revitalization was Exceptional

by Bob Montgomery

Four days of public meetings on plans for the revitalization of the road around the Square wrapped up last Friday night and Mayor Trevor Bazinet says the participation of Goderich residents was very encouraging.

Bazinet says the landscape architect that's working with them has done several similar projects and he was very impressed by the participation of Goderich residents. Bazinet says they got a wide range of suggestions from town residents and from town staff like bylaw enforcement, public works, and the parks department. He says that's important because the design of the downtown will have some impact on how they do their job and what is going to be done with the downtown will be there for a long time. Bazinet says some of the changes suggested in the draft plan include widening the sidewalk to provide more room for pedestrians, creating a multi-purpose lane for people on bikes or scooters or motorized wheel chairs, they're going to change the dynamics of the cross-walks going from the business side to the courthouse side and the one that seems to have everyone's attention, reverse angle parking on the Square.

Bazinet also points out there's still a lot more consultation to be done. He says they're going to be talking to the Accessibility Advisory Committee and EMS, among others. And because it's going to last for a long time, it is important that they get it right. Bazinet says the landscape architect will make a presentation to council in February and they'll work closely with the task force and with B. M. Ross and they'll still be consulting with community groups and town staff on the draft plan.