By Dan White – Special to the Sydenham Current
On February 18, 2023 Joni and I attended the open house at the Wallaceburg Legion for the Wallaceburg South Side – Secondary Plan in the morning and returned in the afternoon for the workshop.
There were plans at the workshop for a 23 year plan to change the area from the Selkirk Bridge to the Murray Street Bridge along the Sydenham and down as far as the train tracks.
Admittedly, this is a very ambitious plan and the scope of the area as well as the time frame means following it through will be a challenge.
But, it is a starting point and was an important event to attend.
As Dave Babbitt noted long before this meeting back in 2019 (when a community hub was being discussed with the Mayor and our two local councilors) this is a once in a century opportunity.
How rare is it that a large tract of land like the stretch from the walking bridge to Murray Street is largely vacant and ready to be developed.
Vision and planning is essential to long term success.
Screw this up and generations will reflect on the opportunity lost by small minded people, bureaucrats and politicians or foolish planning.
In the morning, Fotenn Consulting had large displays of its urban plan for the area and a few key members of that team, along with CK’s Manager of Developmental Planning Services Anthony Jas, the Director of Planning Services, Wallaceburg-native Ryan Jacques and Wallaceburg Councilor Aaron Hall, answer questions of the 60 or so community members who walked through the displays.
The information displayed was slick and interesting with a good deal of chatter happening.
Undoubtedly, everyone had their own agenda.
I noticed people with clip boards, local businessmen and a good deal of curiosity and engagement.
The workshop in the afternoon was interesting and engaging.
The same team was present to lead the event and about 25 people returned to the two-and-a-half-hour workshop.
The first hour was a recap of what was discovered in the morning and the balance of the time was, hopefully fruitful.
We sat in groups and went through key elements of the Draft Concept Report.
Joni and I ended up at a table with Dave and had the pleasure of meeting with Anthony Jas.
We spent most of our time focusing on what could be the key to the future in Wallaceburg; the land along the shore of the Sydenham.
It is assumed that that will be the first area of development as it is currently largely vacant and ready to be developed.
We did discuss residential and retail concerns but since we are all artists, we zeroed in on that aspect of the plan… or rather the absence of that aspect.
We noted that the plan mentioned that the theatre connected to the museum be retained and we pointed out that it is not a) allowed to be used as or called a theatre any longer and b) even is it was, it is inadequate for large scale, multi-purpose performances.
Wallaceburg needs and deserves a multi-purpose performance venue – the community hub that was discussed in 2019.
This vision is not on the scale of the Capitol, nor is our vision something that serves a small spectrum of the town – it is multipurpose: developed to serve the needs of the community as a performance space, a meeting place, a gathering spot, which fosters connection and a sense of community here.
I recently read a report that noted that a space like this increases the sense of community and happiness within a community by 203%.
We were disappointed to note that arts and culture was not mentioned once in the 47-page document as a part of the plan for the future.
We were thrilled to hear 3 of the 6 groups reviewing the plan observing this oversight.
It was surprising to see this omission in the report when there is so much evidence that arts and culture in a community draws in new residence, brings tourists and elevates the overall wellbeing of a community, from mental health to quality of life.
To be clear, there is mention of a bandshell, but what is proposed is little more than a raised slab of cement without shelter or much actual functionality.
While an outdoor stage would be wonderful if an organization wanted to bring back weekly summer concerts, it is not big enough or practical for the concert band, a dance troupe, a theatre company or a town meeting – to mention a few possible uses.
Offering this up as a performance space is the equivalent of offering an outdoor public rink as a viable solution for a hockey team.
At one point Ryan Jacques sat at our table and it was refreshing to listen to his passion and earnest desire to get this right for Wallaceburg.
Hopefully, that is the intention of everyone involved in this venture.
The next step is a spring follow up with a revised plan and more public input.
If we choose not to get involved in the discussion, we lose the opportunity to direct the plan.
And yes, “Fix the @#$% walking bridge!” was a unanimous chant!
