Renaissance Association seeks to improve East End

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By Nick Seebruch
Renaissance Association seeks to improve East End
The entrance to the Chuck Charlebois Trail at the corner of Harbour Rd. and Bergeron Dr. (Nick Seebruch/ Seaway News).

CORNWALL, Ontario – The Cornwall Renaissance Association has submitted a series of proposed improvements for the East End to the City of Cornwall for their inclusion in the new Recreation Master Plan. The proposals primarily focus on the Le Village Area and the Chuck Charlebois Trail.

“We are trying to pick-up where Chuck left off,” said Mark MacDonald, Chair of the Renaissance Association. “There hasn’t been much happening in terms of help from the City. The East End has been tossed a few crumbs over the years.”

Amongst the proposals the group is putting forward are improvements to Mattice Park, improvements to Aime Leblanc Park, and improvements and better enforcement of the Chuck Charlebois trail area.

“Many local children, especially from low-income families, would benefit from rejuvenated parks and the baseball diamonds in Legion Park,” reads a statement from the Renaissance Group. “Residents with children and grandchildren desire facilities that are modern and on par with facilities and amenities located elsewhere in the city i.e. Lamoureux Park, Benson Center [site for a new playground, estimated cost $150,000] and Guindon Park [trail repairs in this year’s budget]. many residents in the Renaissance District never use the Benson Center or Guindon Park. many do not own vehicles. The proximity to access these spots is too far afield.”

For the Chuck Charlebois Trail, the Renaissance Association is asking for more enforcement of littering by-laws and speed limits, as well as more care for the trail itself.

The Chuck Charlebois Trail is the area of the Cornwall bike path from St. Lawrence College to the corner of Harbour Rd. and Bergeron Dr.

“The shoreline along the bay that runs between McConnell Ave. and Alice st., needs to be kept clean of weeds and debris. The steps leading down to the river need to be brought up to standard. many people use this area for swimming and cooling off in the summer. The grass in this area needs to be well maintained like it was years ago. this section has been neglected and is under utilized. adding and renting out seasonal floating docks could bring much needed revenue. The city owns the land and there is a huge opportunity for some type of recreational development,” the Renaissance Association recommendations read.

The full text of the Renaissance Association’s recommendations to the Recreation Master Plan can be found here.

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