On Merritton

I am pleased to be able to offer my services to the citizens of Merritton Ward, a large and diverse community.

From the old downtown of Merritton to Secord Woods to the Queenston Street area to the Pen Centre and The Museum at Lock 3 as well as Burleigh Hill and its communities on top of the escarpment from Barbican Heights to Kimberly Clark and the Maplecrest area this is an exciting community.

These are also exciting times for Merritton ward and for the City of St. Catharines. The large number of candidates involved in this ward election (11 for 2 positions) is a positive indicator of the great interest in our community and its challenges.

Residents and businesses of Hartzel Road and Queenston Streets are looking to redefine their neighbourhoods into more livable and productive areas.

Hartzel Road needs additional residential uses to help bring the sense of community that people in Merritton want to experience.
Residents of Queenston Street (including the adjoining streets) have come together to work as a community with the Niagara Regional Police as well as city staff to make their area the safe neighbourhood they deserve.

The Brownfield areas (i.e. land that has old vacant industrial or commercial buildings) such as the old steam plant behind Hartzel Road and the old Domtar buildings at Glendale and Merritt need to be redeveloped into uses that are more in keeping with our community. This new growth, like the redevelopment of “The Keg”, can be positive and renewing. The realignment of the Glendale Road at Merritt Street will also make sense and help reduce traffic bottlenecks at that corner.

Once the New Hospital Development decision has been approved by the Provincial authorities, the General Hospital site will have to be redeveloped. That redevelopment must be done as quickly as possible in order to reduce any negative impact a large vacant building would have on this area.

The old Welland Canal adjacent to Bradley Street and Oakdale Avenue had been accepted too long as a storm sewer from industries up stream. It is slowly being used less and less as a sewer and now shows a greater potential to obtain Federal and Provincial support to designate it, and have it developed, as a tourist destination.

My experience as a planner and economic development officer, as well as a past chair and trustee of the public school board has given me the qualifications to offer my services to you the citizens of Merritton Ward as an effective councillor to represent you at St. Catharines City Council.

I would appreciate your support on November 10th 2003.

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