Letter to the Editor – Gerry Flaherty On Cornwall Ontario’s Waterfront Meeting Plans – June 1, 2012

Dear Sir,

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The recent City of Cornwall ad about the June 12 waterfront public meetings at the civic complex is incomplete.
It said in part “…residents will have a chance to learn more about the City of Cornwall Waterfront Plan…”.
The ad would have been more correct if it added “which has been completely ignored by the present waterfront committee since it took office almost two years ago.”

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Instead, this committee has promoted a mindless idea to construct a building on the parking lot east of the aquatic centre, which is not in the Waterfront Plan 2007 approved by our community and city council.

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Worse still, at their first meeting they halted the redevelopment of the high city park east of the marina, which is in the 2007 plan as a place of great river views with easy auto access for the public year round.  The past waterfront committee called this park Lookout Point or Pointe Maligne Lookout.

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It was being modelled after Blockhouse Island on the Brockville waterfront which is a huge draw for that city with it’s easy auto access offering parkland and river views.

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Is a condo project with no trespassing signs coming to Lookout Point?

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Who are these people on the waterfront committee? Most of the pro-development majority belong to the downtown Heart of the City business group.   This means they get high hearing a cash register’s ka-ching, and have no comprehension of the value of preserving green space and views of the St. Lawrence River.

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This city and it’s lovely parkland and waterfront belong to us, the ratepayers and residents.  It’s time to retake control of it from these moneygrubbers.  See you on the 12th!

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Gerry Flaherty  –  Cornwall

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Cornwall Free News

10 Comments

  1. Gerry, I’ve heard that Pat Finucan’s name, keeps popping up as the moderator for the public meetings on June 12th, can you confirm this, or is it not factual ?

  2. Why wouldn’t Lee Cassidy be the moderator? She chair’s that committee, is a capable woman, and has experience going back to the days when Chris Savard was chair.
    Maybe Lee has fallen out of favor with the Thibault-Menard-Perkins gang which is merrily running the waterfront committee into the ground!

  3. What a set back the Cornwall Waterfront Com. made in 2011 at their first inaugural meeting, by putting aside a decision of Council that would of seen a beautiful waterfront look-out Park , on the site of the former Police Club. This area would of provided an elavated vantage point, with a spectacular view of the mighty St.Lawrence. This site would have enabled our citizens to drive to this area and park their cars and enjoy the scenery. As a result of their decision, Look-Out Point has been shelved for possible condo development. (no surprise)
    It is a shame, that this group does not appear to not have the intestinal fortitude, to debate that issue ,without such a debate how can the General Public get to understand the issues unless
    they hear from both sides ?
    When will, if ever, this Committee come to their senses ?

  4. remains a Christian tradition and the other night at Joey’s all the tables around our’s were filled with Jehovah’s Witnesses. They were English-speaking and came from Shawville in West Quebec north of Gatineau. The mature diners we chatted with said how much they enjoy coming to Cornwall for their meetings; the only problem they find is the parking situation remains inadequate and they number 4,000 faithful. Has anyone on the waterfront committee thought of this during their talk about erecting a building on the civic complex parking lot?

  5. Are you kidding FISH ON FRIDAY RE building on the east parking lot of the Civic Center some of the Water Front Com Group are of the opinion that parking is not an issue , in fact at least one has the idea that they can build there (taking away valuable parking spots and it would not be necessary to replace those lost spots ) so much for common sense

  6. When we lived in Cornwall we met a couple from Ottawa and we spoke to one another and they knew people that we knew and we felt kind of homesick for Ottawa. Now we are back and when we go down to Cornwall we park in the parking of the Civic Complex in the same area where the “idiots with fat pockets” want to build a huge condo there. These idiots would destroy the beautiful park. Who in their right frame of minds want to go and live in stacked up bird cages? If they are going to live like that why leave the big cities. Parks are not a place to put condos in. If these “idiots” had any brains they would do like Mr. Markell did on Water Street to build condos in good taste and in the area where they should be. Parks are for people to have recreation and not places to live in.

  7. I find it stupid and pointless to put pavement on waterfront land. Make people walk, it’s good for them, it’s good for the environment and it’s the way to move forward in terms of creating a healthy community. Stop wasting green space for parking lots, we need to have more trees! We need to stop burning fossil fuels.

  8. I am having a hard time understanding the Waterfront Planning Commitee’s, planning or organization. Are they in a position to delegate who can build or purchase land? Are they in power without City hall approval to say what type of building is there to be built,where and when? Or are they simply advocates for the City hall without powers to be? OR are they trying to be real estate brokers.
    Are they waterfront caretakers, in giving good advice to the City in a suggestive format? If so, excellent, if not I suggest the name handle be changed.
    It seems to me, someone or a group is out of order.
    Better take a good look at what you are planning for, committe, if in the very near future, if it turns dirty, like I said before, plant a tree, pretty soon afterwards a second tree pop’s up without warning and etc. YOU are responsible for for allowng it to happen, regardlessly whoever planted the seed in the first place forever.
    Have a nice day folks.
    Thanks for reading the coomment.

  9. There is a nice marina there and building a condo is completely rediculous. People need that parking when visiting the Cornwall Arena and believe me there are many people who go there even to swim. Some go to do curling and they too need space. Even those Jehovah Witnesses go to Cornwall and we met a few of them from Ottawa and that is how we got to know the same people and it brought back some good memories of Ottawa. Now we are back. Mr. Markell built condos in very good taste and on Water Street and not stuck in parks where it is for people and nature.
    We walk in parks every day here in Ottawa and no condos are built in parks. There are plenty of tourists every year here more than all of Cornwall’s population so don’t give me that about Brockville – they lost the nut house there that would have been of benefit for the ones who came up with such a crazy idea. Yes the “greedy bunch of Cornwall waterfront committee” sure do like the sound of cash registers. Well folks just wait a little bit and watch your taxes skyrocket into oblivion and you won’t be able to afford your homes nor to be able to keep up with the cost of living and I don’t tell you any lies – I tell it like it is. When that happens then where are you going to move. You go to the rural areas and they are taken over by these “so called rich people” more like Cornwall’s drug dealers who live in million dollar houses and yaghts a your expense. People better wake up before it is too late. I bet that these people have been in business with Willie as well. I wouldn’t put anything past these “rip offs”. Wake up.

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