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N E W S & U P D A T E S
D E
C E M B E R , 1 9 9 8
Wednesday, December 30th, 1998
YEAR END REPORT:
Grand Trunk Trail a
true community project
Momentous
accomplishments in just two-and-a-half years
  A proud committeeMembers of the Grand Trunk Trail committee gathered atop the Sarnia Bridge late this summer for a group photo to help commemorate the completion of 'Phase One' of the trail. |
The Grand Trunk Trail committee has a scrapbook that records the progress since its inception on June 26, 1996. In two-and-a-half years, the scrapbook has become a veritable tome.
An early Lorne Eedy column rhetorically asked, "Why support your trail?" and answered that the community benefits are numerous:
- public trail that promotes participation
for all age groups --
; - environmentally friendly use -- ;
- safe Thames River crossing -- ;
- pedestrian thoroughfare from west side of
St. Marys to east side -- ;
- accesses/borders two schools, retirement
communities, factories and other businesses -- ;
- breathtaking views . . . tourism -- ;
- few vehicle road crossings -- ; and
- will be connected to existing River View
Walkway -- .
A lot has been accomplished in two-and-a-half years. In September/96 a contest to "Name the Walkway" received 19 submissions, resulting in the selection of Grand Trunk Trail. Since then, that name, or GTT, has represented a local project that has captured the imagination and enthusiasm of hundreds of people.
A letter to the editor expressed concern that the heritage of the Sarnia Bridge shouldn't be "buried". As we locals know, that magnificent structure will always be the Sarnia Bridge and the GTT committee will make sure that everyone who uses it will know that that is what it is called.
Signage is one aspect of the project that we haven't got to yet but that is not to imply that it hasn't been seriously considered in committee meetings.
Name plaques for bridge
 |
A small number are there already, on the north side of the west end of the bridge. Another small group of GTT committee members and volunteers are checking the spelling of names on the plaques as they are received from the engravers. Every effort is being made to comply with requested "grouping" of plaques to keep family members together if that is what is wanted.
By the way, there was someone who wanted his/her plaque to be close to the end of the Bridge because vertigo is a problem. If you see this, would you contact Mary Smith at the Museum (284-3556) to confirm the location?
Donations can be made at the Town Hall during business hours, at the St. Marys Museum, once again, during business hours and at the VIA Station/Recreation Department. Our pamphlets have a donation form on them so that snail mail is an option, too.
Fundraising has benefited from the generosity of many local businesses, service clubs and organizations.
|
Our most remarkable event had to be the Rubber
Ducky Race in July of '97. Who can forget the picture of hundreds of little yellow ducks
bobbing downstream from the falls to the Park Street Bridge? Just for the fun of it,
people helped shepherd the "strays" back on course, plucked them from the reeds
and gathered them at the finish line. What a blast! And who can ignore the luck of having
a glorious summer day to boot?
Committee members have done countless other jobs that are less obvious. Hundreds of letters have been written to pursue funding from philanthropic foundation and businesses. These letters resulted in 18 foundations, businesses or individuals donating $1,000 or more to the Trail. The St. Marys Hospital Foundation tops the list with $25,000 followed by the Richard Ivey Foundation with $15,000. Of the 18 donors in this category, 13 have been from St. Marys.
 Grand Trunk Trail railway spikes, environment- friendly pens, T-shirts, and name plaques are available for purchase at the St. Marys VIA Rail Station. |
Not everyone has $1,000 to give to a project but many hundreds of you have given what you can and the results of your contributions are every bit as important to making the Grand Trunk Trail successful. You've bought a plaque, a T-shirt, a railway spike or a pen; you've attended our fundraising events; you've given your time to sit at a booth to sell tickets for us-everyone who has helped in any way can justifiably say that the Grand Trunk Trail is something you've helped to build. Feels good, eh?
Design committee
Fundraising has been, of necessity, a major focus of the Grand Trunk Trail committee but
it has not been the only one. Ron Plaquet chairs the Design committee which was
responsible for creating the look of the railings and lamp posts and how to best lay the
planks to make a deck that would not shift or warp.
Research was done to come up with the best coating for the railings and the somewhat expensive powder coating was decided on for its durability. The fact that some people want to immortalize themselves by gouging their names in the coating is distressing. If only they were the ones who had either worked to raise the money or done all the homework, they might focus their energies more positively.
Design's consultation with the Town Operations Manager, Bruce Grant and Terry Martin of the PUC has resulted in a co-ordination of work that has one task flow into the other without having to undo what another has done.
Naturalization
A recently created subcommittee, called Naturalization, is chaired by Pat Donnelly. This
committee has taken to heart the commitment to keeping the Trail as natural as possible
and the members have the know-how to do it. Backed by support from the Upper Thames River
Conservation Authority and the Perth Stewardship Network, the Naturalization committee has
spent many hours on site identifying flora that should be there (indigenous) and other
invasive plants that shouldn't.
They are concerning themselves with existing erosion problems and devising plans to curtail them; they are noting areas that can be enhanced by the inclusion of trees that will attract birds and provide pleasant views at all times of the year.
A 'golden' moment
On July 29, 1998 at 9:25 p.m., a
member of the Kinsmen Club drove in the last screw on the last plank on the decking of the
Sarnia Bridge. Here's a little-known bit of trivia -- the last screw is gold (in colour!) 
Look on the south side of the east end --
there it is. Lord Strathcona may have driven the "Last Spike" with a
lot more fanfare but I doubt that there was any less pride felt by the Kinsmen who spent
close to three weeks of a very hot summer making the two halves of the Grand Trunk Trail
come together.
(I will admit that "The Last Screw" will probably NOT be deemed appropriate for the history books.)
Since July 29, there have been wedding photos taken, a Children's Dress-Up Parade, Seniors' Golf Cart Day, and thousands of people all on that Bridge. The use that people make of the Grand Trunk Trail makes the thousands of volunteer hours worth it.
Committee work is still going on. We are awaiting the outcome of our application to the Canada Millennium Partnership Program. With financial help from this source, we want to proceed with lighting the length of the Trail, creating a surface for the Trail that will make using it easy for everyone and designing aspects that will provided the finishing touches, such as signage, benches, a garden and picnic tables.
If the Millennium Funding comes to us, we hope that the Junction Station can be revitalized to be an Interpretive Centre for railway memorabilia and a "bookend" for the Trail. We should hear the result of the Millennium Program's decision at the end of the first week of January. Keep your fingers crossed.
The members of the Grand Trunk Trail committee extend sincere thanks to all of you who have supported the creation of the Trail. We wish you the best during this Holiday Season and in the New Year.
Carol Robinson-Todd, Chairperson
Reprinted from the St. Marys Journal-Argus, Wednesday, December 30th, 1998
