ELORA – After presenting to Wellington County’s roads committee last November, the Pierpoint Neighbourhood Group brought its concerns to Centre Wellington council at its Jan. 31 meeting.
And while no decisions were made at the meeting, council seemed open to considering the group’s concerns when it’s time to update the township’s Transportation Master Plan.
“I would like to thank the group for all the work they have done,” said councillor Kirk McElwain.
“It was probably one of the best delegations we’ve had in terms of telling me stuff I was not aware of.”
The group recently realized the county and township transportation plans call for a bridge to be built connecting Wellington Road 29 on the south side of the Grand River to the neighbourhood around Pierpoint Park on the north side of the river to act as a Highway 6 truck bypass route.
And while the bypass is not in the 2032 to 2041 forecast, the neighbourhood group wanted councillors to be aware of the historical significance of the site, the unique ecosystem in the area, and its opinion that paving the way for a truck route would be damaging on many fronts.
“We recognize the need for a bypass,” said spokesperson Melanie Lang. “We are simply asking you to look further east for a compatible option.”
There’s a lot going in Pierpoint Park that’s worth preserving, Lang said.
It is the land that once belonged to Richard Pierpoint, the former slave who fought as a Black Loyalist in the American Revolution and with the British forces in the War of 1812 and was rewarded with this 100-acre piece of land.
It’s among the first settlements in Fergus, Lang said, and certainly the first Black settlement in the area.
“We should be protecting and celebrating this piece of history,” she said.
It’s also a unique ecosystem as there is a steady flow of cold water below the Shand Dam.
It is alive with fish, birds, otters, foxes, porcupines and deer and the Pierpoint Flyfishing Reserve is a popular destination for flyfishers and brings $1.4 million to the local economy annually.
Neighbourhood group member Peter Van Vloten said members have collected 13,400 signatures on a petition asking for the bypass to be moved further east – on or around 2nd Line.
He said signatories were local, regional, national and some international folks who all recognize that Pierpoint Park is “the jewel of Fergus.”
“This bypass route is a terrible idea,” he said. “And once implemented, it can’t be changed.
“There should not even be a debate. The loss of Black heritage is unacceptable.”
CAO Dan Wilson said the Transportation Master Plan is high-level and that there would be an environmental, cultural and heritage assessment as well as community consultation before the precise location of the bridge would be decided.
He said he’ll reach out to the group before any updates are made to the plan.
